🌊 The Malibu Current with Councilmember Haylynn Conrad

📅 May 29, 2026

Happy Friday neighbors,

A few days ago I stood above ten lanes of the 101 at Liberty Canyon, looking out at the wildlife crossing that will soon let our mountain lions, bobcats, and deer move between the Santa Monica Mountains and the hills beyond without risking the freeway. From up there, you feel just how connected this whole landscape really is, and how much of what makes Malibu special depends on us protecting it.

That thread, protecting what we love about this place, ran through the whole week. A herd of goats went to work clearing brush in Big Rock, crews began burying power lines along Latigo Canyon for fire safety, our seniors gathered for a luncheon full of good stories, and the arts community is getting ready for a Saturday night at the Civic Theater. We also paused on Monday to remember the people who made all of it possible.

Here is the rundown as we ride into the weekend.

🇺🇸 A Quiet Monday of Gratitude

🔹 Remembering those we lost this Memorial Day: This past Monday, May 25, communities across Malibu took time to honor the service members who gave their lives for this country. The beaches we love, the freedom to gather with family, the quiet mornings on this coast, none of it comes free, and the people who paid for it deserve far more than a single day of our attention.

→ ⚡ Why this stays with me: Gratitude is not a one-day assignment. As we move into the busy summer season, I hope we carry a little of Monday's reflection with us, in how we treat one another and how we look out for the families in our community who carry the weight of that sacrifice every day.

🎭 Arts & Community: A Saturday Night at the Civic Theater

🔹 "Morning View Drive" comes to the Malibu Civic Theater this Saturday, May 30: The City's Community Services Department and Arts Commission are presenting a staged reading of "Morning View Drive," a comedy thriller about an elderly couple defending their home against a pair of burglars, written by my dear friend Kerry Knuppe. Doors open at 6:00 PM and the reading begins at 6:30 PM at the Civic Theater inside City Hall, 23825 Stuart Ranch Road. Admission is complimentary, though an RSVP is required.

→ 🎯 My take: Nights like this are part of what makes a small city feel like home. A free evening of live theater, a local artist sharing her work, and neighbors filling the seats together. I could not be prouder to cheer Kerry on, and I would love to see a full house. RSVP early, because complimentary seats tend to go fast.

👉 View the staged reading invite (Instagram)

🌿 Environment & Wildfire Safety

🔹 A look at the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing before it opens: As I mentioned above, I spent time at the wildlife crossing taking shape over the 101 at Liberty Canyon; I wanted to share what is coming. When it opens on December 2, it will be the largest wildlife crossing in the world, spanning ten lanes of freeway to reconnect the Santa Monica Mountains with the Simi Hills and give mountain lions, bobcats, deer, and dozens of other species a safe path across. It was built as a public and private partnership, funded through a mix of state dollars and private giving, with the lead gift from the late Wallis Annenberg.

→ 💡 Why this matters here: Our ecosystem does not stop at a property line or a freeway shoulder. A safe crossing means healthier wildlife populations, fewer dangerous animal collisions on the road, and a stronger natural system right on our doorstep. Have you been following the project? I would love to hear what you think as the opening gets closer.

👉 See the wildlife crossing post (Instagram)

🔹 Four hundred goats and one hundred sheep are clearing brush in Big Rock: On May 21, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority deployed a hungry, hardworking herd into the park space between Big Rock Drive and Tuna Canyon, where they will graze roughly seventy acres of invasive plants to create defensible space around homes. Goats are a genuinely smart tool for this work. They reach steep, densely vegetated slopes that crews and machines struggle with, they improve the soil as they go, and they do it all without a drop of fuel. The grazing is part of a larger cross-agency effort with the LA County and Ventura County Fire Departments, funded by Proposition 4 fire prevention dollars through the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

→ 🐐 My take: This is exactly the kind of practical, eco-friendly fire mitigation I want to see more of. It protects our most fire-prone neighborhoods, it is gentle on the land, and frankly it is a delight to have around. My thanks to every agency partnering to keep these hills safer.

👉 Read about the Big Rock goat grazing

🔹 SCE begins burying power lines along Latigo Canyon Road: Southern California Edison has started the Merlin Circuit Targeted Undergrounding Project, moving about 3.2 miles of overhead electrical equipment along Latigo Canyon Road underground. Putting these lines below ground helps protect the power system from high winds and vegetation, which means lower wildfire risk and more reliable electricity when extreme weather hits. Work is expected to continue through the third quarter of 2026, generally Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. If you drive Latigo Canyon, please plan for intermittent lane closures, minor delays, and some construction noise during active work.

→ ⚡ Why this matters: Hardening our grid is some of the least visible and most important fire safety work happening right now. A little patience through the construction is worth a power system far better prepared for the conditions we live with here.

👉 View the SCE undergrounding details

🏛️ This Week at City Hall

🔹 The Council met Tuesday evening at City Hall: With Memorial Day falling on Monday, our Regular City Council Meeting moved to Tuesday, May 26 at 5:30 PM. Public participation is the part of these meetings I value most, so if you showed up or wrote in, thank you. For anyone who could not be there, the full agenda, materials, and meeting recording remain available through the city's Agenda Center.

👉 Browse City Council agendas and materials

🤝 Around the Community

🔹 A lovely afternoon at the Senior Luncheon: This past Thursday I joined our longtime residents for the Senior Luncheon, and it was a real treat. Good food, good company, and the kind of stories that remind you exactly what makes this community special. My thanks to everyone who came out and to the team who put it together. I am already looking forward to the next one.

👉 See the Senior Luncheon post (Instagram)

🔹 Give blood at City Hall on Thursday, June 11: The City and the American Red Cross are hosting a Community Blood Drive on Thursday, June 11, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Malibu City Hall. The Red Cross is facing a critical national shortage, and donations are urgently needed for surgeries, trauma care, and patients with ongoing conditions like sickle cell disease. Every donor receives a fifteen dollar e-gift card and an entry into a sweepstakes, and appointments can be booked now using sponsor code 90265.

→ 💙 Why this matters: This is one of the most direct ways any of us can help save a life, and it costs about an hour. If you are able, please sign up and bring a friend.

👉 Sign up for the June 11 Blood Drive

🗳️ Before You Head Into the Weekend: VOTE

🔹 The California Primary is Tuesday, June 2: If you have not yet returned your ballot, you have options close to home. The Vote Center at Malibu City Hall is open daily through Monday, June 1, from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, then 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Election Day. A second Vote Center opens at the Malibu Library, 23519 Civic Center Way, from Saturday, May 30 through Election Day, and the Library's official ballot drop box is available around the clock through 8:00 PM on June 2.

→ 🎯 My take: From federal seats to local measures, this ballot shapes choices the rest of us live with. The locations are convenient and the staff are there to help, so please make your plan and cast your vote.

👉 Read full Vote Center hours and locations

🏛️ 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

🔹 Saturday, May 30, 6:00 PM doors and 6:30 PM reading: "Morning View Drive" staged reading, Malibu Civic Theater at City Hall

🔹 Saturday, May 30 through Monday, June 1, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM: 4-day Vote Center at Malibu Library, 23519 Civic Center Way

🔹 Monday, June 1, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM: Final day of the 11-day Vote Center at Malibu City Hall

🔹 Tuesday, June 2, 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM: California Primary Election Day

🔹 Thursday, June 11, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM: Community Blood Drive, Malibu City Hall

🐝 One Last Thought

It was a week about stewardship, in big ways and small ones. A wildlife crossing that reconnects an entire mountain range. A herd of goats quietly making our hillsides safer. Power lines headed underground so the grid can stand up to the next hard wind. Seniors trading stories over lunch, and an arts community getting ready to fill a theater on a Saturday night. None of it makes a dramatic headline. Set side by side, it is the picture of a community that keeps choosing to take care of what it loves.

That is the work, and you are a part of it. If something here sparked a question or a thought, please hit reply, or write to me at hconrad@malibucity.org.

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Okay Malibu, have a marvelous weekend.

Together, we're building a community and better future that works for everyone. Thank you for staying connected!

Haylynn Conrad
Councilmember, City of Malibu
hconrad@malibucity.org