Newly elected council member’s vehicle vandalized
Just three days after being elected to the City Council, Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner on Friday morning found his van covered in paintball marks and tossed eggs. The vehicle was parked in front of his apartment building on Pacific Coast Highway. Wagner contacted the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. This is the fourth incident he has reported to the authorities since he announced his candidacy last year.
Wagner said he believes the vandalism was politically motivated, noting the vehicles parked near his had not been touched. He said he is not intimidated.
“I just won’t drive my nice car around,” Wagner said. “I have an old van. They can trash that.”
In December, Wagner, who owns a home in Latigo Canyon outside the city limits, received an anonymous letter saying he must not return to his Latigo home or else the district attorney would prosecute him. The letter, and a second one sent a month later, made additional allegations. Last month, the word “dope” was spray painted in several places on his surf shop. The three incidents are under investigation by a Malibu/Lost Hills detective.
“I think it’s sad for the city that there is someone who would do this,” said Wagner, who believes the four incidents are related.
He added he thought the harassment would end after he was elected.
“I thought they would see the light, leave me alone, and stop the hassling,” Wagner said. “But I guess this is something I’ll have to deal with.”
Election suit from 2004 still unsettled
Malibu activist Wade Major received a surprise during last Tuesday’s election night party at the Malibu Performing Arts Center when he was served papers by Ozzie Silna’s attorney to attend a hearing this Friday related to a lawsuit involving the 2004 election.
Attorney Bruce Dunn said this week he served the papers at the party because Major had been dodging him for more than four weeks. Major said this was not the case, and said he is difficult to find because he does not have an office and keeps odd hours.
Major was instructed to appear at a hearing, which he said was to determine whether he has enough money to pay Silna the nearly quarter-million dollars he owes him. But Dunn said the hearing was an attempt to locate Major’s assets to pay Silna.
A similar hearing took place last year. Major said the session determined he did not have the assets to pay Silna. Dunn said that hearing was just an initial hearing, and it did not lead to the conclusion suggested by Major.
The suit goes back to 2004 when Major filed a suit against Silna to prevent him from spending large sums of money on that election due to a law Major alleged Silna had violated. The judge ruled against Major. Silna then sued for attorney fees but the judge ruled against him. An appellate court ruled the next year in favor of Silna for the attorney fees. And the amount of money owed to him has continued to increased as the case drags on.
“Ozzie has publicly stated he doesn’t need the money,” Major said. “I don’t have the money. It seems illogical to me to spend all this time that Ozzie is spending and thousands of dollars in attorney fees chasing money that isn’t there … when we could spend time at a table working on bringing the city together.”
Silna declined to comment for this story. Dunn said he believes Major can afford to pay Silna. “We wouldn’t be pursuing it if we didn’t think that he’s got the assets,” Dunn said.
Silna, a multi millionaire, said two years ago he does not need the money, but that his pursuit is a matter of principle since Major attempted to prevent him from participating in a campaign four years ago, costing Silna money. Dunn made a similar comments this week, and noted Silna spends a great deal of of money on various causes.
“Ozzie does much good with his money,” Dunn said. “And so, I guess, Wade is saying rather than go to environmental and charitable causes, that six-figure amount should go to Wade’s benefit.”
Both parties agreed last summer there was an attempt by the attorneys to negotiate a resolution. But at some point, the talks fell apart. Both parties blame each other for this.
Legacy Park environmental report nearly ready for public review
City Manager Jim Thorsen said this week the draft environmental impact report for the Legacy Park project will be released to the public before the end of the month. He admitted the city is “a little behind” on getting the document out, but he said feedback from city officials reviewing the document is still being collected prior to its release.
A DEIR must be circulated to the public for 45 days until hearings can begin. Public comments can be submitted to the city during the review period. The project, which includes the development of the park and the creation of a stormwater treatment system, will go before the Planning Commission for a recommendation, and then to the City Council for a vote. Thorsen said he expects those hearings to take place in the summer.
Earlier this month, the DEIR for the Trancas Park development was released. The project, located off Trancas Canyon Road, calls for a multi-use sports field, a dog park, picnic areas and a parking lot. A printed version of the document is available for review at City Hall and at the Malibu Library. An online version can be found on the city’s Web site at www.ci.malibu.ca.us.
SMMUSD superintendent prepares response to special education report
At Thursday’s Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dianne Talarico will present her preliminary response to a consultant’s review of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s special education program.
The review done by Lou Barber & Associates applauds the district for most of its special education program features, but it also criticizes the district for some problems it sees, especially the frequent use of confidentiality agreements with parents of special education students.
The meeting will take place at Santa Monica City Hall, located at 1685 Main St. It is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. The outline for the preliminary statement can be seen at the district’s Web site at www.smmusd.org. Click “Board Meetings,” then choose “Agenda Update” under April 17, 2008.
Pepperdine appoints Seaver College dean
Rick Marrs has been appointed dean of Pepperdine University’s Seaver College following the retirement of W. David Baird.
Marrs earned a doctorate in Near Eastern studies at The Johns Hopkins University in 1982 and both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Abilene Christian University in 1973 and 1976 respectively. A member of the religion division faculty at Pepperdine since 1987, he was the Blanche E. Seaver Professor of Religion from 2001 to 2006.
Marrs is a scholar of the Old Testament and the literature of the Ancient Near East with knowledge of Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, Phoenician, and Ugaritic, and in the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls. He is author of “Embracing God’s Call” and “Face to Face with Jesus,” among other titles, and was co-editor of “Worship and the Hebrew Bible: Essays in Honor of John T. Willis.” In addition, Marrs authored many articles and dictionary or encyclopedia entries and articles on teaching pedagogy.
“Rick has a keen understanding of what makes a great Christian university,” said Darryl Tippens, Pepperdine’s provost and chief academic officer. “He knows our challenges and recognizes our opportunities. He is absolutely one of the hardest working persons on this campus, a man known for his integrity. He will hit the ground running, I predict.” Marrs’ ministerial experience includes the Baltimore Church of Christ, Ira Church of Christ, and as interim minister Conejo Valley Church of Christ, where he currently serves as an elder.
Marrs replaces Baird who is retiring as dean at the end of the spring 2008 semester after a decade of distinguished service. An acclaimed historian, Baird plans to undertake research on the history of the Churches of Christ in Oklahoma and will work with Pepperdine University on writing its history.
-Jonathan Friedman