Scant Comments As City Council Moves Towards Carving City Into Competing Factions
Written by 991KBU on February 25, 2020
No firm decisions yet … but Malibu is moving along down the path towards carving the city up into five voting districts.
The city council last night directed city attorney Christi Hogin to draw up various maps … splitting the city.
This actions comes in response to a letter from a law firm … which stands to collect a healthy legal fee for enforcing the California Voting Rights Act on the city.
That law is intended to prevent racial discrimination by making it easier for Latinos to elect a city council member from the area where they are concentrated.
Malibu … however … has zero concentration of minority voters anywhere in the city.
Speakers last night again assailed the legal claim as a money-grubbing shakedown by the law firm.
John Mazza was one speaker against the district elections …. but he said if it has to be done … the city should be split into long stripes.
NEWSCART 75448 MAZZA DISTRICTS
“Last time I was here I talked about horizontal districts when you go through the requirements you have to have supposedly districts they should be contiguous that should be common issues of the neighborhood.
“There isn’t a common issue between houses on Colony Beach and a house at the top of Rambla.
“The culture is different … beach culture as you know is different than mountain culture.”
That idea may not work … some council members said … because the law requires neighborhoods to be kept intact as much as possible … inside each voting district.
the reaction from Malibu voters … so far … ho hum.
Only five people showed up at last night’s public hearing … all five of them fairly characterized as city hall regulars who comment on pretty much everything.
Mayor karen Farrer said she was surprised by the lack of reaction from Malibu voters.
NEWSCART 75447 FARRER DISTRICTS
“I too am surprised we don’t have a room full of people.
“This is a major major issue.
“I don’t know if people aren’t paying attention … or if they have already thrown in the towel that it is going to happen.”
Malibu Mayor Karen Farrer.
Alternative maps for the city voters to mull over and make opinions on.
Those should be published on March 5th.
City Council will then hold to public hearings on those … and then put the matter out for a vote in the November election.
It’s not clear if that action will be enough to stave off the threatening lawsuit … from two attorneys who will see some hefty legal fees if the city loses.
