“Racism … Lying” Being Used By Santa Monica Against Malibu, Craig Foster Charges
Written by 991KBU on March 30, 2021
The war of words between Malibu and Santa Monica political leaders went ballistic this week, as Santa Monica interests said a separate Malibu school district had racist undertones, and Malibu’s lone school member fired back at what he racism and lies smearing Malibu.
Board member Craig H. Foster on Monday accused Santa Monica interests of lying about race and racism to groups like the local American Civil Liberties Union chapter and the Venice branch of the NAACP.
Last Thursday, the Santa Monica Democratic Club came out against the independent Malibu school district on racial grounds. The school district says an independent Malibu district would be 78 percent white, while the racial balance at Santa Monica schools would shift from 51 percent white to 51 percent non-white.
“The elite view of too many in Santa Monica remains stuck on this narrative of Malibu’s moral bankruptcy“, Foster wrote. “Yet, of the two cities, Santa Monica is the one with the history of actual redlining, deed restrictions, deliberate voter suppression, and willing participation in the destruction of an entire community of color to build a freeway.“
Foster also ripped Santa Monica’s board members for ignoring deadly PCBs in Malibu schools until a Federal judge demanded action, doping nothing after the Woolsey Fire burned 500 Malibu homes, and keeping Malibu’s public schools closed during COVID while every school surrounding Malibu remained open.
Foster also blamed Santa Monica for sitting idly by as Malibu school enrollment dropped 41 percent.
The bitter exchanges came as both communities are girding for a special preliminary hearing before a subcommittee of the Los Angeles County Office of Education on Saturday, April 17.
The City of Malibu’s education consultants say the meeting is a preliminary hearing to start years of environmental reports, financial audits and forecasting, and possible elections on a school board split. But at the last city council meeting, the consultants said the county feels Malibu has to make its case April 17.
Advocates for a separate school district plan a strategy session in advance of the April 17 hearing on Wednesday, April 14. All meetings will be on computers.
