A happy group of Malibu Realtors gathered at a black tie gala, celebrating the 52nd anniversary of Malibu Association of Realtors at the Riviera Country Club Friday evening. L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky installed the new board and officers, who are: President Casey Kelley, President-Elect Terry Lucoff, Vice President Bill Mason, Secretary-Treasurer Paul Randall, Past President Beverly Taki and incoming board members Marlene Baumgartner, Viki Darbonne, Ani Dermenjian, Diane Everett, Wendy Jensen, Lea Johnson, Paul Van Alstyne, Judy Van Schoyck and Katherine Yarnell.
The prestigious annual Director’s Award, in a break with tradition, was given to four people for their civic participation in the city of Malibu: Pat Greenwood, Parks & Recreation; Commissioner Charleen Kabrin, former chair of the Malibu Planning Commission; Joan Plummer, member of the local Coastal Planning Commission; and Katherine Yarnell, member of the Malibu Business Roundtable.
The Master of Ceremony for the event was Realtor Jeff Chertow. Malibu Mayor Joan House and Susan Nissman, Yaroslavsky’s Malibu deputy, presented an award to the outgoing president, Taki, on behalf of Rep. Brad Sherman and Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Sheila Kuehl, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the City Council of Malibu.
Noted was that the Board of Realtors, under the leadership of Beverly Taki, took an active role this past year in the political life of Malibu and worked successfully during the year on several major Malibu issues: to expedite the reopening of PCH, to oppose the Business License Tax, to endorse and work for passage of Proposition X (the local school bond issue), to endorse successful candidates for public office and to contribute to the PCH beautification program.