Rebuild:LA Episode 049 - Rebuilding Is Reimagining with Malibu Mayor Marianne Riggins

Malibu is no stranger to wildfires. The city had just recovered from the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes on both sides of Pacific Coast Highway, when the firestorms of January 2025 struck. The Palisades Fire destroyed 700 homes in Malibu and drove clouds of soot and ash from the smoldering Pacific Palisades over the city and onto its world-renowned beaches. 700 homes were lost, and the city’s main artery, Pacific Coast Highway, was blocked by fleeing residents, emergency vehicles, and walls of flame. But ten months after the Palisades Fire, more than 200 building permits are pending approval in Malibu, and the first home is being rebuilt along PCH. Malibu Mayor Marianne Riggins sees the fire’s destruction every day, but she also sees opportunity. Host Cameron Barrett sits down with Mayor Riggins this week to dive into Malibu’s rise from the ashes.

• Malibu Rebuilds
• The Host of New Bills Helping Fire Victims
• Making Rebuild Efforts Easier in Malibu
• Malibu Issues First Building Permit Post Fire