Malibu Mayor, Councilwoman and City Manager Appointed To League Of California Cities Committees

MALIBU, CA -- Three Malibu city officials have been appointed by the League of California Cities to serve on key Policy Development Committees that will help ensure that issues important to Malibu are heard in the State Capitol, the city announced Wednesday.

Malibu Mayor Lou La Monte, Councilwoman Laura Rosenthal were re-appointed and city manager Reva Feldman was appointed this week, according to the city.

La Monte was re-appointed to the League's Housing, Community and Economic Development Policy Committee. He has worked effectively on the Committee on many issues, including the over-concentration of group homes in neighborhoods, the city said.

"With these appointments, we continue our highly effective efforts to leverage partnerships with other small cities to give the City of Malibu a larger voice in the state," La Monte said. "We can make sure that issues that are important to us here in Malibu are addressed and grow our level of local control."

The HCED Committee reviews issues related to general plans and zoning, housing, rent control, the Subdivision Map Act, residential care facilities, land use regulations, development fees including school fee adequacy, annexation and incorporation policy, development agreements, building standards -- including seismic safety standards -- economic development policy, including redevelopment and enterprise zones, military base closure and reuse, mobile home regulation, and sign regulation.

The principle behind the policies reviewed by this Committee is to foster local control of community planning decisions as they relate to land use and economic development.

Councilwoman Rosenthal is now the vice chair of the League's Environmental Quality Policy Committee.

Rosenthal has been an environmental leader in Malibu, supporting the City's water conservation and water quality protection efforts, polystyrene and plastic bag bans, making Malibu poison-free, recycling, green building initiatives, and turning City Hall into a solar-powered, net-zero energy use facility.

"I look forward to the opportunity to ensure that the environmental issues that Malibu cares about most will be heard in the state capitol," she said. "Serving on this committee will help Malibu stay at the forefront of environmental policy."

The Environmental Quality Policy Committee reviews issues related to air and water quality, the California Environmental Quality Act, integrated waste management, hazardous materials, coastal issues and utilities. The Committee makes recommendations to the League Board of Directors for the development of a formal League position.

Feldman was appointed to the League's Public Safety Policy Committee by League President JoAnne Mounce. That Committee reviews both federal and state legislation and makes recommendations to the League's Board of Directors about law enforcement, fire and life safety policies, emergency communications, ambulance service, and disaster preparedness.

Feldman has led Malibu's development of a comprehensive disaster preparedness and response system, including systems to enable City Hall to serve as an Emergency Operations Center during a disaster, with an emergency generator, satellite communications, backup phone lines, and other equipment.

She led the implementation of traffic, weather, and utility alerts and a disaster mass notification system. She coordinates closely with the L.A. County Fire and Sheriff's Departments on the deployment of public safety and law enforcement services in Malibu.

All of the League's Policy Committees review bills or regulatory proposals on issues that the League does not already have standing policies or when League staff feel a policy discussion on an issue is needed.

The League's staff lobbies state and federal governments on legislation, funding proposals, or regulatory changes.

The League of Cities was established in 1898 as a non-profit statewide association that advocates on behalf of cities with the state and federal governments and provides education and training to city officials.

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