MIA SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On April 8, Malibu residents will have the opportunity to vote for candidates to fill three seats on the city council. There are five candidates. The major issues will be environmental concerns, including ocean water quality and the imminent risks of overdevelopment.
Incumbent Pamela Conley Ulich, who has served on the council for the past four years, is running for re-election. Ulich, a Malibu resident since 1996, practices law in Malibu and is an adjunct professor at Pepperdine School of Law.
Candidate Kathy Wisnicki has been a Malibu-Santa Monica school board member since 2004. Her term as school board president recently ended, and she has decided to run for council. Wisnicki plans to bring her knowledge about the city’s school system to the table. If she is elected, she says her other priorities will include traffic, public safety and the environment.
John Sibert, an environmental chemist and co-founder of “Save Our Coast,” is running on the platform of improving ocean water quality and facilitating relations between the city and state agencies.
Water quality is a very important issue for Malibu. Malibu beaches are infamous for having contaminated waters, due to runoff from creeks, rivers and storm drains, as well as poor septic systems and treatment facilities. As a result, the water at some Malibu beaches contains a particularly high fecal bacteria count after a rainfall. Surfrider beach especially suffers from this inadequate water treatment system.
Surfrider Beach is the most popular surf spot in Malibu. Its perfect, slow-rolling, right-breaking waves make this spot a surfer’s paradise. That is why the surfing community considers Malibu the original mecca of mainland surfing. The city of Malibu is inextricably tied to surfing and the ocean. Therefore, I believe that this issue of water quality should play a major role in the election.
Candidate Susan Tellem plans to make waste water and stormwater remediation a priority if she is elected. She is also concerned about the results of overdevelopment, mainly traffic. Not only would increased traffic be more inconvenient, she believes, it could also be very dangerous in the result of an evacuation. Tellem reminds us about the frequency of fires in Malibu and how there is not a sufficient evacuation plan in place. She plans to develop one if she is elected. Tellem, a 10-year Malibu resident, runs a public relations firm and has been an adjunct professor at Pepperdine.
According to Tellem, “one million square feet of large-scale commercial development in the Civic Center, not including Legacy Park” is on the table for the council’s approval. She also states that there are a substantial number of development proposals in the Point Dume and Trancas areas.
Tellem and Jefferson Wagner endorse each other because they hold similar views. Wagner has focused his campaign on the perils of overdevelopment. If he were elected, he has stated that he does not want to stop development, but rather to develop responsibly. Wagner runs Zuma Jay’s Surf Shop, and is professionally known as “Zuma Jay.” In addition to owning his surf shop, Wagner works as a special effects technician for films. He has lived in Malibu for 35 years.
Personally, I would endorse any candidate who pledges to make water quality, safety and development issues their top priorities. The ocean is Malibu’s asset. Let’s face it, if Malibu did not have a blue, pristine-looking ocean, people would not spend millions of dollars to live here. Many of us having been in Malibu during a wildfire and we know that they are a real threat. It is important that the city council draws up an evacuation plan for these and other potential catastrophes. Again, Malibu is beautiful, but unfortunately its space is limited. I appreciate how there are only a few hotels in Malibu. If the city council approves too many development projects, and proposed hotels and sports arenas are built, PCH may turn into one big traffic jam.
03-20-2008