Malibu Surfside News
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• The Publisher’s Notebook
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Malibu’s March Machinations
College basketball fans aren’t the
only ones getting ready for March Madness. The city is starting
to shift into council campaign gear, and the fun of
Malibu-style politics is already under way. What is
Malibu-style? First, it seems that at least two of the
campaigns have “moles” who are sending
opponents’ private communications to the media in the
hope of causing mischief. Other not-so-malice-oriented types
may be doing the same thing, but they will probably learn very
quickly that this is not appreciated by the candidate. Second,
the attack letters-to-the-editor are trickling in, so
I’ll repeat my policy about refusing to enable the
undercurrent of mean-spiritedness that has prevailed in city
elections for too long. Civil discourse is not as difficult as
might appear to be the case from past political behavior during
council races. Third, supporters have to cease trying to
package blatant political advertising in letter form,
especially when that form appears to be mass produced. In 2006,
seven people sent in the same exact letter. Coincidence, right?
However, letter-writers are openly invited, nay
enthusiastically encouraged, to explore local public
policy issues in their missives without promoting a specific
candidate’s views on those issues. Give the
well-educated, politically-savvy Malibu voter enough credit for
putting two and two together to get four. If there’s
support for environmental constraints, and a candidate stands
for those constraints, the electorate will get the message.
One form of election communication that I
not only will disseminate, but I also will encourage, is
public candidate forums. While some of them occasionally may
lack the luster of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, forums
offer up-front-and-personal exposure to the people who want to
be elected to the city council. Although final schedules may
still be subject to change, a tentative list of forums is now
available, starting on Saturday, March 1, with an event hosted
by the Paradise Cove Association and the POINT DUME CLUB from 1 to 3 p.m. in
the PC community room. Next on the calendar is the forum of the
POINT DUME COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, which is slated for
Wednesday, March 12, at 6:45 p.m. This is also the
group’s annual membership meeting. It will take place in
the Point Dume Marine Science School auditorium. Third is the
MALIBU TOWNSHIP COUNCIL’s forum on Saturday, March
15, at 10 a.m. in the Webster Elementary School
cafetorium. The MALIBU PARK HOA program is set for Saturday,
March 29, from 3 to 4 p.m. at Malibu United Methodist Church.
Lastly, the MALIBU ROTARY CLUB is hosting a breakfast forum on
Wednesday, April 2, at 7:30 a.m. in the Fireside Room at
Pepperdine. Other groups that have traditionally hosted public
forums have not yet announced their plans. Residents are
encouraged to try to attend at least two events to assess
candidate consistency and steadfastness. Moreover,
they’re often the best show in town.
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