Longtime Malibu resident’s years of service was highlighted at Monday night’s City Council meeting
Whether you’ve been to any public safety meeting, community event, or holiday celebration, you’re more likely to run into Paul Grisanti.
Since becoming a resident in 1978, Grisanti began participating with the city in 1990, when he was one of 30 candidates for the first City Council. He was appointed to the first General Plan Task Force and produced minutes for the 24 area meetings held during the first year.
Grisanti served 19 years on the Public Works Commission, first appointed by then-Mayor Jeff Jennings in 2002, followed by appointments from Councilmember Lou LaMonte in 2010 and then-Mayor Pro Tem Karen Farrer in 2019.
City Manager Jim Thorsen appointed Grisanti to a Fire Flow study group, where he worked with representatives of Los Angeles County Waterworks District 29, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and community stakeholders to identify water system deficiencies and solutions. In 2019, he was awarded a Malibu Times Dolphin Award for facilitating Fire Flow compromise and fire rebuilds.
Grisanti was honored for his years of service by city, state, and local leaders during Monday night’s City Council meeting.
“I am honored to be here with you all today as we recognize and celebrate the incredible contributions Paul Grisanti has made to the Malibu community in his four years on the council ,” said Sophia Soudani, field deputy for LA County Supervior Lindsey Horvath. “From his work on the Public Works Commission to his commitment to emergency preparedness to his strong advocacy on traffic safety on PCH, he has been a champion for Malibu.”
Grisanti also served on the Las Virgenes-Malibu Council of Governments and Executive Director Terry Dipple attended the meeting to thank Grisanti.
“He has been instrumental in his support for issues and projects that we’ve been working on that benefit Malibu; most significantly, the hazard mitigation plan the cog approved for all five cities and the fiber project,” Dipple said. “It’s been a pleasure to work with Paul, and I just want to say thank you for the support that you’ve given me.”
Grisanti thanked the residents of Malibu, city staff, his appointed commissioners, and his wife Sarah.
“I want to thank the residents of Malibu for allowing me to represent them for the last four years; it was a great honor; it was something I really wanted to do,” he said. “I’m not done working to make Malibu a better place, I’m looking forward to working with Smart Coast California we have a huge project coming up that I’m hoping we will be able to announce in the next year.”
Mayor Doug Stewart and Mayor Pro Tem Marianne Riggins thanked Grisanti for his service to the community.
“He has been a true inspiration for volunteerism and interest in the city and we owe him a lot,” Stewart said.
Grisanti reflected on the time he had spent on the council with school separation, Woolsey Fire Rebuilds and on the bond committee for the Malibu High School building.
“Our high school building is supposed to be ready to be moved to next August, which is a tremendous victory,” he said.”Those are the things that are important that need to happen, so families can move back to Malibu. We lost so many houses in the result of the fire.”
The Children’s Lifesaving Foundation Executive Director Francesca McCaffery shared a few words on Grisanti’sservice to the community.
“Paul Grisanti is truly a local treasure,” McCaffery said. “He was actually such a supportive, encouraging force when my mother Maria D’Angelo first started The Children’s Lifesaving Foundation, back in 1993! He is just a tireless advocate for all things good in Malibu, and his impact has gone far beyond the Malibu city borders, and has truly, positively added so much to our local community for the good of so may others. We love him, and he will be greatly missed, but we are all so very grateful for his service to the community.”
Former Malibu Arts Commission Chair Fireball Tim Lawrence shared a few words about Grisanti and all that he has done for the community.
“I feel honored to have been able to serve with Paul,” Lawrence said. “His kindness and dedication to the city was inspiring, and our friendship has been strengthened by the difficulties and challenges that were presented to us. I will always be grateful for that.”
“I am definitely going to be involved in other things as well, I look forward to attending meetings and trying to get things over the finish line for Malibu,” Grisanti said.