Six City Council candidates make their voices heard at friendly forum • The Malibu Times

From fire mitigation practices to short-term rentals to the mansionization of Malibu, the six candidates vying for two open city council seats faced a deluge of questions during a friendly two-hour virtual forum. and a half on October 8 organized by the Lowe Rambla Pacifico Road Association.

When asked about controlled burns, mandatory evacuations and the practice of “following the fire” by local brigades, there was some consensus on one of the biggest problems facing Malibu, namely wildfires.

Marianne Riggins said she “absolutely” supports neighborhood fire training for citizens. “What they have in Malibu West is remarkable.” Regarding staying put during a fire evacuation, Riggins commented, “I’m scared of people who aren’t trained. I stayed in the fires; I left in the fires. The longtime Malibu resident agreed with the other candidates that staying is a personal decision based on safety. And on controlled burns, Riggins said: ‘They are one of many tools that can be used. They have merit when done safely.

“I think following the fire front is a great concept. It takes training,” said Doug Stewart, who has been trained and has equipment. “Unfortunately this last fire, we taught a lot of people that the only way to save your home is to stay behind, and that’s wrong. It’s risky. We’re going to lose people. We have to encourage people to follow the evacuation unless they’re prepared to stay in. I think it’s a bad idea for a lot of people to stay behind and think they’re just going to fight their way through a horrible fire. As for controlled burns, they are essential.

Bill Sampson said he would listen to fire professionals on prescribed burns. During his more than four decades as a Malibu resident, Sampson says he repeatedly wavered over whether to stay or evacuate. Next time, “I probably won’t stay,” he said. “There was nobody with Malibu skin in the game that was here who had any power during Woolsey. It’s a big deal. They don’t know us. They don’t like us. We need a Malibu fire czar, and we should send the city manager and the city council to city hall, get them here unless their house is in danger.

“Controlled burns work. Mapping shows where the fire will go,” Ryan Embree said. He pleads for the State’s partners to clear the neighboring lands that interface with the city. We need to be proactive with a prescribed burn. There is a federal component. We need a forest fire management program and have it certified every year. »

Jimy Tallal is also a proponent of prescribed burns. She hopes a previously canceled fire in East Malibu will happen since “we all know that’s the area that will burn next because it hasn’t burned in almost 30 years.” During the evacuation, Tallal said: “We know that the intervention of the fire brigade will be limited. We should let people decide whether or not they want to evacuate. It’s a personal choice. Tallal supports the training of local firefighters.

Hap Henry would like to see more prescribed burns and other means of brush clearance. “I would like a more coordinated effort from Malibu leadership to lead and respond to the next wildfire, which was not the case during Woolsey. If elected, I would like to be part of a center response center where city leaders are gathered. At the same time, it’s an impulsive decision, and I might be inclined to stay if it’s the best option to save our home. Henry worked with his neighborhood of Point Dume to boost fire mitigation efforts and completed CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training.

Asked how difficult it would be to rebuild in the event of a fire and whether regulations needed to be relaxed, Embree replied, “Why would Malibu want a substandard new housing stock that doesn’t meet the fire code?”

Of Malibu’s growth, Steward commented, “I don’t think anyone here is in favor of development. It’s just a duck being thrown out there trying to separate people who have similar views.

On short-term rentals, Henry said they were out of control. “We need to limit the number of days people can rent their homes short term. This will achieve the goal of driving out corporations buying homes and completely selling the character of our neighborhoods.

To expedite fire rebuilds, Sampson pledged, if elected, to let these 10% class homes be “on the front line for municipal planning and building services.”

Tallal said she wanted to focus on banning overnight camping and short-term rentals, but said: ‘I don’t think anything is resolved until we learn to work together , and I think that’s actually the biggest challenge.”

Riggins agreed, saying, “We lack the community solidarity that we really need. As a board, we need to set the tone and show that we are a team. We need to project this to county supervisors, the Coastal Commission, Mountains Recreation and the State of California.

The link to the forum to view it in its entirety is available at Malibu time website by searching for the East Malibu Candidates Forum.

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