Malibu Chain Store Ban on Council Agenda

 member Pamela Conley Ulich will be out of office in about a month, but she is not leaving quietly. Conley Ulich has two proposals for major commercial development laws on tonight's council agenda.

One proposal is for an "urgency ordinance banning chain stores in Malibu." There are no details on the item in the agenda report. Protection of small businesses has been a hot topic in Malibu since  was threatened  last spring. The council is supposed to consider other proposals regarding this issue on March 26.

The other Conley Ulich item is a proposal requiring commercial developers to contribute to local art. The ordinance would force developers who are doing a new construction or reconstruction that costs over $1 million to contribute in one of the three ways:

• donate a piece of public art to the city
• install public artwork on the project property
• pay a fee equal to 1 percent of the project cost to a Malibu arts and culture fund

Both items are not on the agenda for immediate action. If Conley Ulich can convince at least two of her colleagues on the dais that they are worth pursuing, city staff will draft ordinance language that will be presented to the council at a future meeting.

Other items on tonight's agenda include:

• policy that all proposed expenditures of $10,000 or more go before a council subcommittee prior to the full council
• view restoration program

The meeting will take place in the City Council Chambers at , which is located at 23825 Stuart Ranch Road. It is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.