Supporters and opponents of the Measure R formula retail ordinance held their breath Tuesday night, when as of midnight, zero precincts reported results in the highly contentious race as The Malibu Times went to press.
The long dramatic silence from the LA County Registrar’s Office following the 8 p.m. poll closure capped off a hard-fought campaign that was anything but quiet.
Results from absentee ballots came early. By 8:45 p.m., voting officials reported the “Yes on R” campaign had earned a slim lead in vote-by-mail ballots.
According to data released by LA County, 50.62 percent of vote-by-mail ballots were cast in favor of Measure R, while 49.38 percent were cast against the formula retail ordinance and development referendum.
This amounts to 486 ballots supporting the measure and 474 against, meaning the margin between the “yes” and “no” camps stood at 12 votes. As Wednesday began and other L.A. County races wound down, there was no sign of further precincts reporting.
Measure R would place a 30 percent limit on the number of chain stores permitted to operate in Malibu shopping centers. It would also require a citywide vote on major shopping center development and commercial or mixed use construction over 20,000 square feet. Earlier this year, City Council enacted its own formula retail ordinance.
Long a local issue, the national media picked up the story after the main proponents and opponents of the measure held a debate in Malibu City Hall the week before the election.
Hollywood A-lister Rob Reiner is the main voice in support of the measure, while local developer and Whole Foods proponent Steve Soboroff has been outspoken against it. Their campaigns were both high-profile, with hundreds of thousands of dollars spent in the hopes of swaying local voters.
As of Tuesday night, Measure R campaign manager Felix Schein said that based on absentee results, the “yes” camp was feeling hopeful.
“We’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll prevail. More than anything we’re particularly thankful today for all the volunteers and the people in the community that went out,” Schein told The Malibu Times.
“Regardless of outcome it’s clear that the question of development in Malibu and what kind of say the community will have in it is going to be a topic of conversation,” Schein added.
Check back for details about the outcome of this and all races.