Malibu council unanimously appoints new city manager, approves employment agreement

The Malibu City Council voted unanimously on Dec. 17, 2025, to appoint Joe Irvin as the city’s next city manager and authorized the mayor to sign the proposed employment agreement, which the staff said would take effect March 2, 2026.

City staff presented the recommendation after an "extensive search," telling the council the process drew nearly 200 applications. Trevor, the staff presenter, said the hire followed council direction to bring forward a recommended candidate and described the nominee as a seasoned local-government manager with connections to Malibu and experience relevant to coastal, emergency-preparedness and planning issues.

During public comment, resident Anastasia Kamaroz congratulated the council and said she was "pretty excited that we're gonna get a new city manager," adding hope that the hire would help the city make progress in 2026. A council member moved to approve the contract; another council member seconded. The clerk then conducted a roll-call vote: Council member Stewart — yes; Council member Conrad — yes; Council member Earing — yes; Mayor Pro Tem Silverstein — yes; Mayor Riggins — yes. The motion carried unanimously.

The council also reported a closed-session action, taken earlier in the meeting, in which it unanimously voted to appoint Rob Dubow (described in the report as the current acting city manager) to serve as interim city manager upon the resignation of Candace Bond until a permanent or other interim city manager is appointed.

The appointee addressed the council and community, saying he has worked in local government for more than 20 years in four cities and most recently in South Lake Tahoe. "I look forward to rolling up the sleeves and now the hard work begins," he said, and described priorities including preserving Malibu's rural character, protecting the environment and focusing on emergency preparedness. Several council members praised the selection as the product of a lengthy recruitment and vetting process.

Note on name in record: the agenda and some staff lines refer to the nominee as "Joe Urban," while council discussion and the city’s speaker introduced him and addressed him as "Joe Irvin." The council’s vote and the appointee’s remarks occurred after both forms appeared in the record; the appointee addressed the meeting as Mr. Irvin, and the employment agreement was recorded with an effective date of March 2, 2026.

The council adjourned the regular meeting and opened a special meeting as noted on the agenda.