The Malibu City Council voted 3-2 Monday to defer a decision on dedicating City Hall's full multi-purpose room as a senior center, instead directing staff to study options for expanding senior programming over the next 90 days.
The proposal, brought forward by Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Silverstein and Council Member Haylynn Conrad, sought to reserve the entire 2,500-square-foot multi-purpose room exclusively for seniors during regular business hours. The two council members said they had separately promised the change to senior residents during their 2024 campaigns.
"We wouldn't have promised it if we didn't think it made sense in the first place," Silverstein said. "I don't offer things just for political gain. I offer things that make sense."
The motion would have prevented city staff from using the space for meetings and training during weekday business hours, except for emergencies when the room serves as the city's Emergency Operations Center.
Conrad said seniors currently share half the room and frequently must end activities prematurely when other programs begin.
"Today, for instance, they really didn't want to leave knitting, but they had to for chair yoga," Conrad said. "If there's two rooms they can go simultaneously, they don't have to leave so abruptly."
All six public comments received on the proposal supported the dedication, according to Silverstein. Both council members said they had received no opposition.
However, Mayor Marianne Riggins and Council Members Doug Stewart and Trevor Rusin expressed concerns about making a permanent decision without understanding the full impact on city operations.
"I'm not smart enough right now to make a decision one way or the other," Rusin said. "I just don't have enough information."
Stewart questioned whether the issue was a space shortage or a scheduling problem that city staff should resolve.
"Honestly, the best thing to do is you've made your case here. It's a compelling argument for trying to do something better for the senior operation, but we've got constraints," Stewart said. "Let the staff take care of it and not have the City Council try to micromanage it."
The debate highlighted ongoing space constraints at City Hall, which houses staff and community functions in a 37,000-square-foot former performing arts center. The building's Zuma Room, once part of the senior center, now houses staff working on post-Woolsey Fire rebuilds and geology issues.
Staff data showed that in 2024, the multi-purpose room hosted 148 senior programs but 172 other uses, including staff training, commission meetings, public safety activities and special events. Through October 2025, seniors held 59 programs while other uses totaled 223.
The room also serves as a voting center during elections and can be divided by a collapsible wall.
According to the staff report, the senior center originally opened in 2003 in the old city hall building. When the city purchased the current building in 2009, plans called for a 1,300-square-foot senior center and separate 1,300-square-foot multi-purpose room.
The senior center initially occupied both spaces plus additional areas, but during the COVID-19 lockdown, staff began using portions of the senior space. The Zuma Room was converted to staff offices, and the multi-purpose room increasingly hosts city business.
Silverstein argued that dedicating the space would force staff to find alternatives rather than displacing seniors.
"Necessity is the mother of invention," Silverstein said. "It's easy to use a room when you have the right to just go use it."
The proposal also sought to formally allow seniors to have food and beverages in the space, which Silverstein said they are currently prohibited from doing despite staff having food during their events.
Riggins countered that the council should not make a "yes or no binary choice" without more information.
"I think we need some additional information," Riggins said, proposing the 90-day study period instead.
Stewart suggested the city could rent external office space for about $5,000 monthly if needed, though he acknowledged keeping seniors at City Hall made more sense given the existing kitchen and support infrastructure.
After debate, Riggins made a substitute motion directing staff to return within 90 days with options for expanding senior use and programming. The substitute motion passed 3-2, with Silverstein and Conrad opposed.
The staff report noted that any future renovations or relocations would require separate council approval and budget allocation.