For more than 75 years Malibu Township Council (MTC) volunteers have been working to ensure that Malibu has the kind of community-based checks-and-balances system that is best for city government.

 

Members research civic issues, provide strong and opinionated input to the Malibu City Council, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, elected members of the state legislature and U.S. Congressional representatives.

MTC handles all types of issues including zoning variances in business, rural and residential areas; permits for new construction and grading; issues related to civic infrastructure such as sewers or water pipes, and the variety of management and infrastructure systems that accompany and regulate changes in commercial or residential use.  These include traffic light coordination and safety; maintaining neighborhood character; creation and improvement of parks and recreational areas; code enforcement; prevention of offshore oil drilling, and liaisons with enforcement and maintenance organizations that care for highways and beaches.

Because MTC is active in all matters that affect residents, it is a vital community voice.

 

Before 1990, when Malibu still was an unincorporated area of the county, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors relied on the Malibu Township Council for input and information regarding community needs.  MTC was instrumental in recognizing that beach lovers who were drawn to a rural and coastal lifestyle had unique needs.  They knew that their different approach to life required a separate city, and were careful to take note of that in drafting the city charter.

For example, the Vision Statement clearly and simply states:  "Malibu is a unique land and marine environment and residential community whose citizens have historically evidenced a commitment to sacrifice urban and suburban conveniences (in order to) to protect that environment and lifestyle, and to preserve unaltered natural resources and rural characteristics."

 

But it was the Malibu Committee for Incorporation (MCI) that actually did most of the work to set up structures that would evolve into making Malibu a separate city. The MCI recognized that the geographic boundary created by the Santa Monica Mountains meant that mountain and valley residents would have different needs and priorities.  So city boundary lines were drawn with Malibu's northern boundary extending inward only 1.5 miles. 

Even so, MTC continues to represent the interests and needs of Santa Monica Mountains residents who, like Malibu residents, also embrace a spacious, rustic, and rural lifestyle.  Their beautiful rolling hillsides are best left unmarred by tract developments, major thoroughfares, and high density areas that intrude on the habitat of local wildlife.

It has been an ongoing and overriding commitment of MTC members to make sure that the views of all residents -- not just those with vast real estate and business interests  -- are properly represented on city and county governmental agencies and committees.

Since cityhood, MTC also has assumed the position of holding the city accountable for decisions pertaining to traffic and the environment.

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Those who belong to Malibu Township Council, are among an influential group of residents who provide public input to governmental agencies, councils, and committees that determine the nature of this area's shared lifestyle.
 

MTC volunteer efforts on behalf of the community have totalled hundreds of thousands of hours of volunteer time. The work to assure that this community retains its safety and its beauty — amid a burgeoning Southland population and a landscape packed with voracious developers — is not easy.

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To leave nature close to its original state, requires the dedication of volunteers along with resources of individuals who have a healthy nest egg.  MTC is funded solely by membership dues and donations.

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To apply to become active in MTC and possibly become a regional representative on the Malibu Township Council Board of Directors, you must be a resident or own a property in Malibu and be approved.  Please fill out the application below at right. 

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