Malibu and Santa Monica Dems make endorsements
Kathy Wisnicki, the only Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education candidate from Malibu, received endorsements last week from the Malibu Democratic Club and the Santa Monica Democratic Club. The Malibu club also voted to support incumbents Maria Leon-Vazquez and Jose Escarce. The Santa Monica club endorsed Leon-Vazquez.
Additionally, the clubs made endorsements for the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees election. The Malibu club threw its weight behind incumbent Margaret Quiñones. The Santa Monica club endorsed challengers Rob Rader, M. Douglas Willis and Susan Aminoff.
Sara, stay out please
Trancas Property Owners Association member Marshall Grossman has written a letter to Coastal Commissioner Sara Wan and commission attorney Ralph Faust to ask Wan not to take any role on matters involving Broad Beach.
“She is biased and gives the appearance of bias when it comes to Malibu and, in particular, to Broad Beach,” Grossman wrote in the letter dated Aug. 26. “Her hostility to the city and to specific areas of the city are well known and demonstrated.”
Wan said she had not received the letter and even if she had, would not want to comment to The Malibu Times. Faust could not be reached for comment.
Grossman looked to several incidents in which he said Wan showed a clear bias on coastal issues regarding Malibu, including last year when she sat on Broad Beach with a Los Angeles Times reporter and photographer looking on. Wan was approached by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies, who said she was sitting on private property. Wan then informed them that the property was in fact not private. The incident was reported the next day in the Los Angeles Times with an article and a photo essay.
Grossman said he was surprised to hear Wan would not comment to The Malibu Times “She certainly hasn’t been bashful about commenting to the Los Angeles Times, NBC National News or the BBC.”
Grossman and the Trancas Property Owners Association, which represents Broad Beach homeowners, have had several conflicts with the Coastal Commission. Earlier this summer the Coastal Commission staff told Broad Beach homeowners that signs stating where private property lines begin on the beach were illegal because they were located on public property. Grossman said the association will be responding to the staff statement, with which he said he disagrees.
Anti-declawing bill goes to governor
A bill to ban declawing of exotic cat species such as lions, tigers, cougars and bobcats has been approved by both houses of the state Legislature and is now before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bill would make it a misdemeanor for anyone to declaw an exotic cat, with a possible penalty of up to one year in jail and/or a $10,000 fine. Schwarzenegger has until Sept. 30 to act on the bill, either by signing, vetoing or taking no action, which would allow the bill to become law.
PCH lane closure
One northbound lane on Pacific Coast Highway between Broad Beach Road and Encinal Canyon Road will be closed intermittently through Nov. 30 on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. for utility work.
Emeritus College offers new classes
The Emeritus College of Santa Monica is offering two new classes for the fall semester. They are current events and autobiography. The current events class will be taught by Malibu resident Chuck Green. The autobiography class is being taught by Malibu resident Mary Jane Roberts.
The Emeritus College continues to offer classes in creative art, drawing and painting, contemporary poetry, creative writing and acting. The class schedules are available at the Malibu Library and the Malibu Senior Center. Enrollment is free and available to all adults.
Tiny Tot Olympics
The Tiny Tot Olympics will take place on Sept. 12 at Malibu Bluffs Park. Children ages 2-6 will compete in a variety of sporting events in a contest that includes races, long jump and an obstacle course. Each child will receive a special ribbon for his efforts. Registrations will be taken on the day of the event, or one can sign up early at Malibu Bluffs Park. The cost for participation is five dollars per child. For more information, including how to volunteer, contact the Malibu Parks and Recreation Department at 317.1364.
School district’s academic score up from 2003
The state recently released the Academic Performance Index scores for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and its schools. The scores are based mostly on the California Standards Test, which students took in the spring. The district as a whole is slightly below the state target of 800 on a scale of 200-1,000. The district received a score of 792. That is 12 points higher than the district score from 2003.
All of the Malibu schools were above the 800 mark. Juan Cabrillo Elementary received an 847, compared with an 833 in 2003. Point Dume Marine Science Elementary received a 912, compared with an 896 in 2003. Webster Elementary received an 880, down 10 points from the previous year. Malibu High School received an 817, up from a 795 in 2003.