🌊 The Malibu Current with Councilmember Haylynn Conrad

📅 June 19, 2026

Dear neighbors, THIS IS A DAY LATE APOLOGIES.

What a day to be a soccer fan. Today in Seattle, the U.S. men beat Australia 2 to 0 to clinch a spot in the World Cup knockout round, and with the tournament bringing matches to Southern California this summer, the excitement is right in our backyard. Closer to home, this week brought a milestone of a very different kind.

This week a guardrail went up on Malibu Canyon Road, at the curve where we lost sixteen-year-old Hunter Langley. I do not want to hurry past what that means. It stands there because his mother carried his memory into meeting after meeting, and because so many of you signed and spoke up beside her. Grief became something that will help protect the next family who drives that road, and I am thankful beyond words for everyone who helped get it there.

Today is also Juneteenth, and City Hall is closed to honor it. It is a day to sit with what freedom has cost and how much of that work still belongs to all of us, and I hope you find a quiet moment for it. There is plenty below worth your time, from a Malibu-made preparedness film screening Sunday to a handful of easy ways to look after your home and your block. Here is where to begin.

🛣️ A Hard-Won Step for Safer Canyon Roads

🔹 A new guardrail is up on Malibu Canyon Road, at the mile marker where Hunter Langley lost his life: A Los Angeles County safety improvement project has installed a guardrail along that exact stretch of Malibu Canyon Road. It is a first step, and the work is not finished. The goal is continuous protection along the rest of the canyon, the same kind of barrier already in place along Topanga Canyon.

→ 💙 Why this matters to me: No family should ever have to turn unthinkable grief into a petition campaign just to make a road safer, and yet that is exactly what it took. To every resident, advocate, and family member who signed, shared their story, and kept showing up, thank you. My gratitude also goes to Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and L.A. County for acting. Nothing brings Hunter back, and this barrier still makes the next heartbreak less likely.

→ 🎯 What you can do: There is an active petition, started in Hunter's honor, asking L.A. County to keep installing guardrails along Malibu Canyon. If safer canyon roads matter to you, adding your name takes about two minutes.

👉 Sign the petition for safer Malibu Canyon roads

🎬 A Preparedness Story Worth Seeing This Sunday

🔹 "A Disaster Diary: Learn. Pray. Prepare." screens this Sunday, June 21, at 10:00 AM at Lumiere Cinema in Los Angeles: This locally rooted documentary by Pamela Conley Ulich has been selected by the Marina del Rey Film Festival, and Sunday morning is its festival screening. Malibu is woven all through it, with the filmmakers' thanks going to community partners including CERT Malibu, the Malibu Volunteers on Patrol, the Boys and Girls Club of Malibu, and Chabad of Malibu.

→ ⚡ Why I am lifting this up: Fire has shaped this town in ways no one here needs reminding of, and that history is exactly why getting prepared is less about fear and more about being there for your neighbors. A film that helps neighbors learn, prepare, and honor the people who run toward danger when the rest of us are running away is exactly the kind of storytelling I am proud to see come out of this community. If your Sunday morning is open, it is a meaningful way to spend it.

👉 View the Marina del Rey Film Festival schedule

♻️ Environment: A Weekend Cleanout That Protects the Coast

🔹 Household Hazardous and E-Waste Drop-Off is this Saturday, June 20, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM in the Malibu City Hall upper parking lot: Old paint, batteries, cleaning chemicals, and dead electronics do not belong in the trash or anywhere near a storm drain, and this free drop-off is the right way to clear them out. Load up the car with whatever has been stacking up in the garage and bring it by.

→ 🌊 Why I keep pointing people here: In a community this close to the water, what we keep out of the landfill and off our hillsides ends up protecting the whole coast. It is a small Saturday errand with an outsized payoff.

👉 Browse the full Malibu city calendar

🏗️ Recovery: The Final Stretch on the Woolsey Fee Waiver

🔹 The Woolsey Fire Fee Waiver deadline is Tuesday, June 30, so please do not let it slip past: Property owners rebuilding after Woolsey have until June 30 to get their Planning Department applications deemed complete for the City's fee waiver, which can lift certain rebuilding fees for eligible like-for-like rebuilds of a primary residence. Owners who already paid qualifying fees may even be eligible for a refund.

→ ⚡ Why I am flagging it again: For families rebuilding after Woolsey, these waived fees can add up to meaningful savings at a moment when every dollar counts, and a deadline this specific is the easiest thing to lose track of in a busy month. If there is any chance you qualify, do not wait until the last day to find out.

👉 Apply for the Woolsey Fire fee waiver

🏛️ Coming Up at City Hall

🔹 The next Regular City Council Meeting is Monday, June 22, at 5:30 PM: Council is back in the Chambers at City Hall this coming Monday, running in a hybrid format, which means you can be there in person or tune in from home. Look for the agenda to post in the days beforehand.

→ 🎯 Why I never skip this: Showing up or sending in a comment is how residents actually shape what the Council decides, and the items that draw the most public input are almost always the ones that land best. If something in town has been on your mind, Monday is your opening.

👉 View the City Council agenda and meeting details

🏛️ 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

🔹 Friday, June 19: Juneteenth. City Hall is closed in observance of the holiday.

🔹 Saturday, June 20, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM: Household Hazardous and E-Waste Drop-Off, Malibu City Hall upper parking lot

🔹 Sunday, June 21, 10:00 AM: "A Disaster Diary: Learn. Pray. Prepare." screening, Lumiere Cinema, Los Angeles

🔹 Sunday, June 21: Father's Day and the first day of summer. Wishing a happy one to every dad across Malibu.

🔹 Monday, June 22, 5:30 PM: Regular City Council Meeting, Malibu City Hall (hybrid)

🔹 Through June 26: "Two Points of View" art exhibit, Malibu City Gallery at City Hall

🔹 Tuesday, June 30: Deadline to apply for the Woolsey Fire Fee Waiver Program

🔹 Through July 10: Nominations open for the 2026 Malibu Surf Legend Award

🔹 Wednesday, July 15, 12:30 to 2:00 PM: Malibu Rebuild Meeting, Malibu City Hall

🐝 One Last Thought

It is a full weekend on the calendar. Today is Juneteenth, and Sunday brings both Father's Day and the first real day of summer. However you spend it, with a call to your dad, an afternoon outside, or a slow morning at home, I hope it treats you well.

When you are ready to dive back in, my door stays open. If a stretch of road worries you, if a question has been sitting with you, or if you have an idea for making Malibu safer or more welcoming, send it to hconrad@malibucity.org. Some of the best things we do start with a single note from someone who cared enough to write. And if a neighbor would be glad to have this newsletter, feel free to pass it along.

👉 Follow me on Instagram

Take care, and enjoy your weekend, Malibu.