The recently formed PAC, which is intending to put an initiative on to the ballot to be known as “The Malibu Right to Vote on Development Initiative,” has apparently begun the process too late to make it on to the November 2000 election ballot.
According to City Manager Harry Peacock, there is a process set down in the California state statutes for the processing of ballot initiatives with a timeline that is mandated in part by the state statute. Peacock said, according to his calculation, the drop-dead date for getting an initiative on to this November’s ballot (that’s the last day it could have been filed) was May 25. The backers of the petition didn’t file their Notice of Intention to Circulate the Petition until June 2.
Assuming the initiative gets the necessary signatures and meets the other legal requirements, a special election could be called, in Peacock’s opinion, by early spring 2001.
The proposed initiative, which was recently under review by the Malibu city attorney, would, if passed, require the voters of Malibu to approve any real estate project in the city of Malibu where a proposed commercial, industrial, and combined commercial and residential development, in excess of 25,000 square feet, which development requires a variance or other discretionary approval, is being sought. Since most of the Civic Center projects currently proposed exceed 25,000 square feet, and all practically require some discretionary approvals, they would all require a vote of the electorate to proceed. The initiative, if passed, would reach out and probably affect the proposed Malibu/Malibu Bay Company development deal negotiated by the Ad Hoc Committee of Tom Hasse and Joan House for the development of the Civic Center and the Trancas area developments. It could possibly also affect the Pt. Dume developments.
The timing of this proposed initiative election would, however, have no impact on the City Council election now set for November 2000 to choose the fifth council member to serve out the balance of Councilman Harry Barovsky’s term. That seat is now held by his widow Sharon Barovsky, who was appointed recently by the council to fill out the term until November of this year, at which point she will go before voters.