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CITY SHARES STREAMLINED REBUILD PROCESS UPDATES & GETS FEEDBACK FROM ZONE CAPTAINS, GEOTECHNICAL EXPERTS & BUILDING PROFESSIONALS
As part of its effort to continuously improve and streamline the fire rebuild process to help families rebuild and get back home quickly and safely, the City’s Rebuild Team has been holding regular meetings with homeowners and local building professionals.
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ZONE CAPTAINS MEETING
On September 8, Community Development Director Yolanda Bundy and the Rebuild staff held their weekly meeting with Zone Captains who represent the homeowners from the Palisades and Franklin Fire areas. They shared updates on new development portal tools, simplified planning materials, and faster review processes, and heard feedback from the residents of those zones to keep track of their progress, identify challenges and areas of improvement, and offer assistance.
Find Your Rebuild Zone Captain
The City established a system of Zone Captains to represent homeowners in each section of the Franklin and Palisades Fire areas. They share information with homeowners about the City’s new development portal tools, simplified planning materials, and faster review processes, and gather feedback from homeowners to bring back to the City Rebuild Team for additional assistance and to help improve the process.
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Click here for the interactive map.
- Click “Residential Zone Captain” on the right-hand side under Layers.
- Click on the 3 dots to zoom to the Zones.
- Search for your address in the Search Bar at the top left.
- Your Zone will be highlighted.
- Click the Zone to see your Zone Captain's name and contact info.
Need Help? Email maliburecovers@malibucity.org or call 310-456-2489, ext. 400.
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GEOTECHNICAL EXPERTS MEETING
On September 9, more than 60 coastal and geotechnical experts joined the City’s technical session on strengthening beachfront fire rebuild standards, providing valuable insights for future projects, and hearing feedback from the geotechnical experts on challenges and areas of improvement.
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LOCAL DESIGN PROFESSIONALS MEETING
On September 10, Director Bundy and the Rebuild staff met with 40 local design professionals to present quicker review timelines, simplified applications, and expanded support through the Malibu Rebuild Center, and . The team also gathered feedback from homeowners to identify challenges and ways to further improve the process.
Malibu is committed to helping residents, design professionals, and community leaders achieve a smoother, more efficient path to rebuilding. A recording of the technical session is available on the City’s YouTube page.
The City is proud to lead with innovation, collaboration, and community support to ensure every family has the best path forward to rebuilding.
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FINAL SOIL TESTING RESULTS RELEASED FOR FIRE AREAS. FREE SOIL TESTING AVAILABLE.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health released final soil testing results for the Eaton and Palisades fire areas. Findings show more properties downwind of the Eaton Fire had lead levels above health-based safety thresholds. In the Palisades area, no widespread contamination was found. Two small sites showed elevated levels of other chemicals, but these were not consistent with fire-related impacts. Testing also confirmed that properties where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed soil and debris had lower health risks, though some spots may still show chemicals above safety levels. These may come from sources other than the fires. Properties owners who are rebuilding should take care in handling surface soils during construction and landscaping. The full report is posted on the County’s website.
For free soil testing call 818-501-9200 or email
SoilTesting.Sherman@mail.house.gov.
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MALIBU MARKS MAJOR RECOVERY MILESTONE WITH FIRST HOME STARTING CONSTRUCTION
The City issued its first and second Palisades Fire Rebuild Building Permits, and construction started on one of the homes, marking a major step forward for recovery efforts.
“Each permit issued represents a family’s path home,” said Mayor Marianne Riggins. “This progress reflects our community’s patience and unwavering dedication to rebuilding not just what was lost, but something even stronger and more unified.”
Despite the unique challenges of rebuilding along Malibu’s coastline, the City has now received 138 rebuild applications in just 8 months — a faster pace than previous post-fire efforts. Every home rebuilt reflects our commitment to safety, resilience, and the natural beauty of Malibu.
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REBUILD EXPO WITH PALIBU CHAMBER OF COMMERCE - SEPTEMBER 28
Sunday, September 28, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club - map
This free community event is designed specifically for homeowners and businesses in Malibu and Pacific Palisades impacted by the Palisades Fire. Residents can connect directly architects, contractors, designers, insurance adjusters, expediters, essential service providers, and the City Rebuild Team who can help them navigate the rebuilding process. For more information, contact Anthony McDemas at 805-603-6267 or via email at Connections@malibu.org.
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BUSINESS GRANT OPPORTUNITY: ECONOMIC IMPACT FUND
The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) launched its Fire Recovery & Resilience Initiative, the first funding effort under the new Economic Impact Fund. This direct financial assistance supports small businesses and community-based organizations affected by the Palisades and Eaton Fires, and aims to strengthen recovery, resilience, and long-term growth of the region.
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WILDFIRE RECOVERY SCHOLARSHIP
Thrive Causemetics is offering the Los Angeles Wildfire Recovery Scholarship, with ten $10,000 awards available to individuals whose education plans were disrupted by the 2025 Palisades and Eaton Fires. The scholarship can be used for tuition, books, or other educational expenses. Deadline to apply: September 30.
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STEADFAST LA SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS
Malibu businesses affected by the recent wildfires can apply for Small Business Grants from Steadfast LA. Steadfast, in partnership with the Banc of California’s Wildfire Relief & Recovery Fund is offering direct grants of up to $50,000 to help businesses rebuild and reopen. This initiative, administered by LiftFund, provides much-needed financial support for local retailers, restaurants, and independent storefronts. Applications are now open and being accepted on a rolling basis (no deadline).
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WILDFIRE SAFETY & PREPAREDNESS | | |
JOIN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON (SCE) MEETING ON WILDFIRE SAFETY & PUBLIC SAFETY POWER SHUTOFFS (PSPS) & MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Tuesday, September 30, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Malibu City Hall & virtual
SCE’s PSPS have repeatedly left Malibu in total communications blackouts during wildfires, cutting off vital evacuation and safety information, putting our entire community in danger. Long outages also disrupt daily life, work, and emergency response. Despite pressure from the City for meaingful change for years, SCE announced that this fire season, it plans more frequent and longer PSPSs while offering no mitigation such as backup power for traffic signals or cell towers. Since 2018, the CPUC has allowed SCE to shut off power for days at a time, even without major wind events.
Call to Action
- Attend the September 30 meeting and demand change.
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CITY OF MALIBU FIRE SAFETY LIAISONS’ FIRE CONDITIONS REPORT - SEPTEMBER 16
At this time of year, the City's Fire Safety Liaisons begin closely monitoring Live Fuel Moisture (LFM), a key indicator of fire conditions, as well as wind, storm activity, humidity and other factors.
For the coming week, the National weather Service forecasts very low fire risk for Malibu due to increased tropical moisture, light wind and chances of light rain. Our area is not currently under any Fire Weather Watch or Red Flag Warning.
The Live Fuel Moisture (LFM) has dipped to 63%, nearing the critical level of 60%, which is down from the last reading of 71% and below the historical average for this date of 65%. LFM is a the percentage of water content of live plants. When LFM falls below 60%, live plants are so dry that they can ignite easily and burn quickly, greatly increasing the risk of fast-spreading, large wildfires.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
In case of any fire starts in our area, or that could eventually threaten our area, the City will post emergency information via alerts, the City website, and social media. In case of urgent threats to lives or property, or evacuations, the City will post emergency alerts via Everbridge Disaster Notifications. No sign up is required for Everbridge - cell phones and landlines with 90265 ZIP codes are entered automatically. However, you may visit the website and create a profile to add more contacts and detailed information.
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CITY COUNCIL APPROVES POLICY CHANGES TO IMPROVE REBUILD PROCESS - FINAL APPROVAL SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 25
The City Council approved new policies to improve the rebuild process and help residents rebuild homes and structures damaged or destroyed by natural disasters. The Council will consider the polices for final approval on September 25. Meeting details will be posted in advance on the website. The meeting builds on a previous Council discussion on July 22, with important updates, such as:
- The Council approved 15 of the 16 policy items, ranging from clarifying the definitions of “like-for-like,” what would be considered a “lawfully erected” structure, how water tanks and pools could be allowed to be used for firefighting, and other rebuild issues. One policy regarding beachfront development and sea level rise will be further examined during meetings in September.
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