Kourtney Kardashian came under fire this weekend when Malibu Mayor Bruce Lee Silverstein called out the city’s seemingly preferential treatment of a permit application for a recent Poosh event.
On Saturday, September 23, Silverstein published a lengthy Facebook post titled: “City of Malibu Continues to Place Celebrities and the Uber Wealthy Over Residents: City Staff Sells Out to Kardashians and Grants Emergency Expedited Permit for Large Event in a Vacant Single-Family Home in Private Neighborhood.”
Silverstein’s post offers a detailed account of how he became embroiled in Kardashian’s event. He writes that on Thursday, September 21, he noticed that trucks were unloading furniture, home decor and boxes into the house next to his that has been on sale for the past year. After asking who was moving in, he was told that the house was being rented by an event planner to throw an “influencer event” hosted by Kourtney Kardashian.
The event in question was called “Poolside With Poosh,” hosted by Kardashian’s wellness website Poosh. Influencers including Alexa Losey, Atiana De La Hoya and Alexa Luria were in attendance. The event included massages, birth chart readings, facials, and a breathwork class, while attendees mingled and sipped on drinks by the pool.
Despite this, Silverstein alleges that the event was “represented to be a baby shower” that was “being hosted by the owner of the property.” “Both of those representations are contrary to what the event planner told me – which was that the house is being ‘rented’ for an ‘influencer event’,” Silverstein wrote, adding, “Obviously one story or the other is false.”
On Thursday, Silverstein told the Poosh team that they needed a “Special Event Permit” and reported the “unpermitted event” to the City’s Code Enforcement department. On the morning of Friday, September 22, city staff allegedly then told Silverstein that they would issue a cease and desist order. After more inquiries followed by “radio silence,” at 6:07 pm that same day Silverstein was informed that “an emergency expedited Special Event permit had been granted” for the event.
Silverstein went on to express his frustration at city staff for making exceptions and moving “heaven and earth” “for a wealthy celebrity when our residents are required to wait days, weeks and even months for such attention respecting matters of much greater concern than a celebrity party.”
In his post, the Mayor also reported of a “strong odor of marijuana that could be detected standing on the street outside the event venue while the setup occurred – which I have never before detected in the neighborhood.”
Silverstein, who was elected mayor in 2020, followed up to clarify that he wasn’t accusing Kardashian of being deceitful.
“I did not accuse Kourtney Kardashian of fraud or lying,” the attorney wrote via Facebook on Sunday, September 24. “I also did not state that the permit for the event, which I do believe to have been obtained on false pretenses, stated that the event was a baby shower.”
He included an excerpt from the permit. “It states that the event was a ‘girlfriends day at the pool.’ Note that the line for a promotional event is not checked. Without regard to the nominal title of the event, it was a ‘promotional event’ — which was required to be certified to the City.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Kardashian for comment.
