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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Schmitz and Associates Published by Colin Koch · January 5 at 11:37 PM ·  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 […]

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 […]

  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, […]

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 […]

As part of Schmitz & Associates ongoing due diligence monitoring the Santa Monica Mountains (SMM) North area plan, we have gathered the following relevant notes for your review. Current Status: The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning (LADRP) are currently in the draft process of the plan (to be completed in the Spring/Summer of […]

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 […]