As a Malibu resident for 38 years John Mazza is knowledgeable about Malibu’s culture and the strengths and weaknesses of the city.
Mazza moved to Malibu almost four decades ago as a way to relax by the seaside and surf due to his demanding career as a mutual Fund manager. Now he is one of the 10 candidates in the running for Malibu City Council. Since first establishing his residence in Malibu Mazza has observed significant changes in the city especially in the 20 years since he became president of the Point Dume Community Association. He sees Malibu as actually a collection of 13 to 14 distinctive communities and he wants to take it upon himself to bring these neighborhoods together. Over the past 20 years Mazza has been involved in 14 organizations in Malibu ranging from vice-chair of the Planning Commission and president of Malibu Dog Adoptions to president of the Malibu Surfing Museum. Mazza involved himself with the different communities and gained a well-rounded knowledge about the different interest groups in Malibu.
“He is incredibly knowledgeable said Robby Mazza, Mazza’s wife and co-founder of Malibu Dog Adoptions. Different neighborhoods in Malibu have issues and he knows them all.”
Mazza received his bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna College and his MBA from the University of Southern California. He has run seven businesses and he has years of financial experience. Mazza ran for City Council four years ago and lost by only 62 votes. Now he is running again because he strongly believes his background and experience can be an asset to the city. “We need people on the council who know how to do fiscal budgets plans and set goals.”He has seen Malibu fall into $45 million of debt over the past two years and he believes his well-rounded business and financial experience will aide him in helping to bring Malibu out of its financial debt. “You can count on John for reading every word of every document said 32-year Malibu resident Victoria Hand. He’s one of the few people who has gone to almost every City Council and Planning Commission meeting. He has institutional knowledge.”Mazza is running with another candidate Steve Scheinkman because the pair shares similar views and objectives. “We have a similar financial background and we share the same goals for Malibu said Mazza. The team has the support of former Malibu mayors Jeff Kramer and Walt Keller. John and Steve are the only candidates that will consistently serve the best interests of Malibu when elected Keller said. They are committed to restoring respect for the vision and goals of Malibu’s General Plan.”Malibu’s General Plan states “the people of Malibu are a responsible custodian of the area’s natural resources for present and future generations.”Mazza and Scheinkman believe the Malibu General Plan is the most important document and if elected they vow to preserve Malibu’s natural resources and rural characteristics. According to Mazza the three most important issues facing Malibu are financial management public safety and the expansion of public services and facilities. Candidates Laura Rosenthal and Lou La Monte in Mazza‘s view have not made Malibu’s current financial state a priority issue. But Mazza says he and Scheinkman believe the debt Malibu acquired through the new city hall building and other projects has put the city at financial risk. Mazza believes that what the city needs is proper management and planning. He would like to set five-year plans and create fiscal goals. Because of his background as a CFO he is familiar with finances and he has made numerous fiscal plans throughout his career. “My civic financial and management experience can provide solutions to our pressing problems said Mazza.Mazza believes that a city deal that gave $1.5 million to the owners of the so-called lumberyard development with 15 years of no interest is unacceptable” and “a bad business decision.”Government intervention in real estate does not work said Mazza. Politicians never run small businesses.” Mazza believes public health and safety should receive top priority.Mazza has lived through numerous fires in Malibu and he has seen the damage that it has brought to the community. He wants to fight the Santa Monica Conservancy Plan for overnight camping and get rid of overnight camping all together to decrease the chance of fire. “If we have camping in the mountains there will be a fire said Mazza. According to Mazza, there is no room for compromise on public safety. He is against suing the government except in the issues of public health and safety.His issue on camping is very important. He means what he says said Robby Mazza. Another environmental issue of importance is Malibu’s water quality. He would like to complete Legacy Park to reduce the storm water pollution and construct a packaged wastewater plant for the Civic Center businesses. He is opposed to increasing commercial development at the Civic Center beyond what is currently permitted. He wants the city to monitor the quality of water that flows into Malibu from outside cities. He will work hard to preserve the rural nature of Malibu but will also work hard with long term planning and fiscal skill said Malibu resident Lynn Norton. Mazza would like to hold a Malibu Youth Summit to create a long-term plan to accommodate the needs of the youth of Malibu, guarantee that sufficient funds are set aside in Malibu’s long-term budget for youth programs, and conduct safety audits at Malibu schools to ensure the children’s safety in case of emergency. Mazza would also like to encourage Malibu’s youth to become involved in the community through charitable organizations, and provide scholarships for outstanding contributions in this area. He believes Malibu lacks senior services, arts programs, library annexes, and adequate sports fields. He would like to expand these public services and facilities.Mazza and Scheinkman have also reached out to Pepperdine’s students. Pepperdine students comprise one-third of Malibu’s population and the candidates would like to create a safe and fun city for college students. As a college student I believe Mazza would bring better conditions to Malibu Pepperdine student and campaign volunteer Angela Sultan said. He has thorough plans to keep the ocean waters clean and to have better trails and street access for hikers and athletes. This is important for college students who usually spend their time trying to enjoy Malibu’s nature.” Sultan along with some other Pepperdine students decided to join Mazza’s and Scheinkman’s campaigns because after researching the candidates she thought they were the most qualified. She believes their education and experience will enable them to provide and solve many of the issues Malibu faces. According to Sultan Pepperdine students who reside off campus in Malibu are encouraged to vote in the upcoming election because Malibu is their city too and the results of the election will also affect them. “John and Steve have the skills to run big organizations and they are both good listeners said Norton. They will be able to take a lot of input from a wide variety of citizen’s needs.”
