2019 State of the City-1
The Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the City of Malibu hosted their annual State of the City event last Friday featuring reports from Assemblyman Henry Stern, County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, and Mayor Jefferson Wagner. The Malibu High School Choir opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner […]
The Two permit week!
Two weeks ago on May 21st the Leonard Family pulled the first full rebuild permit issued in the aftermath of the Woolsey Fire. Last week on May 29th Dave Kessenich of Seaview Development and Construction pulled Malibu’s second Woolsey Fire permit for the rebuild of Tom and Lani’s home on Bluewater Drive. I have heard […]
Malibu City “Winning the Rebuild”
On Monday the 20th of March the City of Malibu officially announced issuance of the first fire rebuild permit for a replacement home that had nothing in the pipeline before the Nov. 9th 2018 Woolsey Fire. The”6 months or less to a Permit” goal that wasn’t even discussed until well into December of 2018 has […]
Welcome Malibu’s Fire Safety Liaison Jerry Vandermeulen, Plant Prefab
On Saturday I attended a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training conducted by Malibu’s new Fire Safety Liaison, Jerry Vandermeulen. It was Mr. Vandermeulen’s 6th day working for the City of Malibu. He comes to us after completing a 35-year Fire Service career with a 7 year stint as a Battalion Chief for Ventura County […]
2019 State of the City
After last weeks column “Moving right along, the way forward is clear” was printed, I was contacted by several people who were willing to share some of the challenges they are facing. In a disaster situation you will probably not be dealing with an Insurance adjuster who is based in California. The sheer volume of […]
Resilience
A Better Malibu is a more resilient and Fire Resistant Malibu. Last Sunday I was in the Malibu Times booth helping pass out the Malibu Hero’s Dolphin Pins, Certificates and Goodie bags. Everybody had a story of what they did to help their friends and neighbors through that 3-week period. Their actions helped make Malibu […]
Are Insurance proceeds taxable ?
Are Fire Insurance proceeds taxable? Have I been attending too many Taxation seminars? Any or all the information below may not be true, applicable, or strategically desirable, for your personal situation. It is essential that you discuss the following with a CPA and/or Tax Attorney who is knowledgeable about your personal situation and financial goals […]
Remaining Issues
I am writing this before the joint announcement by L.A. Co. Fire Chief Daryl Osby and L.A. Co. Public Works Director Mark Pestrella regarding Fire Flow Capacity of Fire Rebuilds. I’m hoping that their new Standards will allow all the homes damaged by the Woolsey fire to be rebuilt in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, there […]
On the Verge of a new OFFICIAL Fire Flow Policy
Please save Monday the 25th of March to attend the Malibu City Council Meeting at 6:30 p.m. Item # 1.E. on the Agenda is a “Presentation by Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella and Fire Chief Daryl Osby Regarding Fire Flow Capacity of Fire Rebuilds”. I’m betting that we will finally have an […]
An Attitude of Gratitude
I had the pleasure of attending and participating in the Malibu Times Dolphin Awards Sunday and was overwhelmed by the many stories of inspired citizens working to fight the Woolsey Fire and its aftermath. Literally Hundreds of people were honored for their various roles in saving their neighborhoods, feeding each other and the Emergency Responders, […]
