News

Taking a Night to Appreciate the Season The Schmitz and Associates team took some much needed time to enjoy all the seasonal festivities and galivanted about Gillette Ranch enjoying the holiday spirit.  Wishing the same to you and yours!  Here’s to a healthy and prosperous 2023!  

Planning Isn’t Procrastination https://issuu.com/colonymagazine/docs/malibu_times_magazine_august_summer_2022/52 Check out the July edition of Malibu Magazine, link above.  Don Schmitz and family are featured, along with a contemplative position piece by Mr. Schmitz himself, which addresses our current planning and processing environment in Malibu.  

More Success for the PANO AI Team https://www.dailybreeze.com/2022/07/27/rancho-palos-verdes-takes-a-step-toward-installing-wildfire-cameras/ We are excited to share that Rancho Palos Verdes recently took a step forward in becoming the first city on the LA Peninsula to install wildfire cameras.  This technology utilizes cameras that can detect smoke that could portend a potentially devastating fire. The City Council last week… Read More

  Schmitz and Associates Proud to See GIS Manager Recognized https://www.conejochamber.org/40-under-forty Our very own Benjamin Suber was recognized at the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Forty Under 40 event.  We are incredibly proud of Ben.  An honor he has earned twice fold and one that reminds us of how lucky we are to have talented… Read More

Smart Coast California Policy Summit “One California, One Coast” https://www.planning.org/events/eventsingle/9246474/ 1. Be designed to meet a specific planning-related training objective. The educational purpose or objective must be clearly identified. Coastal Planning is a rapidly evolving segment of professional planning. The educational purpose of this single live event is to provide planners and other interested parties… Read More

As climate change and sea level rise become more commonplace in our recurring discussion and conversations, so has it become more frequent in our public policy and land use planning. We urge you to take a moment and consider the implications of these changes and consider how best to mitigate the looming impacts. Don Schmitz… Read More

We recently saw the success of a project at the Malibu Planning Commission. This was a project by a long standing member of the community who has labored long and hard to make the community a better place. As a result of expert planning and rational engagement, combined with passionate clients, we experienced success as… Read More

Dear City of Malibu Residents: Please take a moment to review the update to our Local Coastal Program as it has the potential to impact you and your home!  We at Schmitz and Associates would like to inform you of the proposed fire resistant landscape local coastal program amentment which is going before the CCC… Read More

Short-Term Rentals – August 10, 2020 Malibu City Council Public Hearing Dear City of Malibu Residents: Please take a moment to review the update from our City Council below and consider attending the meeting!  The Malibu City Council will hold a virtual public hearing to consider a short-term rental ordinance on Monday, August 10, 2020… Read More

Read the full article on abc7.com

The California Coastal Commission has cleared the way for Malibu’s emergency Woolsey Fire rebuild ordinance to achieve its final approval. The amendment proposed by the City includes revisions to existing temporary housing regulations to allow for temporary housing structures to be placed on a property during reconstruction and allows for these temporary structures to be… Read More

On February 27, the Coalition for Fire Safe Communities, led by Don Schmitz, spoke to a room packed with community members and elected officials interested in an innovative new system to fight devastating wild fires. He described the idea, known as First Fire Defense System, as many things, but in short, more effective than using… Read More

In contrast to the City of Malibu’s original comments and speculations, it now appears that home owners may not receive any concessions from fire requirements. According to quotes made Monday by Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby, rebuilds will have to conform to all county fire codes, regardless of feasibility. This is could be… Read More

Don Schmitz and the team are preparing to continue outreach on behalf of the community, and will be arguing that local water districts and the City must react analytically and develop appropriate policies. To ensure that residents have the water demands necessary to mitigate and stop future wildfires, we must carefully considered what transpired in… Read More

Below is a letter Schmitz and Associates, Inc. has sent to the both the City of Malibu and LA County Planning that articulates our concerns related to delays in the permit process for fire survivors, should the fire department maintain it’s requirements for access and turnarounds. If you have any questions or comments please feel… Read More

Re: Coastal Development Permit Exemption and Emergency Coastal Development Permit Dear Ms. Blue: I want to thank you for providing valuable assistance to the wildfire victims and the community outreach you have facilitated. I would also like to express my grave concerns with potential time delays in fire rebuilds[1]. Given the recent statements by Los… Read More

The California Coastal Commission met in Newport Beach City Council chambers last week and had a few noteworthy local items on the agenda, including an amendment to the city’s Local Coastal Program. The Commission 7-3 in approval of the amendment with the CCC staff modifications. Schmitz and Associates assisted the City in this process, culminating… Read More

THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES IS PROPOSING A RESTAURANT BEVERAGE PROGRAM ORDINANCE TO SHORTEN PROCESSING TIMES Key Provisions For businesses to be eligible for this program, they must meet more than 30 proposed criteria, which include the following: Must be a restaurant with an operational kitchen and full menu; Daily hours of operation limited to… Read More

ACCOLADES FOR THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH AND SCHMITZ AND ASSOCIATES  Chair Kinesy of the California Coastal Commission offered high praise for a number of recent projects that we (Schmitz and Associates) obtained successful approval for.  These approvals required significant efforts by our team and were completed in a collaborative effort with the City of… Read More

Commission Approves Dredging Project, Eelgrass Plan Newport Beach Independent Online Posted On 19 Jun 2015 By : Sara Hall The California Coastal Commission unanimously approved two Newport Beach dredging related items and the city’s Eelgrass Protection and Mitigation Plan during their meeting last week. The city applied for a Coastal Development Permit and Federal Consistency… Read More

Crews are hard at work completing underground utility work and various buildings that will be a part of the new Marina Park. In the photo below, you can see the entrance to the park- lined with palm trees and the stand-alone lighthouse feature really starting to take shape. As functional as it is fun, visitors… Read More

On behalf of David Webb, Director of Public Works- Good Afternoon Mayor, Councilmembers and other Interested Parties, Here we are at the beginning of December with the Boat Parade, Christmas and the New Year just about here.  Time is sure flying by with a lot getting done as can be seen in this update of… Read More