The Malibu City Council voted unanimously Monday to adopt a sweeping update to the city's Safety Element — the foundational policy document guiding how the city prepares for wildfires, floods, earthquakes and other disasters — replacing a plan that had not been revised since 1995.
The council approved Resolution No. 26-16, adopting General Plan Amendment No. 24-002, which brings the city into compliance with more than two decades of state legislation and opens the door to priority consideration for California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection grants and potential insurance relief for residents.
The vote came with an April 30 deadline looming. City officials said Malibu must submit evidence of the adoption to state agencies by the end of the month to qualify for the 2026 Fire Risk Reduction Community list, a state designation that requires insurers to factor in community-level fire prevention efforts when setting rates and that gives the city priority access to CAL FIRE grant funding.
"The FRCL was established in 2022 to recognize best practices in local fire prevention, planning and encourage safety and help with insurance availability," said Public Safety Director Susan Dueñas, who co-led the nearly two-year effort. "CAL FIRE must prioritize cities that are on the list when awarding grants."
The updated Safety Element — a 283-page document prepared with consulting firm Atlas Planning Solutions — addresses emergency preparedness, seismic and geologic hazards, flooding, fire, climate adaptation, shoreline protection, and hazardous materials. The previous version, adopted with the city's original General Plan in 1995, predated major state legislation on wildfire risk, climate resilience and evacuation planning.
Dueñas acknowledged the pressure the deadline placed on the council. "I want to remind the council that amendments to the safety element can be made in the future," she said. "Some recommendations can also be addressed through amendments to existing ordinances or through other plans, such as evacuation plans."
The element received approval from CAL FIRE, the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, the California Office of Emergency Services, and the California Geological Survey prior to Monday's vote.
Council discussion centered on a provision requiring all new land subdivisions within fire hazard severity zones to provide a minimum of two points of access by public roads for emergency response and evacuation. The majority of Malibu lies within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone as designated by CAL FIRE.
Assistant Community Development Director Tyler Eaton emphasized the provision applies narrowly. "All existing, pre-established development is not going to be required to have two means of egress," he said. "If a new subdivision was created in the Big Rock community, they would have to establish a second means of egress in order to get approved."
Councilmember Steve Uhring, who backed the measure, urged the council to use the document as a springboard for tougher action.
"This city has burned down twice in a very short period of time," Uhring said. "The summers are going to get hotter, stuff is going to get drier, so the likelihood of another fire coming in — the probability is going to be pretty high. Our goal is to make this city as safe as we possibly can."
The council also voted to add a new implementation action directing city staff to develop thresholds that balance structural fire protection with the preservation of native and sensitive habitat — a recommendation that emerged from the Planning Commission's March 2 hearing.
In a separate direction to City Manager Joseph Irvin, the council asked staff to return with a structured series of agenda items examining additional resiliency measures — including water supply infrastructure and other community safety topics that surfaced during public discussion — to be considered in a "metered" fashion at future meetings.
Councilmember Marianne Riggins noted the Safety Element serves as a guiding policy document that does not preclude further action through other channels. "Adoption of this tonight wouldn't limit us from continuing to add other elements to this through other policy documents," she said.
The Safety Element update was prepared in compliance with a series of state laws enacted since 1995, including Senate Bill 1241 (wildfire), Senate Bill 379 (climate adaptation), Senate Bill 99 (evacuation routes), and Assembly Bills 747 and 1409 (evacuation route assessment). It also incorporates the Las Virgenes Malibu Council of Governments' Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, adopted in 2023, which makes the city eligible for federal post-disaster mitigation funding.
Following adoption, city staff will submit evidence to CAL FIRE and Cal OES for placement on the Fire Risk Reduction Community list. A future amendment to the city's Local Coastal Program may also be considered to align coastal land use policies with the updated safety provisions.