Back Online: Malibu Reverses Return To In-Person Council Meetings

MALIBU, CA — Malibu City Council meetings will remain online after one in-person meeting on May 9, the council decided on Monday.

The decision comes just weeks after the council voted to move council and commission meetings back in person at their March 28 meeting. Malibu is not alone in dragging out the return to in-person meetings; neighboring Calabasas decided on Tuesday to remain online until at least August and Hidden Hills will return in June pending pandemic conditions.

Many residents expressed concern about returning in person with the recent spread of BA.2, a contagious Omicron subvariant, according to Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Silverstein. COVID-19 cases have doubled in less than three weeks across Los Angeles County driven by spring break and BA.2, according to county health officials.

Because it has already been publicly noticed as such, the May 9 city council meeting will remain in person. The meeting will be held at Malibu City Hall, located at 23825 Stuart Ranch Road, at 6:30 p.m. Any publicly noticed in-person commission meetings in May will also remain in person but meetings will promptly return online after. Check the city's website for details.

The city had initially decided to move to in-person meetings because of low COVID-19 case rates, positivity rates and hospitalizations, according to the city of Malibu.