Malibu council debates scope of “like‑for‑like” rebuilds under governor’s order

Malibu City Council members and staff spent much of a special March 19 meeting hashing out how to interpret the governor’s disaster rebuild policy that lets homeowners replace damaged homes “in substantially the same location” with an allowance of up to 10% additional size.

The council and planning staff discussed how to define “substantially the same location,” whether changes in orientation or roof type count as a new build and how to treat nonconforming or previously unpermitted structures. Council members emphasized speeding reconstruction for homeowners who want to restore what they had before the Palisades and other fires, while also preserving neighborhood scale and safety.

The debate centered on three practical questions: how to measure the 10% allowance (height, footprint or aggregate), who interprets the standard in unclear cases, and which changes should be treated as necessary safety upgrades rather than discretionary design changes. Planning Director Joe and City Manager David described current practice and staff plans: the city has typically compared an…