Malibu council seeks faster, focused post‑disaster sessions; staff to return with meeting options

Malibu — Facing a steady stream of technical and procedural rebuild issues, the City Council on Feb. 24 agreed to direct staff to return with options for additional meeting formats and a workshop schedule aimed at speeding decisions while preserving public participation.

Councilmembers discussed a range of formats: a weekly ‘‘light’’ council session focused on a single technical topic, staff‑led webinars, and multi‑stakeholder workshops (building professionals, geotechnical experts, Caltrans and FEMA). Several councilmembers said frequent, focused meetings are necessary; others emphasized staff capacity and Brown Act notice requirements.

Councilmember Silverstein said the public must have ample opportunity to speak and proposed that the Thursday special meeting include an agenda item to finalize the format for the March 4 planning/code session. Acting City Manager advised staff to return with staffing and broadcast options; council gave consensus direction to have staff bring back a menu of options and feasibility assessments.

Why it matters: Council and residents repeatedly asked for more frequent, actionable sessions — meetings that would let technical stakeholders and residents workshop solutions (e.g., septic, seawalls, FEMA footprints, temporary housing) rather than relying solely on three‑minute podium comments.

What’s next: Staff will return with proposals for a meeting cadence, light‑meeting formats, potential webinar options and an estimated staff resource plan so council can set a predictable schedule and maintain public access.