Malibu weighs adopting state's strictest original Zone Zero rules Play

Malibu public safety officials are recommending that the city adopt the very strict, original Zone Zero regulations first proposed by the state.

Bird lovers, tree lovers and gardeners raised huge and loud objections to the original Zone Zero rules. Those included no plants of any sort within 5 feet of any occupied structure.

But after the outcry, the state forestry board retreated, and shifted to education, outreach, and phased implementation for existing homes.

City staff is asking the Public Safety Commission for its opinion on whether Malibu, being in a very high fire risk area, should adopt the stricter Zone Zero on its own.

The city Public Safety Director, Susan Duenas, says one option could be to adopt the state's original proposal. That would include banning all combustible vegetation and materials within the five-foot ember-resistant zone next to a house. Or, phase that in, beginning in the city's highest-risk areas.

Duenas is also calling for a look at tightening up the city's nuisance codes, to make it illegal to allow dead or dying vegetation to accumulate on private property. She points out that overgrown hedges or vegetation creates continuous fuel pathways between properties.

In her memo, Duenas says ladder fuels may need to be targeted. That would be things like vines or trees that can spread a grassfire up into trees and structures, creating an area fire hazard to nearby properties.

All of this is just a series of proposals right now. It will be discussed by the Public Safety Commission at 5 p.m. Wednesday night at City Hall.