Once again another primary has caught up with us, with the usual assortment of the good, the bad and none of the above. I’ve picked a few of the races where I know some of the people running or propositions that seem particularly bad or good. I don’t usually endorse in the primaries, but in Malibu the primaries often are the entire game. So here goes:
Primary: Presidential and U.S. Senatorial
You certainly don’t need me for this one, although I am amazed how a good, hard-fought contest like Bush/McCain has gotten everyone reinterested in politics and sitting up and taking notice.
For Congress
I’m a Brad Sherman guy all the way. The most conscientious hardworking congressman I’ve ever seen.
For State Senate
Sheila Kuehl is clearly the class of this field. Each year the California Journal, which is the state’s pre-eminent political publication, rates all the legislators, and year after year Sheila Kuehl tops the list in the assembly for brains, energy, effectiveness, which also means she knows how to cross the aisle and work effectively with the Republicans. She’s a rarity, and we certainly want to hang on to her.
For State Assembly
Fran Pavley. Fran is a four-term former mayor and council member of Agoura Hills, has worked with Malibu in the past, is a dedicated environmentalist and is very much in touch with how most of Malibu feels about the ocean and the mountains. She also serves on the California Coastal Commission. A schoolteacher and very much a pragmatic environmentalist, she is also capable of working with the entire political spectrum and will be a very effective assembly person.
Her principal opponent, S. David Freeman, is launching his political career at age 74, which seems a bit long in the tooth to be starting out, and comes from a background of public power, last as head of the L.A. city DWP. He’s gotten big campaign contributions from out of state, utility/energy types, which I must admit makes me real uneasy.
For District Attorney
This one is a real toughy, but for me it’s got to be Steve Cooley. Frankly, the present DA Gil Garcetti has been, to my mind, a disaster. He’s the worst of all possible worlds. He’s a former liberal who lives in fear that they’ll accuse him of being soft on crime so the effect is he does little, rocks no boats, asks no questions and has politicized the office. The Rampart Division fiasco is a major example of the failure of the DA. Part of his job is to see that the system functions fairly. You have to ask – How could this happen without the DA knowing something, unless his eyes were covered? It’s definitely time for a change.
Proposition 1A — Yes
I’m going with the Native Americans again.
Proposition 12 — Definite Yes
This is the park bond act. It’s important to the state, and it’s also very important to Malibu to get the dollars to help clean up Malibu Lagoon and fix up the state parks and Malibu Pier.
Proposition 13 — Definite Yes
This is the clean water bond, which works with the park bond act to help clean up the Bay, the watershed and do something about urban runoff.
Proposition 14 — Definite Yes
Dollars for Libraries and literacy improvement. How can anyone say no to this? This one is for our kids, and at $350 million it’s practically petty cash as bond acts go.
Proposition 15 —
The Crimes Laboratories Construction Bond Act is another Yes. Remember the OJ case? The state of our crime labs is pitiful. Crime labs do two things. First, they help to convict the guilty with proof that has a high degree of certainty. Second, and even more important, they help to exonerate the innocent so people don’t end up spending their lives in jail or being executed based on bad science.
Proposition 16 — No opinion
Proposition 17 — Yes
Lotteries, Charitable Raffles, a definite Yes. We’re all doing this anyway, so let’s just legalize it so no one has to worry.
Proposition 18 — No opinion
Proposition 19 — No opinion
Proposition 20 — No opinion
Proposition 21 — No
This allows more juveniles to be prosecuted as adults plus a bunch of other horribles. It’s a terrible, terrible initiative. It practically authorizes a state-funded crime training school for juveniles. The worst thing you can do is send a bunch of juveniles up to state prison to be brutalized, raped and turned into more efficient criminals. It’s knee jerk and totally counterproductive.
Proposition 22 — No
Limit on Marriages Initiative (Knight Initiative). This initiative, to my mind, is pure homophobia. The government has no business getting involved in people’s personal lives this way. What next, make them sew a big “G” on their clothing? It’s someone’s religious agenda put into the law, which is a bad and very nasty idea in any pluralistic society.
Proposition 23 — No opinion
Proposition 25 — No opinion
Proposition 26 — No
I think requiring two-thirds is still a good idea. I know it’s sometimes hard to get it, but maybe it should be because it forces people to compromise to get a consensus. After fiascos like Belmont H.S. I’m not sure how much I still trust the educational establishment.
Proposition 27 — No opinion
Proposition 28 — Definite No
The tobacco industry never gives up. Vote No, NO, No, etc.
Proposition 29 — No opinion.
Proposition 30, 31 — Vote Yes, Yes
It’s the regular attempt by the old insurance industry to try and rip us off again. All the consumer groups say vote Yes and the insurance industry says vote No. So who do you want to believe? Easy call. Vote Yes.