City Attorney Christi Hogin said she will recommend to the City Council at its next meeting on Monday that it not approve a contract with Robert Stern from the Center for Government Studies to be a consultant for Malibu during the City Council campaign. The council had given the approval for the city manager to negotiate a contract with Stern at its last meeting. This became controversial to some people when it was revealed in a Malibu Surfside News article that the daughter of Malibu Bay Company attorney Dick Volpert worked for the Center for Government Studies.
“The issue’s been raised,” Hogin said. “There’s no conflict, but people are questioning it, so why bother?”
Hogin said it is a coincidence that Volpert’s daughter works at the same place as Stern. Hogin said she had never met her and didn’t even know she worked there until it was reported in the News last week. But some people had suggested the situation at least appeared to be more than just a coincidence.
Hogin said she does not have another person in mind to replace Stern.