MALIBU—The temporary closure of Malibu City Hall to the public has been extended through February 11 in response to the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases and continued high rates of community transmission in Los Angeles County. City Hall was initially closed to visitors on January 5. Aside from in-person services in City Hall, the city staff and departments will continue to work and offer all services normally.
“The COVID-19 rates surge and fall, and our public safety responses must move appropriately with it,” said Mayor Paul Grisanti. “The temporary closure of City Hall to visitors is meant to help slow the spread of COVID-19, protect the community, especially seniors and other high-risk people, and to allow City staff to safely continue to provide essential City services.”
The City Manager and Public Safety Manager will assess the situation on a daily basis and will re-open City Hall to visitors if conditions improve sufficiently. Any changes will be announced on the city’s website, social media and e-notification system. To sign up to receive COVID-19 e-notifications via text and/or email, visit www.MalibuCity.org/News and scroll to “COVID-19/Coronavirus.”
The state and the nation of the highly transmissible Omicron variant the LA County Department of Public Health (LADPH) reported 18,822 new cases on January 25, and a seven-day daily average positivity testing rate of 16.61 percent on January 18. Those numbers have been trending downward since about January 2, when there were 23,553 new cases reported in one day and the positivity rate was 21.7 percent, they are still very high compared to pre-surge levels. For more and updated data, see the LA County COVID-19 Daily Dashboard at http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/data.
The building and all public counters will be closed to the public, staff is available to assist anyone with city business by phone, email or video call, including plan review, permit issuance and help with Woolsey Fire rebuild projects. Building Inspection operations will remain the same.
To make virtual appointments with City staff and Departments call or email:
-Building Safety Department (including Environmental Health, Coastal Engineering and Geotechnical Engineering): Call 310-456-2489, ext. 390. Email mbuilding@malibucity.org.
-Planning Department: Call 310-456-2489, ext. 485. Email mplanning@malibucity.org.
-Public Works Department: Call 310-456-2489, ext. 391 . Email mpublicworks@malibucity.org.
-All other City business: 310-456-2489, ext. 392. Email info@malibucity.org.
All Brown Act public meetings including Malibu City Council and Commissions will continue virtually as scheduled. The Senior Center is closed, but Senior Center staff is available to assist any seniors in the community that need help and the Dial-A-Ride program will continue to operate. For assistance, call the Senior Center at 310-456-2489, ext. 357.
LADPH is continuing to recommend that all eligible people in Los Angeles County get vaccinated and boosted, which are the best ways to protect against the most severe effects of COVID-19. To find a vaccination site near you, or to make an appointment, visit: www.VaccinateLACounty.com (English) or www.VacunateLosAngeles.com (Spanish). People with disabilities or without computer access can call 833-540-0473 for help finding an appointment, help with free transportation to and from a vaccination site, or to schedule a home vaccination visit for people who are homebound.
For updated details, about COVID-19 statistics, vaccines, boosters, testing, and other information, visit the LADPH website at http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus.
