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Haylynn Conrad Newsletter — August 6, 2026
🌊 The Malibu Current with Councilmember Haylynn Conrad
📅 August 7, 2026
Dear neighbors,
Happy Friday, and welcome back to The Malibu Current.
This was a week where the numbers did a lot of the talking, so let me start with three of them: 260, 16, and 61. That is 260 parking spaces at Point Dume Beach, closed indefinitely after weekend surf collapsed part of Westward Beach Road. It is 16 red-tagged parcels along PCH, the reason the City publicly called on Caltrans and our state partners Tuesday to accelerate permanent protection for the highway. And it is 61 acres of City-owned land whose future you can help design right now, from your kitchen table, in about ten minutes.
Also, a note for anyone with City Hall ambitions: today is the filing deadline for the November ballot. Details below. Let's get into all of it.
🌊 Environment and Safety: The City Asks the State to Move Faster on PCH
🔹 Malibu formally urged Caltrans and state partners to accelerate PCH protection: On Tuesday, August 4, the City announced it is pressing Caltrans and regional and state agencies to move beyond interim fixes and commit to a permanent stabilization plan for the stretches of PCH threatened by coastal erosion in the Palisades Fire burn area. City Manager Joe Irvin put it plainly, requesting "immediate, coordinated action on a permanent stabilization strategy with a clear timeline before winter storms arrive." City staff have now completed joint field observations with Caltrans at all 16 red-tagged High-Priority parcels, coordinated with Caltrans District 7, Waterworks District No. 29, and SoCalGas on the utilities running under the highway, and briefed both Supervisor Horvath's office and the Governor's Office of Los Angeles Recovery.
→ ⚡ Why the urgency: Every week of wave action removes more of the material holding up the roadway embankment, and one major storm cycle could do months of damage in a matter of days. PCH is our main street, our supply line, and our evacuation route. Interim measures buy time. They do not buy safety.
→ 🎯 My take: I am glad the City said this loudly and on the record. Sixteen high-priority parcels is not an abstraction, it is a countdown, and the deadline is the first winter storm. We will keep pushing for a real timeline, and the Rebuild Center is assisting affected property owners directly in the meantime. I will share every meaningful update with you here.
👉 Read the City's PCH erosion update
🏖️ Point Dume: Westward Beach Road Closed, the Beach Itself Is Not
🔹 Powerful surf forced an indefinite closure at Point Dume starting August 1: High tides and large swells caused a partial collapse of the roadbed on Westward Beach Road beyond the pay gate near Birdview Avenue, damaged the water lines serving the restrooms, and destabilized sections of the bluff edge, with drop-offs approaching eight feet in places. LA County Beaches and Harbors has closed the road, the roughly 260-space Point Dume Beach parking lot, and restrooms 1 through 3 while engineers assess repairs. There is no reopening date yet.
→ 💡 What this means for your beach day: The sand is still open. You can walk in from the Zuma side, and the year-round lifeguard at Point Dume stays on duty, with seasonal staffing shifted toward the main Zuma area. The Sunset Restaurant remains open with its own parking. Temporary restrooms and hand-washing stations are in place.
→ 🙏 One ask from me: Please respect every cone, sign, and stretch of caution tape out there. That bluff edge is genuinely unstable, and the fastest way to slow down repairs is an injury that turns a construction site into an emergency scene. Enjoy the beach. Be respectful of the barriers.
👉 Read the Point Dume closure report
🌳 Community Engagement: 61 Acres, Three Concepts, One Survey
🔹 The Community Lands survey is open now through Monday, August 31: The City has released preliminary design concepts for three of our City-owned properties, the Ioki, Heathercliff, and Triangle Lot parcels, and is asking residents to weigh in on ideas for recreation, community services, and public facilities. The concepts also account for parking requirements tied to the County Measure R and Measure M funds used to buy the land. You can support, question, or push back on any of it. That is the point of the survey.
🔹 Then comes the big room on Wednesday, August 12: The Council's Public Parks and Property Ad Hoc Committee, which I serve on alongside Councilmember Riggins, will meet jointly with the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Public Works Commission in the City Hall Council Chambers to review the concepts for all five properties, more than 61 acres in total. This planning effort began in March 2024, and it has been shaped at every step by residents who showed up, filled out surveys, and spoke at workshops.
→ 💙 Why this matters: These decisions will outlast every one of us on the dais. Sports fields, gathering places, open space: whatever rises on these properties is what our kids and grandkids will inherit. I want the loudest voice in that room on Wednesday to be yours.
👉 Explore the Community Lands project
🏘️ Rebuilding: The SB 9 Settlement, in Plain English
🔹 Malibu has settled the lawsuit over its SB 9 restrictions: Some background, because this one is layered. SB 9 is the 2021 state law that lets qualifying owners in single-family zones build two units per lot and, in some cases, split the lot, allowing up to four units where one home stood. After the January 2025 fires, the Governor's executive order let cities pause SB 9 projects in high fire hazard burn areas, and Malibu did so, citing evacuation and infrastructure concerns. Housing advocates sued, and under the settlement reported in late July, Malibu must repeal its restrictions by September 29 and resume processing applications, including ones previously paused or rejected. That repeal still requires a City Council vote.
→ 🎯 Where I stand: The safety concerns that motivated the pause have not gone away. Evacuation capacity on a two-lane coastal highway is not a talking point here, it is physics. As this comes back to the Council, my focus will be making sure rebuilding families understand their options and that safety planning keeps pace with any added density. You will hear about this again from me before September 29.
👉 Read the Malibu Times report
🗳️ Community Engagement: The Ballot Window Closes Today
🔹 Nomination papers for the two Council seats are due today, Friday, August 7: If an incumbent does not file, the period extends to Wednesday, August 12 for all other candidates. If you have been on the fence all summer, this is the last off-ramp before November 3. Contact City Clerk Kelsey Pettijohn at KPettijohn@MalibuCity.org or 310-456-2489, ext. 228, today.
→ 💡 One last nudge: This work is demanding and worth every minute. Whoever files, thank you for offering your time to this community. Running is itself a form of service.
🚧 Getting Around: Closures Continue Through Sunday
🔹 Caltrans fire-recovery work runs on PCH and Topanga Canyon through Sunday, August 9: This week's schedule includes overnight single-lane closures near Las Flores Canyon Road, utility work near the SR-27 intersection, retaining wall reconstruction between Pena Road and Tuna Canyon Road, and continued reduced speeds: 35 mph from Temescal Canyon Road to Sunset Boulevard, and 25 mph through the active construction zone from Sunset to Carbon Beach Terrace. Fines can double in work zones, so give the crews room and give yourself extra time. Every finished stretch is a sturdier PCH.
👉 See this week's closure schedule
🔥 Fire Readiness: Sunday's Kanan Fire Was a Warning Shot
🔹 Firefighters stopped a brush fire in the Thousand Oaks foothills in under an hour: The Kanan Fire broke out Sunday afternoon, August 2, near the North Ranch Open Space and was held to roughly 3 acres, with forward progress stopped by about 3 PM. Evacuation warnings were briefly issued for parts of Thousand Oaks. That is a textbook response, and it is also a reminder: our hills are hot, dry, and ready to burn.
→ 🎯 What I am asking of every household: Use this week as your prompt. Check your defensible space, your go-bags, and your family evacuation plan. The City's Fire Safety Liaisons will walk your property with you at no cost. Call 310-456-2489 or email FireSafety@MalibuCity.org to schedule a home wildfire assessment. Preparation is the one part of fire season we fully control.
👉 Read about the Kanan Fire response
❤️ Community Spotlight: Fifty Years of Answering the Call
🔹 Malibu Search and Rescue is approaching its 50th anniversary: The Malibu Times ran a wonderful profile last Friday of MSAR, the all-volunteer team that has been pulling stranded hikers off trails and finding the lost in the Santa Monica Mountains since 1977. Team Leader David Katz is in his 36th year as a volunteer, one of 35 members who include doctors, nurses, lifeguards, and business professionals. For their 50th in 2027, they are planning a reunion of current and former members rather than a fundraiser, which tells you everything about who they are.
→ 💙 Why I love this story: Seventeen years of raising my kids on these trails and beaches taught me that Malibu's safety net is woven largely by neighbors. To every MSAR volunteer, past and present: this city sleeps easier because you don't. Thank you.
👉 Read the Search and Rescue story
🏛️ Get Involved: Malibu's Commissions
🔹 Want to plug into one of Malibus commissions? Planning, Parks and Recreation, Public Safety, Public Works, Arts, and the Harry Barovsky Memorial Youth Commission all meet monthly at City Hall, and every one welcomes public comment. So much of our local policy actually starts in these rooms, and if serving on one has ever crossed your mind, the application is open year-round.
👉 Browse upcoming commission meetings and agendas
👉 Apply to serve on a commission or committee
📅 Dates to Know
🔹 Today, Friday, August 7: Deadline to file nomination papers for the two City Council seats on the November 3 ballot. Extended to August 12 for non-incumbents only if an incumbent does not file.
🔹 Through Sunday, August 9: Caltrans lane closures on PCH and Topanga Canyon Boulevard for Palisades Fire recovery work. Expect delays.
🔹 Monday, August 10, 5:30 PM: Regular City Council Meeting, Malibu City Hall (hybrid).
🔹 Wednesday, August 12: Joint Community Lands meeting of the Public Parks and Property Ad Hoc Committee, Parks and Recreation Commission, and Public Works Commission, City Hall Council Chambers.
🔹 Through Friday, August 21: Carving Canvas on view at the Malibu City Gallery at City Hall. Free admission.
🔹 Monday, August 31: Last day to complete the Community Lands survey.
🔹 Ongoing: Westward Beach Road and the Point Dume Beach parking lot are closed indefinitely. The beach remains open on foot.
👉 Browse the full Malibu city calendar
🐝 One Last Thought
The coastline we love is not standing still this year, and neither is this city. An eroding embankment gets engineers and a demand letter to Sacramento. A collapsed beach road gets barriers, lifeguards who stay anyway, and a repair plan in motion. And 61 acres of open land get something even better: your opinion.
Here is my short list for you this week. Take the ten-minute survey. Mark Wednesday the 12th on your calendar. And if something out your window looks like it needs attention at City Hall, write me at hconrad@malibucity.org. I read every note, and your messages genuinely steer my week.
Wishing you a safe and beautiful weekend, Malibu.
