As we enter some of the hottest and driest months in a historic drought, local water officials have asked the state to allocate more water to the area surrounding Malibu to help mitigate wildfire risk. Unfortunately, that request has been denied.

The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District that services the Santa Monica Mountains unincorporated Malibu area, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village and Hidden Hills, in partnership with the Metropolitan Water District, made the request to the State Water Project citing the area designated as “very high fire hazard severity zones.”