Malibu residents urge planning commissioners to fast-track post-fire rebuilds

Dozens of Malibu residents told the Malibu City Planning Commission on Feb. 18 that the city must move faster to help hundreds of households rebuild after recent wildfires.

The comments, made during an extended public-comment period, came from longtime residents, parents and homeowners who said delays and unclear processes are threatening families' ability to return and may push older residents out of the city. "I want my kids to stay at Webster and grow up in Malibu, but I'm not sure it is going to be a possibility given what I'm hearing about how the city handles rebuilds," said Megan Loric, identified in remarks as a second-generation Malibu resident.

Speakers described damaged or destroyed homes, health impacts and rising temporary housing costs. "Every month that the process of rebuilding drags out, costs people here $5, 10, 15, or more thousand dollars," Arnaud Koch told commissioners. Several people, including Joe Drummond and Scott Dietrich, urged the city to create a dedicated rebuild office, appoint a "rebuild czar" or assign a program director to coordinate permits, inspections, geotechnical reviews and agency approvals.

Speakers also called for narrower and clearer technical requirements for like-for-like rebuilds. Among suggestions: allow certified geotechnical engineers to self-certify foundation work for simple like-for-like replacements, accept soils memos rather than full geotechnical studies where local data already exists, permit limited increases in size for small homes, phase plan submittals so construction can begin while other noncritical items are finalized, and set aggressive internal review timelines (several speakers recommended a 10-day review target for Building and Safety).

Several residents asked for fee relief and financial help. "I beg you to waive all the permit fees for the fire victims," said Leah Johnson, who described being underinsured and living with lost income. Others urged the city to coordinate debris removal, on-site pre-review meetings and off-hours counter access so work can proceed in parallel.

Commissioners acknowledged the urgency but described legal and procedural limits on what the Planning Commission itself can change. Commissioner John Mazza and Chair Craig Hill said many rebuild approvals are administrative and do not come to the Commission; the Commission can make recommendations to City Council and the planning staff. Commissioner Elizabeth Riddick, newly sworn in that night, moved to place "rules of procedure" on a future meeting agenda and specifically to consider moving commissioner comments to the end of the regular agenda so the Commission can focus on applicants' items during public meetings. The motion was seconded and passed by roll call (Riddick — aye; Commissioner Leonard — yes; Commissioner Mazza — no; Chair Hill — yes), and the Commission will return the procedural-item discussion at a future meeting.

Staff said the city has already added planning staff and two consulting planners to support rebuild work and that a special Planning Commission meeting is scheduled in the coming days to consider draft Local Coastal Program amendments and zone text changes intended to streamline rebuild-related approvals. The Planning Department also confirmed a February 26 town hall on debris removal and a February 24 City Council overview on the fire rebuild process.

Why it matters: Speakers said long delays threaten the social fabric and the economic ability of households to return. Commissioners and staff said changes will likely require City Council action and careful compliance with state and local coastal rules, but agreed to pursue process improvements and more frequent public updates. "We are not opposed to getting this done as fast as possible," Chair Hill said. "We understand your situation."