New City Council Is Installed and Mayoral Gavel Rotated

BY BILL KOENEKER

The two top vote-getters in the April 13 election, Laura Rosenthal and Lou La Monte, took their seats at the Malibu City Council dais Monday night, ushering in what was described as the beginning of a new era, as longtime Councilmembers Sharon Barovsky and Andy Stern vacated their seats.
Barovsky served 10 years on the council and Stern held on to his seat for eight years.
Subsequent to the oath of office given to the two newly elected council members, the eleventh city council confirmed Councilmember Jefferson Wagner as mayor, a largely ceremonial role in the City of Malibu. Councilmember John Sibert, next in rotation, was named mayor pro tem.
During her incoming remarks, Rosenthal said Malibu is a remarkable community of talented and skilled individuals she hopes to utilize as volunteers. “They will become the solution team and work on special projects. I will expect many volunteers. Many of you don’t know it [yet], but you will be volunteers,” the new council member said.
Rosenthal indicated that her time in office would be characterized by a list of traits. “Work hard, listen, compromise, collaborate, laugh, cajole and staying respectful,” she said.
Rosenthal said she is proud that she represents what she called “the family vote,” adding that [families] are a force. “We are to be counted. We will be respected,” she said, before noting that she will nevertheless represent everyone in Malibu.
During his comments, La Monte thanked his family and campaign workers, then praised Barovsky and Stern, who supported his candidacy as well as Rosenthal’s. “Sharon has been the heart and soul of Malibu,” he said.
La Monte promised to bring back the California Highway Patrol for traffic law enforcement on Pacific Coast Highway.
He also quipped that he would spend the next four years trying to eradicate what he had heard on the campaign trail in western Malibu,“Lou who?”
Earlier in the evening, the outgoing city council members talked about how they viewed their time on the council as they left office.
Stern asked the audience to imagine a time 20 years in the future, if he and the other council members had not taken the actions they did.
“There would be weeds in Bluffs Park. Bluffs Park is for the kids,” he said. The chili cook-off site would be in the throes of controversy with some big developer trying to construct a huge shopping mall, Stern added.
“There would be faint lights on the horizon,” he noted next, from an LNG port. Stern said “Malibu was the first government agency to stop” Cabrillo Port.
“The point is we made a difference. The truth is simple to say, we snapped our fingers and the staff makes it happen,” he said. He praised City Attorney Christi Hogin. “She was essential to our success. We could not have had this success without you,” he added.
Stern likened City Manager Jim Thorsen to a symphony conductor. “He makes it all work together. It is the best decision of my life hiring Jim Thorsen,” he said.
Stern concluded his remarks with, “Every year, every month, every week, every day, I tried my best for all of you.”
Barovsky referred to her late husband Harry, a former city council member, who passed away while in office. “My husband had made it clear, get elected and follow orders. There will be three of us leaving. Andy, me and Harry,” she said.
Barovsky said much of the credit of what has happened can be attributed to previous councils.
The outgoing council member had some advice for her colleagues. “My advice: keep a sense of humor. Grow a thick skin. Always, always vote your conscience,” she said.

Hearing Set on Crummer Trust LCPA

• CCC Has Indicated Ball Fields Are Out of Bounds

BY BILL KOENEKER

The newly organized Malibu City Council will have its chance to sound off on the California Coastal Commission’s action to scuttle ball fields as part of a development agreement at its meeting scheduled on May 10.
The council is set to consider the modifications made by the Coastal Commission to the city’s Local Coastal Program Amendment for the permit, zone changes and development agreement that was originally created to allow for a site for ball fields adjacent to Bluffs Park in exchange for building a five-home subdivision.
The city’s Planning Manager Joyce Parker-Bozylinski, sets out the city’s options in a notice of the meeting.
The commission’s regulations set out the protocol for possible city council action.
The LCPA certification would not be considered final and effective until a number of actions are taken.
The city official points out that the council must acknowledge receipt of the modifications, accept and agree to any terms or modifications made by the commission and take whatever formal action that is required to satisfy the terms and modifications and agrees to issue coastal permits.
Subsequent to the city council’s action, the executive director, Peter Douglas, reports the council action to the commission, which reviews Malibu’s LCPA and makes a determination whether to certify the LCPA.
Parker has indicated that if the city council does not accept the modifications or terms of the commission, it can resubmit.
However, the commission made it clear it would not allow the city to resubmit on the ball field issue.

Mail Ballots Sent Out for May Measure A Election

• $198 Parcel Tax for Five Years

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

Vote by mail ballots for the May 25 Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District Measure A parcel tax proposal are being mailed to voters in both areas this week and the debate between proponents and opponents of the five-year $198 per parcel tax is heating up.
Measure A proposes a $198 annual tax per parcel in the district to “protect our high-quality local schools against severe funding cuts imposed by the State of California; prevent widespread teacher layoffs; maintain academic excellence in reading, writing, math, and science; preserve elementary school music; [and] keep school libraries open,” according to the ballot language.
If passed, the tax would be levied for five years. According to the ballot, Measure A includes “senior homeowner exemptions; mandatory annual public audits; independent citizen oversight; no funds used for administrator salaries; and all funds supporting our local Santa Monica and Malibu schools.”
Voters have less than a month to decide on their vote, but the argument between proponents and opponents of the tax measure have been debating the issue since the tax was first proposed.
A website at www.savesantamonicamalibuschools.org presents a wide range of arguments in favor of the measure.
“The State has cut over $10 million from our local schools in each of the past two years, with more cuts on the way,” the website states.“Measure A will provide stable local funding to support academic programs in our schools. Measure A is critically needed to prevent a serious decline in the quality of our schools and will allow SMMUSD to maintain the great teachers and strong academics that make our district among the best in the state.”
The website goes on to state that the measure will “protect instruction and minimize cuts in reading, writing math and science, minimize teacher layoffs, keep class sizes as small as possible, help protect music and art programs, keep school libraries open, and minimize cuts to counselors who help students stay on track and prepare for college and careers.”
The communities of Santa Monica and Malibu have traditionally supported previous tax measures, however, response to the current parcel tax proposal has been described as “lukewarm.” A large number of residents are already coping with the fallout from the housing and job market crisis and organized opposition to the measure is forming in Santa Monica.
While an informal survey of the Malibu school community indiates a high level of support for the measure, many Santa Monica residents have been vocal in opposing the new tax. Opponents, who have set up a website at http://nosneakattax.com, claim that alternative sources of funding are available but were rejected and charge that the new tax, which brings the yearly parcel tax for school funding to $571, places an “unfair burden” on the district’s poorest residents, while commercial landlords and developers “get off cheap.”
Letters to the Santa Monica community have also charged that the district has mismanaged funds, spending $800,000 in legal fees to fight parents of special education students and $3 million to evict two longtime Santa Monica families from their homes by eminent domain for what opponents describe as an “overly ambitious” expansion of Edison Elementary in Santa Monica.
Others have argued that the district is holding programs like the district’s highly respected elementary school music program “hostage” to the parcel tax.
Residents of Santa Monica and Malibu have until May 25 to vote, but all ballots must be received, not postmarked, by the end date.
The Malibu High School PTA is organizing a volunteer telephone campaign to promote the measure.
More information on the measure is available at the websites listed above, and at the district homepage: www.smmusd.org

Legislative Task Force on PCH Meets Locally at End of June

• Malibu’s Two State Reps Are in the Loop on Safety Issues

BY ANNE SOBLE

The longstanding state legislative Pacific Coast Highway Task Force that has successfully worked on key local traffic issues in the past is going to hold its next regular meeting in Malibu on Wednesday, June 30, from 10 a.m. to noon, according to email communications copied to the Malibu Surfside News by Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich this week.
The meeting scheduled to take place at City Hall is important because city officials think it is critical that State Senator Fran Pavley and Assemblymember Julia Brownley not only be apprised of growing PCH safety concerns, but also their aid should be enlisted if there is going to be a concerted municipal effort to bring back the California Highway Patrol to handle coast highway traffic law enforcement.
City Manager Jim Thorsen initiated contact with the task force staff to set up the meeting date.
Conley Ulich wrote interested parties, “Hopefully everyone can collaborate to come up with solutions we can start implementing sooner rather than later.”
The task force normally holds its monthly meetings in Santa Monica, but Kara Seward, who is the lead on transportation matters in Pavley’s office, and Jesse Switzer, who oversees the same issues for Brownley, acknowledged that a meeting held in Malibu could result in a much larger turnout.
This expectation is predicated on the vocal expressions of concern for PCH safety that have reverberated throughout the community in the wake of four recent fatalities.
Citizens are saying that they want to see local speeding laws enforced, which many perceive as not being done now, as well as implementation of cell phone curbs, and other efforts to increase driver attention at the wheel.
Task force meetings are usually attended by state Department of Transportation and other agency representatives, which is especially relevant since PCH is a state highway under Caltrans aegis.

911 Calls Reporting Erratic Driver Who Killed Girl Add to PCH Safety Concerns

• Sources Say No LASD Cars May Have Been in Malibu When Incident Occurred

BY ANNE SOBLE

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has issued a call for additional witnesses and information in the April 3 death of 13-year-old Emily Rose Shane on Pacific Coast Highway.
Some witnesses have already stepped forward, but the LASD Homicide Bureau wants to recreate a timeline for the blue, four-door Mitsubishi Lancer driven by Sina Khankhanian through Malibu on the day Shane was killed.
Khankhanian faces second degree murder charges in the Malibu High School student’s death.
There were six 911 calls reporting Khankhanian’s erratic driving, starting before Topanga, and presumably other witnesses observed the driver on the PCH. Anyone with information is asked to contact LASD Detective Mark Lillienfeld at 323-890-5589.
The audio of the six 911 calls is not being released by the sheriff’s department because it is evidence; however, members of the recently formed PCH safety group obtained their approximate time sequence and locations (it appears 911 calls may not be time stamped, so exact times are unavailable).
Call one, received at Lost Hills, was from an LAPD dispatcher who had spoken to a citizen via 911. The citizen reported a “very dangerous” driver on Topanga Canyon headed toward PCH. This call came in at approximately 5:03 p.m.
Call two, also received at the Lost Hills Station, came from that same citizen via 911. The citizen reported the same suspect and conduct, relating that the car was going north on PCH from Topanga.
Call three, received at Lost Hills, was made by two local men driving north on PCH toward Pepperdine. This 911 call came directly to Lost Hills at about 5:11 p.m.
Call four was also a 911 call directly to the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. This caller saw the suspect going north on PCH past Pepperdine. This call came in at approximately 5:14 p.m.
Call five was from the scene of the incident. This call went directly to Lost Hills via 911, and was received at about 5:17 p.m.
Call six was received after the incident from a CHP dispatcher who was relaying information from a citizen at 5:23 p.m.
Although sources familiar with LASD procedures would not speak for attribution, they stress that accident information is still being analyzed. Even so, it appears that no sheriff’s vehicles were able to respond quickly to the 911 calls, and there may not have been any cars at all on PCH.
These sources say there is department protocol for this type of 911 call to be assigned to a designated LASD vehicle, and that has not yet been shown to have occurred in this instance.

Parents and Teachers Are Drafting Petition to Convert Point Dume Elementary into a Charter School

• Campus Would Still Be Public within the SMM District

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

A group of Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School parents and teachers have announced that they are in the process of drafting a petition to transform the school into an independent charter school.
The announcement came just days after the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced that PDMSS has been named a California Distinguished School for 2010.
“We feel we are in a position to save the school,” PDMSS parent and PTA president Robyn Ross told the Malibu Surfside News. Ross and PDMSS PTA executive vice president Ali Thonson are spearheading the charter conversion movement with the support of the parent and teacher community at the school.
School district officials have denied the rumor that has been circulating for over a year that the K-5 school that serves the Point Dume community may be closed due to the current budget crisis and declining enrollment, but these fears persist.
Longtime Point Dume residents have not forgotten that the district decided to close the school in 1980—despite overwhelming opposition from the community—during a similar economic and attendance decline.
For 16 years, Point Dume families transported their children to Juan Cabrillo and Webster elementary schools, while the neighborhood school, walking distance for most Point Dume residents, stood empty. The campus was later used as a community center and office space. The school reopened in 1996. The volunteer group seeking the charter conversion say they do not want to see history repeated.
“I’ve been a parent at this wonderful school for seven years,” Ross said. “This isn’t a new idea, it’s been discussed over the years. The time is now right.”
The volunteer group is seeking “a charter conversion in an effort to ensure the school stays open amid an increasing state budget crisis and at a time when a Malibu elementary school closure looks imminent,” a press release issued by the petitioners stated.
Ross explained that PDMSS would remain a public school, and continue to serve the community, but that the charter conversion would allow the school to maintain lower class size, classroom support and the school’s marine and environmental science program, but would also allow for a stronger emphasis on technology and the arts.
“We had a meeting on April 23 for the PDMSS parent community,” Ross said. “There is a tremendous outpouring of support. This is a real community effort. Our teachers voted unanimously to support the petition.”
Once the petition is submitted, the district will have 30 days to schedule a public meeting and must approve or deny the petition within 60 days.
According to the press release, the PDMSS charter developers are working with the California Charter Schools Association and the law offices of Middleton, Young & Minney, which specializes in charter law.
“We’re hoping to work amicably with the district,” Ross said. “It’s a win-win situation for everybody.”

Publisher’s Notebook

Mitrice Richardson: Not Just Another Birthday

BY ANNE SOBLE

Friday, April 30, is Mitrice Richardson’s 25th birthday. If she is alive, it will be the most important birthday she has ever celebrated, whether she is aware what day it is, or even knows who she is.
Richardson’s birthday will bring together family members and friends to reaffirm their efforts to find the young woman, or if she is not alive, to determine what happened to her. The hope that a recent drone search might provide some clues to her whereabouts proved disappointing. Still, that the high-tech equipment did not find any skeletal remains buoys those who want to believe that she did not die in the rugged Santa Monica Mountains where she was left to fend for herself on foot in an isolated area.
Richardson has been missing for almost eight months with no word to family and friends and no attempt to access her bank funds. There is disbelief that someone could disappear so completely. However, some of the recent high profile missing person cases have demonstrated that human remains can be within a few feet of search areas, passed by people daily and not be located without the help of the person who placed them there.
Friday’s gathering of family and friends emphasizes the need to keep the public spotlight on Richardson’s disappearance. In acknowledgement of her 25th birthday, they are asking everyone who can to print 25 flyers and post them at 25 locations (flyers can be downloaded at findmitrice.info). In addition, participants will release a “rainbow” of biodegradable multi-colored balloons as a representation of her “colorful and energetic personality.”
In collaboration with Maurice DuBois, the father of murdered teenager Amber DuBois who has become a missing persons advocate, a massive two-day search for Richardson is tentatively planned for June 5 and 6. Details will follow as soon as they are available.
There is hardly a news organization in Southern California and many other parts of the nation that hasn’t done an article on Richardson, the African-American honors college graduate and beauty contestant who was last seen during booking—for field citable charges—at the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station for not paying an $89.51 dinner bill at a Malibu restaurant Sept. 16. She was released from Lost Hills at 12:30 a.m. the next morning without her car, purse, cell phone, or even a jacket.
Mental health experts think Richardson was exhausted from not having slept for almost a week, was lapsing in and out of coherence, and may have been early-stage bipolar. All of this appears to have been missed by the authorities who have established procedures to follow in such instances. The office of Congressmember Maxine Waters has indicated there will be an inquiry into whether any civil rights violations occurred during Richardson’s arrest, booking and release. This could trigger federal involvement in her case.
Human tragedy is difficult to deal with when the circumstances are known. When there are no answers to any of the questions, it is unbearable.

USGS Begins Its Second Phase of Water Testing with Malibu

• Municipal Officials Hope for New Ammunition to Challenge RWQCB Thinking

Utilizing some of the “newest and most sophisticated DNA testing available to measure sources of bacteria in water,” the U.S. Geological Survey has again partnered with Malibu to undertake a $406,400 wet weather study to obtain additional data of the water quality of Lower Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon and at Surfrider Beach, city officials announced recently.
The study is an attempt by the municipality to further strengthen the argument that Malibu’s septic systems are not contributing to the pollution of the creek, lagoon and ocean by scientifically demonstrating there is no evidence of human bacteria in the area’s various bodies of water.
The issue is central to the disagreement between the city and the Regional Water Quality Control Board, which issued a septic prohibition, in part, on the basis of human contamination of area waters.
The city argues that previous studies did not show the actual source of the polluted waterways, but rather demonstrated the presence of what is called indicator bacteria. The USGS study is the second in its series of studies on area waters using a device known as the Phylochip, manufactured by a private corporation in conjunction with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory staff.
According to the manufacturer, the Phylochip can detect up to 32,000 unique versions of the 16S rRNA gene sequence, which is found in all bacteria. This enables the scientists to detect the actual sources of a wide array of bacteria in water samples.
If the wet weather studies come up with the same conclusions as the dry weather studies done last year, it could provide valuable ammunition for the city, which was not able to use the previous study results at the RWQCB hearing, at the state board meeting or possibly in court.
The city has asked the Regional Board to reconsider its ban and consider several scientific studies, some of which have been published since the board’s action.

Citizens Public Safety Committee Explores PCH Speed Limits and Fiscal Constraints

• Stricter Enforcement Seen as Major Component

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

At its Monday meeting, members of A Safer PCH continued to discuss potential ways of decreasing the speed limit on PCH and increasing law enforcement presence to augment the current allotment of four sheriff’s department black-and-whites and one motorcycle officer.
Suggestions ranged from purchasing additional “dum-my” black-and-white units to place in high speed areas of PCH, to forming a committee and approaching the County of Los Angeles to negotiate for a larger share of tax money for law enforcement. “We only get seven percent back,” recent city council candidate Steve Scheinkman told the group. Most cities [in the county] get 14-15 percent back. Calabasas gets nine percent. Someone else is getting our money and we have a state highway to patrol.”
“The Beach Team goes on patrol in May,” Lost Hill’s Sheriff’s Station deputy Derek Alfred told the group, “That will put more men on the street.”
Newly elected city council member Laura Rosenthal suggested that the community could work with the county and Caltrans to improve signage at Zuma. “The county could do a better job,” she said, suggesting signs that would clearly indicate the distance to legal U-turn access.
Sergeant Jim Castro, who also attended the meeting, agreed that enforcement is key. “Every time you speed, every time you talk on the phone, you should know that there is a really good likelihood that you will get caught,” he said. He explained that the “hands free” law applies to cars stopped at traffic lights, as well as vehicles in motion. “It’s a $140 fine for a first offense, and goes up $50 for each additional offense,” he said.
“Lights are key to getting through Malibu,” Longtime Malibu resident Jackie Sutton said. “I know there could be better timing.”
“The problem is the guy speeding is leading the pack and we can’t catch them,” Castro said, concurring. He added that it can be difficult for a ticket to stick, unless the driver is exceeding the speed limit by 11 or more miles. “We have to show the judge that it’s a safety issue,” he said.
“If you really drive the speed limit, everyone will slow down behind you,” Susan Saul said. “We need to be the example.” Saul, one of the organizers of ASPCH, brought the group’s message to the city council that evening, inviting the community to join the PCH safety campaign.
Other ideas discussed on Monday morning included placing more speed indicator signs on the highway and a new bumper sticker campaign reminding drivers to slow down.
Malibu resident and education activist Laureen Sills told the group that her daughter has suggested placing angels along the highway at all the places fatalities have taken place. That suggestion did not go over well with safety commissioner Carol Randall, who lost a family member in front of her home and indicated that it is difficult to live with the memory without a visual reminder. Others raised concerns that markers might distract drivers. “We would need so many of them,” one participant said.
ASPCH plans to continue meeting every Monday morning at 10 a.m. at the Smoller residence, 6269 Frondosa Drive, in Malibu West. Meetings are open to the community and all interested residents are invited to participate.

Gavel Changes Hands at Council Reorganization Meeting Next Monday

• Two New Members to Be Sworn In

BY BILL KOENEKER

The Malibu City Council’s reorganization meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 26, at its regular meeting time when Mayor Sharon Barovsky and Councilmember Andy Stern will step down and be replaced by the two newly elected council members that they endorsed, Laura Rosenthal and Lou La Monte.
The meeting gives outgoing members an opportunity to make comments about their tenure and past successes and other officials and dignitaries have a chance to comment. The adjournment of the tenth city council will take place before a brief recess.
Then the eleventh city council convenes and the newly elected council members take the oath of office.
Afterward, comes the largely ceremonial rotation of the posts of mayor and mayor pro tem.
The sequential order calls for Mayor Pro Tem Jefferson Wagner to assume the mayoral position and Councilmember John Sibert to be tapped as the mayor pro tem.
The oath of office will then be administered to the mayor and mayor pro tem.
At the conclusion of the program, time is allotted for the newly elected council members and the incoming mayor and mayor pro tem to make their remarks.

Final City Council Vote Count Affirms Election of Rosenthal and La Monte

• Runner-up’s Numbers Are Similar to 2006 Tally

BY BILL KOENEKER

The official vote count posted by the Malibu City Clerk last Thursday night did not change the results of Tuesday’s preliminary tally.
With all of the vote by mail ballots that were submitted at the polls counted and the provisional ballots tallied, the results were: Laura Rosenthal won by 1734 votes, with Lou La Monte taking the second seat with 1324 votes. John Mazza came in third with 1254 votes, and his slatemate Steve Scheinkman followed with 1152 votes.
Mike Sidley beat out the remaining other candidates with 552 votes, followed by Ed Gillespie with 249 votes. Kofi slipped by Harold Greene by one vote with 180. Matthew Katz collected 98 votes and Jan Andrew Swift, who did not campaign, received 64 votes.
How the vote count unfolded was “déjà vu all over again” for Mazza, as La Monte increased his lead from 53 votes on Tuesday night to 70 after the final count of all the votes was made last week to take one of the two vacant seats on the city council. The results mirrored Mazza’s unsuccessful bid for city council in 2006.
The slim lead La Monte kept over Mazza was much like the race four years ago, when Sharon Barovsky edged out Mazza. There were almost the same number of uncounted absentee ballots and provisional ballots at the 2006 election, and the chance for Mazza to win “statistically” on Tuesday night paralleled last week’s situation.
Hoping that it might be different this time, Mazza again decided not to concede the race on Tuesday night, waiting instead for the final count.
In the 2006 election, incumbent Barovsky’s seat remained in question with the two-term member garnering 1263 votes to challenger Mazza’s 1207 ballots. The near “cliffhanger” was again the same as this year. There were 207 uncounted ballots with 127 absentee ballots and 80 provisional ballots that were counted on Wednesday.
In 2006, when the counting was done and the dust settled, Barovsky retained her seat and increased her lead to 70 votes. Those results ended up with Barovsky having received 1353 votes to Mazza’s 1283 votes.
What was different for Mazza this year was Scheinkman, who ran on a slate with Mazza, and made an impressive showing given his status as a newcomer.
Scheinkman received just 102 votes less than Mazza on his first time out. Could Scheinkman have “stolen” votes from Mazza? It seems unlikely, given that the three times Mazza has run he has never been able to capture more than 1300 votes, which appears to be his core constituency.
In 2006, Mazza’s strongest support came from Point Dume and western Malibu, where the challenger received more votes than Barovsky in those precincts.
The same was not quite true this year. In Mazza’s home turf on Point Dume, the voting for Precincts 60 and 62 at the elementary school had La Monte taking the vote 234 to Mazza’s 217. Rosenthal scored big with 396 votes.
In 2006, Precincts 60 and 62 gave Mazza 147 votes to Barovsky’s 91. Precincts 51 and 56 in western Malibu found Mazza capturing 136 votes to Barovsky’s 97. In Malibu Park, Mazza took 84 votes to Barovsky’s 54.
The same was true for Mazza capturing votes over La Monte this year in western Malibu, with Mazza winning Precincts 51 and 56 at the Malibu West Swim Club by 217 votes to La Monte’s 183. Precinct 57, voting at the Malibu High School, saw Mazza prevail over La Monte 166 to 100, and Precincts 59 and 63, voting at Christian Science Church, gave Mazza 258 votes to La Monte’s 196.
In 2006, Barovsky kept up her lead by picking up more votes in eastern Malibu. La Monte captured eastern Malibu this year. In 2006, Barovsky sometimes captured double the votes of Mazza.
Mazza never made up the difference this year with Precincts 2 and 4, voting at Duke’s, giving La Monte the solid lead with 286 votes over Mazza’s 147.
Another race in 2008 was altogether different, there were only 17 uncounted ballots on Tuesday night. Pamela Conley Ulich was the top vote-getter capturing 2115 votes. Jefferson Wagner gathered 1686 votes, more than 260 ahead of John Sibert who received 1419.
In 2004, Ken Kearsley, the top vote-getter, garnered 1941 votes with Jeff Jennings capturing 1855 and Pamela Conley Ulich gathering 1647. Mazza was a write-in candidate in that election and received 1234 votes.
In the April election in 2000, voter turnout was lower than 2004, both Barovsky and Andy Stern won seats at 1587 and 1543 respectively.

Shane Family Sets Up Web Site So Deeds Done in Daughter’s Name Can Be Recorded

• Hopes ‘Pay It Forward’ Will Become Communitywide

BY ANNE SOBLE

The members of Emily Shane’s immediate family, mother and father Ellen and Michel Shane, and her two older sisters Gerri and Leigh, comforted by relatives and friends, have finished the traditional Judaic days of mourning, or shiva, but Ellen Shane told the Malibu Surfside News this week, “There will never be a day when I won’t think about her loss.”
The mother said the Shane family is focusing its energy on the “pay it forward” memorial being undertaken to honor the daughter who was killed when a speeding car struck her on Pacific Coast Highway near Heathercliff Road on April 3.
“A person does a good deed for someone, then the recipient does a good deed for someone else, and the cycle continues.”
The family has set up a Web site for participants to record their deeds at www.emilyshane.org
Ellen Shane emphasized, “It’s not the extent of a deed, or the amount of a donation, it’s the act that counts.” She hopes people will record all deeds, “however small,” such as “if they welcome someone new to school, sit with someone who seems lonely, help someone who’s struggling with a bag of groceries,” the list goes on.
Shane said, “Our daughter touched so many people, if people reach out to others, it helps toward [building] the kind of world Emily wanted to help bring about.”