These endorsements first ran in the Oct. 15, 2020, print edition. We’ve decided to re-run them for last-minute voters.
Malibu City Council
The Malibu Times endorses:
-Paul Grisanti, real estate broker
-Doug Stewart, businessman
-Mark Wetton, business consultant
Council members must have the time, the energy and the experience to sit on the council. The Woolsey Fire and COVID-19 have changed everything, and it’s going to take judgment and fiscal experience to get us through what is going to be a major financial squeeze. Our city’s financial reserves were previously deep, so we bought land and committed part of our reserves. It’s no longer enough just to say, “I’m for keeping Malibu rural” or “I’m an environmentalist.” We are now dealing with some real problems and some hard choices. All three candidates are experienced city commissioners who have been engaged in city matters for considerable time and are people of character and capability, not like some who are looking for someone to blame when something occurs.
Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District
The Malibu Times endorses for school board
-Jennifer Smith, parent / community volunteer
-Keith Coleman, educator / parent / economist
-Jon Kean, incumbent school board president
We agree with all of our city council members, AMPS and Craig Foster who have endorsed all three. If we are ever to get our own school district it is vitally important we elect school board members who are sympathetic to our cause.
For Santa Monica Community
College District
Malibu Times endorses all three incumbents
-Susan Aminoff
-Margaret Quinones-Perez
-Rob Greenstein Radar
For state office
We endorse both incumbents for reelection
-Henry Stern for CA State Senate, 27th District
-Richard Bloom for CA State Assembly, 50th District
We are indeed fortunate to have two highly regarded, influential and capable state legislators.
For U.S. Congress
We endorse our incumbent
-Ted Lieu, 33rd District
Lieu has become a major player in the House of Representatives in a rather short time.
Malibu Measure T
We support raising the transient occupancy tax to 15% as have many other cities.
Vote “YES.”
LA County District Attorney
We endorse George Gascon, former LAPD assistant chief, San Francisco Chief of Police and then San Francisco District Attorney. We have problems with policing in this county. It’s time for a change of direction.
Judge of Superior Court #72
We endorse Steve Morgan, deputy district attorney, rated “well qualified” by the L.A. County Bar Association.
Judge of Superior Court #80
We endorse Klint James McKay, administrative law judge, rated “well qualified” by the L.A. County Bar Association.
Judge of Superior Court #162
We endorse David D Diamond, attorney / law professor, rated “well qualified” by the L.A. County Bar Association.
County Measure J Alternatives to Incarceration
A very sensible proposition
We endorse a “YES” vote.
Statewide ballot measures
Measure 14, stem cell research
We previously passed a bond of $3 billion for stem cell research and to date there has been little to show for our investment. Now that money has run out and they are back now asking $5.5 billion, again with little oversight of the spending. Their request is too big, and state money is now very tight. Come back with something smaller and with better state oversight.
Recommend a “NO” vote
Measure 15, split tax roll
Both residential property and commercial property are taxed the same way. The problem is that houses are bought and sold and, therefore, reappraised, but not commercial property, in which there are many ways to avoid a reappraisal. Over time, the residential property is carrying more of the tax burden and the commercial property less, which is unfair.
Recommend a “YES” vote
Measure 16, restore affirmative action
We have affirmative action for football players, we have affirmative action for legacies (where parents previously went to the school), we have affirmative action for scholars. If all those are justifiable, I see no reason not to consider historical disadvantaged race and ethnic communities from receiving affirmative action, also.
Recommend a “YES” vote
Measure 17, voting on parole
Everyone has a right to participate in their government and in fact should be encouraged to do so. Once they’ve served their sentence, all rights should be restored, including voting rights.
Recommend a “YES” vote
Measure 18, to allow some 17-year-old voting
We want to encourage voting. This proposition was put on the ballot by the legislature and it passed overwhelming in the state senate—31 “ayes” and seven “noes.” In the assembly, it passed 56 “ayes” and 13 “noes.” It’s a sensible step and the overwhelming majority in the legislature recognize that.
Recommend a “YES” vote
Measure 19, portable property tax
Much as I would like to take my 1976 property tax rate to my grave, I still think it’s a bad idea and all this does is extend some property tax relief almost indefinitely. At some point, we all have to pay our fair share. We can’t keep exempting everyone.
Recommend a “NO” vote
Measure 20, increase sentences, build more prisons proposition
Restores the old-fashioned punitive sentencing where we just locked everyone up and threw away the key. It doesn’t work, cost a bloody fortune (about $81,000 per year per prisoner and increasing because they are getting older) and produces higher recidivism rates. The only ones that gain are the prison industry, both private and public. A nasty proposition.
Recommend a “NO” vote
Measure 21, imposing more rent
control
This proposition was defeated before and is back again. It doesn’t work, discourages anyone from building and worsens an already very tight rental market. It was bad before and even worse now.
Recommend a “NO” vote
Measure 22, exempting Uber/Lyft
drivers
The drivers want to be independent contractors and not employees. It’s really the gig economy vs. requiring people to be employed with certain basic benefits. The state is genuinely worried they will, as they get older, end up without Social Security and other benefits and will have to fall back on the state. This is a tough call. I’m going “yes” but the state definitely needs legislation to force all the gig companies to pick up the real costs of their operations.
Recommend “YES” vote
Measure 23, mandates state requirement for kidney dialysis clinic staffing
It is absurd to ask voters what staffing levels should be in dialysis clinics—about which we know nothing. This was just defeated last time and someone stands to make a fortune if it passes. The California Medical Association is against it, the nurses are against it, as is the Association of Kidney Doctors.
Recommend a “NO” vote
Measure 24, amends consumer privacy laws
Our consumer privacy laws are weak and vendors buy and sell our most personal information, about us and our children, and constantly expose us to scams. The Europeans takes this seriously, but we just don’t. It’s time we put some teeth into our privacy laws.
Recommend a “YES” vote.
Measure 25, replacing money bail with a better system
Requiring cash bail or bail bonds puts the poor in jail for being poor. I’ve had personal experience with clients who have not been able to post bail and end up spending time in the lockup, all before trial. They finally arrive in court already having served a week or two. The prosecutors say “plead guilty to something and we’ll give you time served” meaning you walk out of the courtroom a free man. Bail is frequently a way of coercing defendants to plead.
Recommend a “YES” vote
Last, and certainly not least
-Joe Biden for president
-Kamala Harris for vice president
Let’s put an end to this high-drama craziness and return to sensible government before the entire country implodes.