The Malibu City Council voted 4-1 to expand temporary event permissions for businesses affected by the 2025 Palisades Fire, rejecting a proposal for additional restrictions despite concerns about potential loopholes.
The council approved amendments to Ordinance 526 that will allow shopping centers to host up to eight events per month instead of the previously approved four, while individual businesses can hold two events monthly. The changes are designed to stimulate economic recovery following the January fire that closed Pacific Coast Highway and devastated local commerce.
"We're trying to help our businesses and small homeowners rebuild without adding restrictions," said Council Member Haylynn Conrad, who opposed adding further limitations to the ordinance.
The amendments specifically clarify that events don't need to be "open to the general public" when they involve "tenant opening events, private gatherings for friends and family of the business only, and similar events hosted by the business or shopping center for the sole purpose of promoting goods and services."
Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Silverstein proposed adding language requiring that "no compensation directly or indirectly is provided to anyone for the use of the facility beyond the normal rent paid by the tenant." He argued the restriction would prevent businesses from essentially renting out space for private events or accepting payment from companies to promote their products.
"We make mistakes a lot of times when we adopt legislation at city council," Silverstein said. "The mistake we make is we don't think about what are the ways in which very good lawyers could read what we write to find ways around what we say."
However, his proposal failed to gain support from other council members, who expressed concern about creating excessive red tape.
Council Member Doug Stewart, referencing his experience in the wine business, said Bruce's amendment could raise questions about routine promotional activities. "We're not talking about Los Angeles here, we're talking about local stores and businesses," he said. "I think we're going maybe a bridge too far and trying to squash a bug that isn't there."
The ordinance stems from the Palisades Fire that broke out January 7, affecting nearly one-third of Malibu geographically and forcing the closure of PCH from the eastern city limit to Carbon Beach through Memorial Day weekend. The fire significantly impacted businesses by cutting off access from the greater Los Angeles area during the crucial winter and spring tourist seasons.
The approved amendments allow events with up to 250 attendees on commercially and institutionally zoned properties through May 31, 2026. Events with 99 or fewer people require only a planning clearance two days in advance, while larger gatherings need a temporary use permit filed seven days prior.
Shopping centers can now host 48 events annually with no more than eight per month, while individual businesses are limited to 24 events yearly with no more than two monthly. The previous proposal had limited individual businesses to 20 events annually.
The changes were requested by a shopping center representative who sought additional flexibility following the council's August 11 meeting. Staff and the city attorney reviewed and adapted the requests into the current proposal.
The ordinance also allows expanded temporary signage, permitting six signs per shopping center or two signs per parcel for other commercial businesses, each not exceeding 16 square feet.
City staff noted that the temporary use permit ordinance to assist local businesses is in full swing, with plans for ground-level outreach to raise awareness among affected businesses.
The council scheduled the second reading and final adoption of Ordinance 526 for the September 8 meeting. The vote occurred after 10:30 p.m. during a lengthy council session, with no public speakers addressing the item.
Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Silverstein cast the sole dissenting vote, maintaining his position that additional safeguards were necessary to prevent abuse of the expanded permissions.
The ordinance includes several disqualifying conditions, including properties with noise violations, unpermitted events in the past year, or outstanding code enforcement violations without compliance agreements.