Malibu voters are gearing up to head to the polls for the November elections next week on Tuesday, Nov. 4, the results of which will affect the city on local, county and state levels for years to come.
Polling Locations
According to the latest data released by LA County, polls will be operating in the following locations:
Duke’s Restaurant
Point Dume Clubhouse
Malibu City Hall
Malibu West Swim Club
Malibu High School
Malibu United Methodist Church
Point Dume Marine Science School
Malibu Bluffs Park – Michael Landon Center
Fire Camp #8
Malibu County Public Library
Fire Station #72
For information on which polling place to visit, go to www.lavote.net.
Absentee Voting
Vote by Mail ballots have historically been popular in Malibu elections. In the April City Council election, absentee votes outnumbered day-of and provisional ballot votes by nearly 400, as 1,730 absentee ballots were mailed in, 1,223 ballots were cast at the polls and 144 provisional ballots were filed at the polls the day of the election.
This election cycle, according to City Clerk Lisa Pope, there are 9,128 registered voters in Malibu, with 3,170 permanent vote by mail voters. Pope could not provide information about how many ballots have been returned so far, as it is a county election. Phone calls to county election official Delbert Johnson were not returned as The Malibu Times went to press.
Local Ballot Initiatives
Measure R is finally up for a vote next week. The measure, which would impose a 30% limit on chain stores in Malibu’s Civic Center, would also require citizens to vote for any new developments over 20,000 square feet.
Candidate Elections
The county supervisor race is without an incumbent, as current supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has been termed out. That leaves former Santa Monica mayor Bobby Shriver, a member of the Kennedy family, running against former State Sen. Sheila Kuehl.
Current Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell seems to be the likely winner over former LA County Undersheriff Paul Tanaka in the County sheriff race, likely because Tanaka is part of an investigation into prisoner abuse in the county jail system.
The retirement of Henry Waxman has left the House of Representative seat open for Malibu’s federal district. State Sen. Ted Lieu is up against newcomer Elan Carr. Waxman, a Democrat, has endorsed Lieu, also a Democrat.
The governor’s race between incumbent Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown and newcomer Neel Kashkari is heavily weighted in Brown’s favor. Brown first assumed office in 1975, serving as governor until 1983. He has been the current governor since 2011.
Statewide Propositions
Prop. 2 seeks to accelerate the repayment of state debts. While it would result in long-term state savings, it may result in smaller local reserves for some school districts.
Prop. 45 would result in rates for individual and small group health insurance being approved by state officials. Currently, state regulators review but do not approve rates.
Prop. 46 looks to require drug testing for doctors, increasing the state cap on medical malpractice damages from $250,000 to $1.1 million.
Prop. 47 would change sentencing for certain drug and property offences from a felony to a misdemeanor. According to sample ballots, state and county criminal justice savings could potentially reach the “high hundreds of millions of dollars annually.”
Prop. 48 puts into effect a contract with the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians and the Wiyot Tribe, resulting in the construction of a new casino in Madera County.