Adjunct Pepperdine Law professor, attorney and Malibu resident Makan Delrahim has been selected as the new Malibu representative on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District separation committee, replacing attorney Kevin Shenkman.
Delrahim’s appointment was confirmed by Malibu City Manager Jim Thorsen on Monday evening.
“I’ve let the school district know,” Thorsen said. An official announcement is expected later this week, as early as Monday night’s City Council meeting.
Delrahim will sit on the committee representing Malibu alongside Malibu Mayor Laura Rosenthal and Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS) COO Manel Sweetmore.
Delrahim was tapped for the position following Shenkman’s resignation from the committee last week. The resignation came after he and others, including AMPS, filed a voting rights lawsuit against the City of Santa Monica. AMPS has since pulled out of the suit.
The committee, comprised of three Malibu representatives and three Santa Monica representatives, is charged with working out details that could allow for separation between school districts of Santa Monica and Malibu. There is no official word as to whether AMPS’ move to pull out of the suit, Shenkman’s resignation or Delrahim’s appointment will motivate the Santa Monica committee members to come back to the bargaining table.
Shenkman, in his resignation letter, said, “I hope that whoever replaces me on the committee will bring the same passion for creating a separate Malibu school district that respects all of its distinct communities, protecting the interests of those most in need, and putting an end to the indifference about poisoning our children with PCBs, among other things.”
This story will be updated when more information becomes available.