Malibu to shrink annual Safety and Preparedness Fair
City Manager will downsize the September event to an indoor format as Malibu reckons with budget strain and event overload.
Last week was the annual open house at the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff's station. In two weeks, there are three separate fire-related fairs, public speeches and safety events. And every September for the past seven years, the City of Malibu has hosted its annual Safety and Preparedness Fair.
Is it overload? The Malibu Public Safety Commission will consider that issue tonight at its 5 p.m. monthly meeting.
City public safety director Susan Duenas says the city's event has grown into a large outdoor fair with vendor booths, food vendors and entertainment highlighting the importance of disaster preparedness.
It's expensive, and the city is broke because of the White House standoff over disaster reimbursements. The city manager is looking for items that could be downsized or eliminated.
The decision has been made by the city manager to downsize the annual Safety and Preparedness Fair into a smaller indoor event this year — still a focus on preparedness education and resource information, but downsized into an indoor series of tables.