City Council Urges a Yes Vote for the $195 School Tax

• Support Voiced from All Quarters But Many Say They Want Assurances Malibu Gets Its Fair Share

BY BILL KOENEKER

The Malibu City Council unanimously endorsed what is called a temporary parcel tax proposal by the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District. Council members were told it will be called Measure A.
The $198 parcel tax will be put before the voters with a special mail-in ballot election on May 25.
Parents, council candidates and a school district official all came to the council chambers to urge members to endorse the tax.
The only issue on most minds was that Malibu would get its fair share of the taxes collected.
Councilmember John Sibert said he was told there are 6000 parcels in Malibu and at $198 each, that would garner about $1.2 million for Malibu.
The school district’s Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Mike Matthews, who is a Malibu resident, assured the council Malibu would get its fair share.
He said the district is in dire straits and is losing $10 million each year, He said he has begun giving layoff notices.
Council candidate Mike Sidley, whose wife is the Malibu High School PTSA president, said the “doomsday scenario” painted by district officials is very real. He urged support.
Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich said everybody is concerned that Malibu get its fair share and that message should be sent to district officials.
Council hopeful Steve Scheinkman said he too wanted assurances that Malibu gets its fair share. “What is Malibu’s share? Will the Point Dume School stay open?” he asked.
All of Malibu’s PTAs, through a joint letter, pleaded with the council to endorse the tax measure, which includes a senor exemption.
Cynthia Torres, the chair of the school district’s financial oversight committee, also wanted the city council’s support for the five-year funding measure, saying Measure A “is absolutely essential to ensure the financial integrity of the public school system.”
AD HOC COMMITTEE
It was Conley Ulich’s idea to seek approval from a majority of the council for the formation of an ad hoc council committee to explore cost savings options for the new city hall to work with the architects on determining possible dollar saving measures for the design plans.
But the council member got squeezed out of being appointed to the panel when the mayor made a motion for Sibert and Councilmember Jefferson Wagner to serve on it. Conley Ulich said she knew how busy the two men were and she would willingly take their place. Neither man relented and both were tapped to serve on the subcommittee.