Silverstein Offers Apology, Says “My Spirituality Did Not Join Me” As He Slashed Into Feldman

It was almost midnight this morning before the city council sat down to talk about the major issues facing it last night.

So much of the evening had been wasted … once again … it took nearly a half hour to agree on the agenda.

The meeting broke off … and will restart later this week … probably Thursday night at 5.

And Malibu got a halfway apology from Bruce Silverstein last night.

Actually  … he said he was sorry for the way he behaved at the first city council meeting of the year.

But … not for the language he has used against City Manager Reva Feldman … abusive words like calling her a fascist.

Silverstein is formally accused by the city manager of making her life miserable through harassment.

He is accused by his fellow city council members of making lengthy and unnecessary speeches … delaying meetings …. gumming up city government.

Last night … he got roasted by public speaker after public speaker …

By a large majority … the majority of Malibu voices at last night’s city council meeting were critical of both what Silverstein has done to the city manager … Reva Feldman …. and the way he is doing it.

To be sure… about a third of the people who spoke … spoke in favor of Silverstein … and his efforts to oust the city manager.

But even some of those people criticized his methods.

Voices from both sides … in the same proportion as the number of speakers:

Dermott Stoker:

NEWSCART 73221 SToKER

“This may be way things are in Delaware  … but it’s unacceptable here in Malibu.

“You may have skipped that chapter in how to behave like a gentleman … but I suggest you seek counsel on how to operate in this town.

“In the meantime – Bruce – there are an abundance of very talented therapists here in Malibu.

“I highly recommend you seek treatment … for your unhappiness is quite visible.”

John Spiegel:

NEWSCART 73220 JoSH SPIEGEL

“I felt compelled to speak tonight about how horribly we’ve treated Reva.

“There are many people who disapprove of her job performance … but that does not give us the right to harass threatened an insult someone into submission.

“The people who believe that what Bruce did to Reva is justified should be ashamed of themselves.”

Daphne Aneet:

NEWSCART 73219 DAPHNE ARNEET

“To make the city manager at the target is unacceptable.

“To call her a witch … a rat … a fascist???

“Surely we are better than this.

“I also saw recently that she has been driven to offer to tender her resignation, and that in turn has precipitated a whole other series of insults.”

Mark Baude:

NEWSCART 73218 MARK BAUDE

“The last meeting was not just disappointing it actually was an embarrassment to the city of Malibu.

“This meeting started off as more of the same.

“And there is really only two people at fault for that … and for nothing getting done:

“The two rookie councilmen … Steve Uhring and Bruce ‘Silver-Trump’.”

Yes … he called him “Silver-Trump.”

Terry Davis:

NEWSCART 73217 TERRY DAVIS

“The national tactics we have seen these last four years … and have been not only overlooked but encouraged… bullying slanders lies violence… they are divisive they are destructive and they are demeaning.

“Using any of these tactics… pushing our city manager into a corner … forcing her to choose between spending precious city time for defending herself or for the sake of the city and her own quality of health and life to move on… is I believe not only unnecessary but unconscionable.”

Melanie Goudzwaard:

NEWSCART 73209 MELANIE GoUDZWAARD

“it’s hard to imagine this thing allowed to go on in any other professional environment … let alone be conducted in full view of the public.

“And there is something very misogynistic about the way that Reva has been treated because I have to wonder if a man had been treated the same way.

“So now she has decided to defend yourself and the city is exposed to potential litigation because of this relentless bullying … which was both inevitable and preventable.”

And Doctor Jeff Harris … eight Malibu physician who reminded the city council that there is a bit of a health care crisis going on right now.

NEWSCART 73216 DR JEFF HARRIS

“I’ve been appalled … at how that one city council member has paralyzed … in many respects … the inner workings of the city.

“We’re trying to get vaccine to the city right now.”

To be sure … for every two people speaking against Silverstein there was one speaking in his favor.

But even some of them said Silverstein was going to far.

Scott Ditrick:

NEWSCART 73211 SCoTT DITTRICK

“For the last hour I’ve watch mostly people criticizing Bruce about his tone. And okay his tone is too harsh sometimes. But he ran on a position of replacing the city manager.”

Joe Patterson :

NEWSCART 73212 Joe Patterson

“It seems to me that if a city employee who is dissatisfied with the working environment to the point they have retained a legal counsel and are threatening litigation … for that employee to continue to work in that environment … in what they perceive to be toxic or untenable (conditions) is only asking for further potential liability or damage to the city.”

Georgia Goldfarb:

NEWSCART 73210 Georgia Goldfarb

“Reva’s tenure has not been without controversy … I think we can all agree on that.

“I do support her decision to resign.”

And City planning commissioner John Mazza … a long time political foe of the city manager:

NEWSCART 73224 MAZZA

“We’ve had a whole bunch of partisan speeches … self-righteous … and they never voted for Bruce.

“And we have people who voted for Bruce.

“But we got here because there is an active side of Malibu that was the opposition for years and they tried to get things done and nothing ever happened.”

Silverstein took it all in … and acknowledged the sentiment against him.

He said it was all outweighed by written comments he has received.

NEWSCART 73215 SILVERSTEIN LETTERS

“I have been flooded over the past two weeks with comments in support of what’s going on … that’s so upsetting to so many people who spoke tonight … who came here with both barrels loaded in their shotguns.

“There are some serious issues right now with the city manager.

“We’re not going to talk about them tonight … had a closed-door session the other day…”

PAUL GRISANTI, INTERRUPTING:
“Point of order.”

SILVERSTEIN: “I’m not going to discuss that. 

“You have a point of order?”

GRISANTI: “We are not supposed to discuss that.

“Thank you.”

That point of order was from Paul Grisanti … referring t the secret city council meeting last week.

Silverstein then  apologized … sort of.

He did not apologize to the city … to his colleagues … or to the city manager.

Rather … he explained that he actually is a very spiritual person.

And … he blamed his spirituality for not joining him in the city council meeting last time.

Silverstein said Malibu may not not understand him … and may not believe him, … as he says he works very hard at being a very spiritual person.

NEWSCART 73222 SILVERSTEIN APOLOGIZE

“And I will note… There is nothing inconsistent between being fierce or intense on the one hand … and being spiritual on the other.

“And last week my spirituality did not join me at the meeting… There is no question about it… I wish it had not been so … but it was.

“There’s no question that my side of the street was not entirely clean last week…

“And for that I apologize.”

And in the next breath … it was back to attack mode.

NEWSCART 73214 SILVERSTEIN OTHER SIDE

“I’m not the only one whose better angels were not in force last week.”

Some work got done last night … not a lot but some.

The city council approved a proposed the concept of a new house on Greyfox Street… across from Malibu Elementary School.

But not before three votes had to be taken …

Neighbors objected to the house … called it part of the mansionization of the area.

Bruce Silverstein objected to legal technicalities in the city report … but said the owner of the house meets legal requirements and should get approval.

The report will be rewritten and go backl to the city council.

It was after 11 when the city budget update … stalled for the entire month of January … reached the city council.

After a half hour of bickering and several votes … Silverstein lost his bid to be put on the city council’s budget subcommittee.

Mikke Pierson and Steve Uhring will do that.

At midnight … the agenda still had the major action issues ahead of it.

Homelessness.

And the Silverstein/Uhring effort to radically change the way the city council and city staff interact.

Mayor Mike Pierson looked drained and said he was exhausted.

Steve Uhring pushed back from the table at the end of the meeting and made an assessment.

He said … the fact that some business got done … shows all is not lost with this city council.

NEWSCART 73223 UHRING GETTING BETTER

“I don’t know about you guys…

“I think we made some strides this meeting.

“I think Bruce’s comments under the council member comments at the beginning we’re right on track. He recognize we’ve got to make this thing work…

“We’ve got to get better at it.”

The city council adjourned … and will once again try to get something done later this week …probably Thursday at 5.