Last Minute Campaign Issues Roil Malibu Election

Election day is tomorrow … but many Malibu residents have already cast their ballots by mail.

Absentee ballots can be dropped off today at Malibu City Hall … or tomorrow at your neighborhood polling place.

The main issue in Malibu … of course … the five city council candidates running for two empty seats.

In the last week …. Olivia Damavandi has become a lightning rod of controversy in her campaign.

Some of the more strident anti-growth political activists in Malibu have been painting her as a developer … she presents herself as a longtime property rights activist who has been endorsed by past Malibu mayors.

Mikke Pierson and Jim Palmer are embraced by some of the strong antigrowth activists who were behind the winning slate that got elected last election.

Karen Farrer has been embraced by the schools community … the longtime P T A president and former chairwoman of the school district separation campaign.

Some of her supporters say they are going to single shot her … and increase her chance for winning by voting for her only.

Lance Simmens … a relative newcomer to Malibu … has been runnign up agaist his newcomer status.

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There are two other citywide issues…

Measure G has been flying under the radar … not getting much publicity or controversy.

It would effectively reverse the present city council’s ban on home delivery on marijuana to Malibu residents.

It would also enshrine the two current marijuana stores as the exclusive … franchise retailers in Malibu for marijuana sales.

And Measure M would raise property taxes by 3 cents per 100 dollars valuation … to pay for 195 million dollars to rebuild Malibu High School … create a separate Middle School next door … and expand Point Dume elementary.

It needs a 55 percent yes vote to pass.

Supporters say that approval of Measure M is make or break for their quest to carve out a separate Malibu school district and end years of Santa Monica-based mismanagement and neglect.

As part of the joint Malibu and Santa Monica school district … Malibu has seen two school bond elections pass in the last 12 years.

Put together … 653 million dollars in bonds were passed.

But … Santa Monica took more than its fair share of that money … leading to the creation of a separate spending district for this election.

If Measure M passes … we have a separate spending district … and under state law that money can only be spent in Malibu.

We haven’t found any opponents willing to go on record … but some people on Point Dume are unhappy with plans to add buildings and students to the campus there.

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On the school board election front … Malibu’s lone representative on the Santa Monica-controlled school board is up for re-election.

Craig Foster is seeking a second term.

So are three fellow school board incumbents from Santa Monica … who have all endorsed each other and Foster …

And all four incumbents have endorsed creating a separate Malibu school district.

The only person challenging the incumbents is a Santa Monica candidate named Ann Maggio Thanawalla.

She says she favors local control … but Maggio Thanawalla would not endorse a separate Malibu school District … in a KBUU interview.

Some Malibu district advocates are quietly urging Malibu voters to “single shot” Foster … and vote for one candidate only … in increase his chances for winning.

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Election coverage begins at 5 tomorrow night on KBUU …. with news from Amy Goodman and Democracy Now.

At 9 o’clock tomorrow night … we will switch to the statewide NPR stations’ coverage of California election returns … from the California Report network.

And KBUU will have Malibu election news at the top of the hour … and at 30 minutes after the hour … on the Malibu races.

These days. … the internet is the fastest way to get the Malibu elections results.

And we will put up the links to the official results .. so that you can see them as theyae er

KBUU’s coverage will add local perspective to what we are seeing.

Election night coverage tomorrow night … 5 to midnight … on KBUU.