L.A. agrees to mediation with Palisades Fire victimsFormal talks with survivors of the January 2025 fire are scheduled to begin in early October, but the state has not joined.Friday, August 28, 2026
School board pays final $32,000 bill on Malibu High classroom buildingFinal bottom line for the new hilltop classroom building comes to $102,062,860 after fixing gate shock absorbers.Friday, August 28, 2026
Fire experts warn: it's your neighbor's clutter, not the plantsTwo days after California's Zone Zero rules took effect, a regional fire safety panel says garbage cans and patio furniture pose bigger risks than vegetation.Friday, August 21, 2026
Zone Zero fire rules coming to Malibu in 3½ yearsNew state rules require Malibu property owners to clear vegetation within one foot of buildings, with tougher restrictions phased in by 2032.Thursday, August 20, 2026
Malibu delegation demands FEMA release emergency water pipeline fundsSenators Schiff and Padilla and Rep. Brownley want to know why $4.9 million for the Encinal Canyon water connection has been stalled for 18 months.Thursday, August 20, 2026
State approves Zone Zero fire rules for hazardous places like MalibuNew rules give homeowners about 3-1/2 years to clear burnable material from within five feet of structures in very high fire hazard zones - like all of MalibuWednesday, August 19, 2026
Caruso reopens Palisades Village 19 months after fireDeveloper Rick Caruso cut the ribbon Saturday at the rebuilt Pacific Palisades shopping center, calling it one chapter in a long recovery.Monday, August 17, 20261 comment
Seven more Malibu fire properties red-tagged as PCH erodesCaltrans is dumping rock to shore up PCH near Big Rock as 23 burned-out sites now threaten the highway and ocean.Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Caltrans races to shore up PCH at Big RockEmergency weekend repairs aim to stop waves from washing more of Pacific Coast Highway into the ocean west of the Big Rock signal.Monday, August 10, 2026
Multiple PCH lane closures scheduled this weekCaltrans, Verizon and Southern California Edison all have crews working along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu this week.Monday, August 10, 2026
Caltrans installs more K-rails at Big Rock as coast erodesEmergency work targets a 20000-block stretch of PCH after hurricane waves washed behind seawalls that survived the fire.Saturday, August 8, 2026
L.A. County to armor Point Dume road with 4,800 tons of rockAn emergency Coastal Commission permit clears the way to extend a seawall after waves cut an 8-foot cliff beneath the only road to the beach.Saturday, August 8, 2026
County to truck in 4,800 tons of rock to save Point Dume roadEmergency Coastal Commission permit clears the way to shore up the only vehicle access to the public beach at Point Dume.Saturday, August 8, 2026
Post-Palisades Fire study: ocean clean, but lead lingers in soilA USC-led consortium analyzed 6,000 soil samples and 900 seawater samples after the January 2025 fire.Saturday, August 8, 2026
Malibu Seeks Public Input on Vacant Park LandsCity council members will hold another summertime listening session next Wednesday on plans for three lots bought a decade ago for $43 million.Thursday, August 6, 2026
Malibu presses Caltrans to shore up PCH before winterCity Manager Joe Irwin says the state may be underestimating the immediate threat of erosion to Pacific Coast Highway near Big Rock.Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Malibu Planning Commission rejects DWP storage yard on Corral CanyonCommissioners voted 3-0 against Los Angeles's plan to stage electrical equipment on a Malibu hillside for a Pacific Palisades project 10 miles away.Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Malibu red-tags 16 lots along PCH, but fencing remains inadequateThe city says it red-tagged parcels as a public safety measure, but most sites still have fencing that blew over months ago.Monday, August 3, 20261 comment
YIMBY Law says Malibu agreed to repeal anti-duplex ordinanceThe housing group sued after the governor exempted four fire-hit cities from SB 9; it now says Malibu will accept duplex applications.Monday, August 3, 2026
Red Cross picks Boys and Girls Club as Palisades Fire recovery partnerThe Malibu-based recovery coalition has already distributed $3.3 million in cash and $3.5 million in goods to fire survivors.Sunday, August 2, 2026
Parks Commission rejects land swap, endorses soccer fields at Chili Cookoff siteMalibu Parks and Recreation Commission backs two soccer fields at Ioki Park and rejects a proposed hotel-related land swap at the Civic Center.Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Parks meetings scheduled with barely a day's noticeThe city gave 26 hours' notice for the first of two public meetings on parks proposals, and the plans still aren't posted online.Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Malibu asks state to independently study PCH cliff stabilityCouncil members are skeptical of Caltrans' assurance that the highway in the fire zone is not in danger of falling into the ocean.Thursday, July 16, 2026
Fire victims may be asked to pay to bury Malibu communications linesSCE's high-voltage lines are now underground, but household voltage wires and thick communications cables from Verizon, Charter and Crown Castle remain on poles.Thursday, July 16, 2026
SCE Says Both Malibu Outages Were Linked; More Cuts PossibleSouthern California Edison says a manhole flashover on Shearwater Lane caused Monday's second outage affecting 2,275 western Malibu accounts.Tuesday, July 14, 20261 comment
Malibu asks state to protect PCH, not private ownersA proposed letter to Caltrans argues fire-zone beachfront owners should not bear responsibility for shoring up the state highway against wave damage.Friday, July 10, 2026
Malibu to press governor on undergrounding utility linesThe city says telecom and cable companies refuse to bury lines even as Edison undergrounds power lines paid for by ratepayers.Friday, July 10, 20264 comments
Stewart confirms run for second term; Riggins leaning inThe Malibu council candidate nomination period opens Monday and closes Aug. 7 for the two expiring seats.Friday, July 10, 20261 comment
Malibu officials fight LADWP storage yard on Corral CanyonCity says emergency permit expired Monday for hillside graded by Los Angeles utility to store pipe for Palisades rebuild 10 miles away.Tuesday, June 23, 20261 comment
Coastal Commission approves PCH lane reduction, roundabouts in western MalibuCaltrans now has final permission to cut one mile of PCH from five lanes to two and install two traffic circles.Friday, June 12, 2026
Prosecutors: Palisades fire suspect sought revenge on societyFederal prosecutors say Jonathan Rinderknecht set the Lachman fire out of anger; the defense says he tried to stop it.Thursday, June 11, 2026
L.A. Mayor's brother joins fire victims suing the cityKenneth Bass lost his Rambla Pacifico home in the Palisades fire and is now among thousands of plaintiffs naming his sister as a defendant.Thursday, June 11, 2026
Malibu High graduates 105 seniors on football fieldSenior class president Ella Stabile praised the resilience of a class that did homework in evacuation zones, with 95 percent heading to college.Thursday, June 11, 2026
Caltrans to brief Malibu council on PCH stability after fire damageBurned wooden piers and retaining walls that protected the highway for a century are gone, leaving vertical drops to the ocean.Thursday, June 4, 2026
Malibu-to-Santa Monica ferry backers say $60 million in handPier to Pier will ask the City Council Monday for a letter of support to take to State Parks for a Malibu Pier permit.Thursday, June 4, 2026
Emergency rent control for fire victims expires in LA CountySupervisors declined to extend price caps imposed after 12,000 homes were destroyed; price gouging limits on building materials are also over.Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Study: cancer-causing chromium-6 spread miles from fire zonesUC researchers found nanoparticles of chromium-6 traveled six to nine miles downwind from the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires.Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Goats and sheep clear Malibu firebreaks for first time in decadesA herd of 400 goats and 100 sheep has been deployed above Big Rock as part of a $3.2 million state-funded brush clearance effort.Thursday, May 28, 2026
Malibu spends $107,000 to study beachfront sewer assessmentCouncil moves ahead on a PCH sewer district for fire victims, even as members openly question whether the project will pencil out.Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Malibu pauses lawsuit against LA County over Palisades FireThe city is dropping the county from its fire-damage lawsuit, citing Supervisor Horvath's $250 million water line plan.Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Judge bars LA fire-blame defense in Palisades arson trialFederal judge rules Jonathan Rinderknecht cannot blame LA City Fire Department's handling of the earlier Lachman Fire at his upcoming arson trial.Friday, May 22, 2026
Under the Oaks Preschool Reopens in Las Flores CanyonThe longtime Las Flores Canyon school, damaged by last year's fire, has been restored and will fully reopen as a preschool in June.Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Newsom budget cuts spending but boosts Malibu fire aidGovernor's revised budget offers $100,000 mortgage grants and a $100 million loan guarantee fund for Palisades, Franklin and Altadena fire victims.Friday, May 15, 2026
Eight Ben Allen fire-recovery bills clear key committeeThe Malibu state senator's package addressing insurance, home hardening and mobile home park protections advanced through Senate Appropriations.Friday, May 15, 2026
Agoura Hills evacuation plan draws fire from Kanan Road residentsResidents say traffic estimates ignore reality as city approves more apartments along the key evacuation route from Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains.Thursday, May 14, 2026
Newsom proposes $100 million fund to close wildfire rebuilding gapThe average Palisades and Malibu fire victim is $1.5 million short between insurance payouts and the cost of rebuilding.Thursday, May 14, 2026
Malibu to reactivate dormant Board of Building AppealsThe board required by state law has never met, even as hundreds of fire-destroyed homes face rebuilding.Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Caltrans to Shift PCH Lanes Inland for Rebuild AccessThe shift, expected late next week, will give oceanfront homeowners more room to unload construction materials in the Malibu fire zone.Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Federal Judge to Hold Hearing for Alleged Palisades Fire ArsonistJonathan Rinderknecht, charged with igniting the fire that killed 12 and destroyed parts of Malibu, faces a key admissibility ruling today.Monday, May 11, 2026
State Farm faces tiny fines after 398 violations foundCalifornia regulators found State Farm violated insurance law hundreds of times after the 2025 fires, but state law caps fines at $5,000 each.Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Edison nearly done burying PCH power lines — but cables stayTelecom companies aren't required to underground their thick black lines and have no incentive to do so in Malibu.Tuesday, April 14, 2026
County to begin clearing Zuma Creek underpass this weekL.A. County crews will start moving gravel off the flooded roadway tomorrow, with reopening tentatively planned for next week.Monday, April 13, 2026
City council to discuss Palisades Fire lawsuit in closed sessionMalibu is suing Los Angeles, the state, MRCA and others over the Palisades Fire. State Parks, also a defendant, will brief the council the same night.Monday, April 13, 2026
Wildfire costs add $40 a month to power billsWildfire-related charges now make up 17% of monthly Southern California Edison bills, and the utility wants more from the state insurance fund.Monday, April 13, 2026
Pro-housing group sues over governor's SB 9 fire-zone suspensionYIMBY says Governor's emergency orders allowing Malibu to limit lot splits and ADUs in the fire area are unconstitutional.Monday, April 13, 2026
Malibu Savings Drained as FEMA Money Stalled at White HouseCity manager proposes 10 percent cuts across all departments as reserves fall from $84 million to $55 million.Friday, April 10, 2026
Busch Drive tank flushed again as Malibu Park water deemed safeWind blew open an inspection hatch on the 80-year-old tank, prompting a boil-water order, drainage and superchlorination before service resumes Wednesday.Tuesday, April 7, 2026
County reverses course, will clear Zuma Creek underpassL.A. County Beaches and Harbors will scrape rocks blocking the PCH underpass next week, after Malibu activists pressed for action.Monday, April 6, 2026
