Council Wants Minority Report from View Protection Task Force Dissenters

• Observers Start to Question Whether City Wants a Law

BY BILL KOENEKER

The Malibu City Council left no doubt Monday night it wants a minority report from its View Protection Task Force, which meets Tuesday night for the last time after the Malibu Surfside News goes to press.
When Mayor Andy Stern turned to his colleagues this week and said, “I thought everyone wanted a minority report,” council members unanimously answered in the affirmative.
Stern said he wanted the council members’ views because he said he had watched the last task force meeting where members talked about whether they had a mandate from the council. The sentiment of the majority of the panel seemed to be only two members of the city council had expressed an interest in directing minority panelists to write a minority report and there was no mandate from the council.
Councilmember Sharon Barovsky, who along with Stern had previously showed an interest in such a report, said, “If people want to write a minority report they can. You can’t shut people up. I want to see a minority report as well as a majority report.”
Chair Sam Hall Kaplan, when told of the council action, said, “I have always encouraged a minority report. It is up to the minority to write it. I look forward to reading the minority report.”
On Tuesday morning, Hall Kaplan said a majority report or cover letter was prepared and would be discussed at the task force meeting later that day.
Minority members, after the last meeting, were asked if a minority report was ready. They indicated a report was being readied but not yet finished. They said the report would be a critique of the proposed ordinance recommended by the majority for council consideration.