Joel Walker has been active in neighborhood associations. An electrical engineer, he said he hopes to have enough free time to make his stay on the commission a long one.
By Jonathan Friedman/Staff Writer
When Councilmember Sharon Barovsky announced Joel Walker as her appointee to the Planning Commission, the general reaction by community activists was “Who is he?” Although not a regular on the municipal political scene, Walker is not new to Malibu. A 25-year resident, he has been active in neighborhood associations, and was previously asked to serve on the commission by Barovsky’s late husband, Harry, when he was on the council. He said that is the reason he accepted the position when Sharon Barovsky offered it to him.
“I owe it to Harry to help out a little bit now,” Walker said.
Walker was on the Malibu Road Properties Association Board for several years and at one time he was the president of the Malibu Knowles Property Association. He was also a Civic Center Neighborhood Councilmember.
Walker is the chief operating officer at Malibu Research, a high-tech electronics microwave firm. He said he has about a half-dozen patents in that field. As to whether his job will allow him enough free time for the many hours required by a planning commissioner, Walker said making that decision is a work in progress.
“I would prefer to see a strong and stable Planning Commission over the years,” said Walker, whose term on the commission would extend through April 2006 if he chooses to remain at the post.
Barovsky said at the council meeting when she appointed him she knew he had business obligations, but she was hopeful Walker would be able to find the time to be on the commission.
Walker declined to comment on how he voted on Measure M, the Malibu Bay Company Development Agreement, although Barovsky made it a point at the council meeting to state she believed he had voted no. Barovsky, as were all her colleagues on the council, was a staunch supporter of the measure, which voters rejected in November. Planning Commissioner Richard Carrigan said last month that he believed one of the reasons Barovsky fired Deirdre Roney as her appointed commissioner was because Roney took a publicly neutral stance on the measure. Barovsky has denied that, citing her reason for firing Roney is that the commissioner had violated the Brown Act.
Walker said he had no thoughts about that situation, saying he supposed it was all part of city politics. He said he hoped the new commission could move forward from that episode, and have some stability.
The commission’s first meeting is scheduled for Feb. 2. Joining Walker as new members on the commission are Pete Anthony, who was appointed by Councilmember Andy Stern to replace the fired Robert Adler, and Les Moss, who was appointed by Mayor Ken Kearsley to replace Carrigan. Carrigan resigned from the commission following Adler and Roney’s firings.