More Than One Task Force Will Evaluate What Went Wrong In Fire

Two city council members will decide how to create task forces to investigate what went wrong in Malibu during the fire.

Meeting yesterday afternoon … the council decided it would be impractical to have one big task force look into all the issues raised in the fire.

Instead … the council appointed Rick Mullen and Skylar Peak to come a plan to divide up the work.

Some of it might go to two-council members … other will go to a committee of non-city staff … other areas would go to staff for fact finding.

Things like the evacuation fiasco.

The communications fiasco.

The roadblocks fiasco.

And how to support Malibu residents who stay behind during mandatory evacuation orders.

Councilman Rick Mullen

NEWSCART 06200 MULLEN

“We have to face reality is that a lot of people who were not professional fire department people made a difference … they really made a difference.

And … how can we navigate that road ahead and do it in a professional fashion … that accounts for us having the position that the best thing for people to do to save their lives is to leave …  yet facing the reality that there will be a lot of people who don’t … and how can we set them up for success??”

The matter of how the city will set up a task force … or two or three … to examine fire response will come up in three weeks … at the next city council meeting.

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Malibu is going to join a countywide fire debris removal program … the local debris program.

That … despite some criticism of the program from some residents.

Former mayor Jeff Jennings … for example … said the city is transferring a lot of control to th county government.

And he says the program is being sold to the public inaccurately.

NEWSCART 06232 JENNINGS

“I really wish that you and others would stop referring ot the debris removal program as free or no cost.

It’s free or no cost if debris removal is going to cost more than your insurance is going to pay.”

The county program will include removal of  foundations.

This despite the fact that some people think the concrete foundation of a burned out house can be saved.

Craig George is the city’s chief building safety guy.

He says old foundations … beneath burned out houses … are not going to meet current stength codes.

CRAIG GEORGE

“What they make today as opposed to what they made 20 or 30 years ago is completely different.

The strength of the concrete, the constitution of the concrete ….

And so those houses that have older foundations, they are not going to make code regardless.

So when we talk about Wandermere when we talk about Cuthbert, some of those houses that are older, that’s the best option to go.

City building official Craig George … speaking at Tuesday’s city council meeting.

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The city council yesterday also voted to waive fees for residents seeking to place mobile homes or trailers on property that was burned out.

And … the city expanded the definition of mobile home to include Connex trailers.

These are shipping containers that are modified to provide living quarters … in some cases … elegant and quite comfortable living quarters.

Two Malibu city council members … Jefferson Wagner and Rick Mullen … have recent military experience and say the Connex containers are used successfully around the world to provide temporary housing.

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