Story Poles Dashboard — Quick Guide

What is this?

This is a research tool built to help you find properties in Malibu that may currently have story poles installed.

How it was built

1. Searched the City of Malibu's public records portal (publicaccess.ci.malibu.ca.us) for any mention of "story poles" across planning commission and city council meeting packets from 2025 to present.
2. Downloaded the relevant PDFs — hundreds of pages of agendas, staff reports, resolutions, and permits.
3. Parsed the PDFs looking for specific addresses where story poles were referenced — either required, approved, or documented.
4. Plotted those addresses on an OpenStreetMap-based map so you can visually see where they are across Malibu.
5. Added links to Google Maps and Street View for each site so you can quickly check road access, surroundings, and get a feel for viability before visiting in person.

What it is and what it's not

This is a starting point for location scouting — not a guarantee that poles are currently standing at any given site. Permits and construction timelines change. The clearest evidence is when actual photos of story poles appeared in the city's PDF reports — those photos were extracted and uploaded under the "PDF Files" section for that address. Confidence scores (High, Mid, Low) were subjectively assigned based on photo evidence, recency of permit dates, and clarity of pole references. Not a perfect science, just a gauge.

How to use the dashboard

Map View

• Each pin on the map is a site where story poles were referenced in city documents. Pins are color-coded: green = Verified, orange = Pending, red = Removed. A white ring indicates High confidence.
• Click a pin to see details: address, confidence level, CDP (permit number), links to Google Maps and Street View, any available PDF reports, and extracted images.
• Use the Street, Satellite, and Topo buttons (top right) to change the map style. Satellite can sometimes show active construction. Street View can help show accessibility.

List View

• Click List View (top of the sidebar) for a simple table of all sites — useful on your phone or when you just want to scan the full list quickly.
• Click Back to Map to return.

Your shortlist tools

Each site has three status options — use these to build your shortlist:

• Pending (default) — You haven't reviewed it yet.
• Verified — Looks promising. Mark anything worth shooting as Verified.
• Removed — Poles are clearly gone, access is bad, or it's not worth pursuing.

Change a site's status when you've made a call on it. Use the filter buttons at the top to show or hide sites by status.

Notes

Each site has a notes field — use it however you like. Just click off the note for it to autosave.

Export Map

The Export Verified Sites for PD button at the bottom generates a static map page showing only your Verified sites. This is handy when you're out in the field with no internet — save or screenshot it beforehand as a reference map of your shortlist.

Tip for Getting Started

Start with the High confidence sites — these have actual story pole photos extracted from city documents.

Known Bugs

Some source PDF links may point to the wrong document. Working on it.

Last updated: March 20, 2026