• The Publisher’s Notebook •

Malibu Electoral Energy

BY ANNE SOBLE

If Election Day is on the calendar, exhortations for responsible citizenship dominate public communication prior to the ballot boxes being moved into place. But just because an election is held doesn’t always mean voters will take part. Malibu voter turnout has steadily declined with each municipal election, and when even the candidates proclaim that campaign forums are “boring,” how can one expect enthusiasm from the typical citizen whose schedule is already crammed beyond capacity? What may keep the downturn from becoming disastrous is that more and more local voters are casting absentee ballots. Indeed, some City Hall pundits contend that if the ABs that are now on hand are counted, they will forecast the final tally. Beyond systemic trends toward less participation in government, there may be some truth to the contention that the sheen has worn off the young city that 18 years ago fueled fantasies of creative governance that would serve as a beacon wherever the magic name of Malibu was intoned. Instead of innovation, the dominant local public policy forces are reactive rather than proactive. All too often, litigation, or the threat of it, dictates city responses.
The Malibu Surfside News does not endorse city council candidates, regarding endorsement as a throwback to an era when newspaper publishers imperiously thought they had the prerogative to dictate voter behavior based on their own self-interest. Even a cursory glance at Malibu demographics indicates that what local voters need is not direction, but candidates who engage their interest and encourage them to get involved in the political process. The 2008 council race was so prosaic that turnout at local campaign events was low, and outside area interest in the election was even lower. Perhaps that’s why a relatively apolitical, surfer-outdoors enthusiast, non-traditional type is the lone candidate who attracted any mainstream media attention. Charisma aside, when a Malibuite speaks out against pollution and mansionization, and defies the elitist and materialistic image with which the community is tagged, outsiders take notice. If the current campaign is any indication, it will be increasingly difficult to get local voters to attend to candidates and issues without infusing more energy into the process. The spark can come from personality or policy, but without it, the Malibu political process can short-circuit.