City of Malibu

Malibu City Council

This person holds one of Malibu's five at-large City Council seats. They vote on the city budget and coastal and hillside development rules. They also vote on public safety and rebuilding policy. The term is four years. The council does not elect its mayor directly. Members choose one of their own to serve as mayor each year. That person also serves as mayor pro tem. That person leads meetings but casts only one vote, like every other member.

Four candidates are running for Malibu's two open City Council seats. Incumbents Marianne Riggins and Doug Stewart are both seeking another term. They face challengers Danny Smith and A. Sam Dibaei.

Whoever wins holds the seat for a four-year term on Malibu's five-member City Council, whose members are all elected citywide rather than by district. The council sets the city budget, coastal and hillside development rules, and the pace of post-fire rebuilding after the January 2025 Palisades Fire, which destroyed homes across parts of the city. The council doesn't elect its mayor directly — members choose one of their own to serve as mayor and mayor pro tem each year — so this cycle's winners join a body that currently includes Mayor Bruce Silverstein, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Uhring, and Councilmember Haylynn Conrad, none of whom is up for election this cycle.

Both incumbents are campaigning on their records: Riggins says their time inside city government makes them more responsive to residents' day-to-day concerns, while Stewart points to fiscal management and what they cast as emergency-response leadership from their current term. The two challengers frame the race differently — Smith wants faster permitting and stronger disaster-resilience planning after losing his home in the fire, while Dibaei has offered little public account of their own candidacy. With four names on the ballot for two seats, this is a plurality race decided in a single round — weigh whether you want continuity from both incumbents, a change on one seat, or something else.

Marianne Riggins

Marianne Riggins is a Malibu native and city employee on the council since 2022. Riggins is running again on government efficiency and being more responsive to residents. Their current term runs through November 2026.

Doug Stewart

Doug Stewart is a banking professional who has served on the council since 2022. Stewart is running again on fiscal responsibility and emergency response leadership. LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath has endorsed their campaign.

Danny Smith

Danny Smith is a homeowner and a survivor of the January 2025 Palisades Fire. He is running on faster permitting and stronger disaster planning, a "Fire First" platform. This is his first run for City Council.

A. Sam Dibaei

A. Sam Dibaei is a Malibu resident making their first run for City Council. Little independent information about their background is publicly available. The Malibu Times could not confirm their occupation or platform.

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A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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