MALIBU—On April 23, the city of Malibu announced that the Malibu City Council on April 13 adopted an update to the Safety Element to the City’s General Plan.
A Safety Element is a state-required plan that identifies risks like wildfires and flooding and sets policies to protect people, property, and infrastructure from those hazards. This update is especially important because Malibu’s previous safety framework had not been comprehensively updated since 1995.
The new Safety Element reflects current state requirements and modern best practices for wildfire risk, evacuation planning, climate impacts, and emergency preparedness. There is no fiscal impact associated with the recommended action.
Adopting the updated Safety Element strengthens Malibu’s ability to guide new development in a way that supports better resilience to wildfires, flooding, landslides, and extreme weather. It also supports clearer communication with the public about risks and emergency procedures.
The adoption of the Safety Element helps Malibu qualify for the State’s Fire Risk Reduction Community List, which can improve access to critical grant funding and may support insurance availability for residents by recognizing Malibu’s proactive safety planning.
The plan includes policies to improve evacuation capacity, require safer access for new development, enhance vegetation management, and address climate-related risks like sea level rise and extreme heat. While the document sets long-term policy direction, more detailed plans that include evacuation routes—will continue to be developed separately. This update ensures Malibu is better prepared today and, in the future, with a more resilient approach to public safety.
Each city and county in California is required to prepare a General Plan, which is a
comprehensive, long-term guide for a community’s physical development. Government
Code Section 65302 et seq. establishes requirements for General Plans, including the
following mandatory “elements” that are applicable to the City of Malibu: land use,
circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise, and safety. The General Plan is a broad policy document, and its vision can be accomplished through a variety of more
specific projects, programs, standards, and directives that follow its adoption.
The City of Malibu General Plan Safety and Health Element has not been updated since
the original adoption of the General Plan in 1995 (Exhibit C). Since then, several changes
to California Government Code Section 65302(g), which regulates Safety Elements, have
been enacted that require the city to conduct an update.
For details review the staff report at:
https://www.malibucity.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/7983?fileID=87154&fbclid=IwY2xjawRcJ5ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBJUzdJUUZ0VlVFWjJKZWJLc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkmKnEZq9BcJ0aoWIe31AH3vTxHD7k6t1M32n60vTqbmHii933YS18EOwRLN_aem_C4XrZP2Ec0HprUWbGLZ85w
By Danny Jones