Dear Editor,
I have thoroughly gone through the letter from Ann M. Ravel, Former Chair, of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, County Counsel of Santa Clara County, Chair of the Federal Election Commission, and Deputy Assistant Attorney General, United States Department of Justice.
Just all the titles below her name begs the question —Why is no one at the City listening and responding accordingly and appropriately to this obvious expert in this matter? I heard some comments from the City Council members on the Dias on Monday stating that it might not be “valid” or “isn’t supported by law” and that there is “no evidence that any improprieties have occurred” or it’s “bogus” when the letter is FULL of the evidence. All of this cover-up talk is irrelevant to the code sections cited by Ms. Ravel in the letter. Her Wikipedia page states: “At the FPPC, Ravel oversaw the regulation of campaign finance, lobbyist registration and reporting, and ethics and conflicts of interest related to officeholders and public employees.” So this is what she specializes in. She is also hardly a “young lady” at a highly accomplished and distinguished 74 (the same age as my mother). She now occasionally lectures at her alma mater, University of California, Berkeley. I have no idea how she was consulted on this matter, but we should be grateful for her assistance. I also personally submitted several cases as evidence to both planning commission and you, the city council, where Skylar Peak, while as a city council member, voted through projects where on one, in particular, he had a foreseeable financial gain which he did eventually and substantially profit from for 6701 Portshead and a bias with this one and several other projects regarding the applicant & architect, Doug Burdge, with whom he has a professional relationship as well as voting through friends’ projects without any disclosure or recusal. Why would the City want this to more than likely bring about an FPPC violation for possibly both the council members who made these appointments on top of the two planning commissioners?
Both of these planning commissioners have done work with Doug Burdge and recently voted through his environmentally damaging Malibu Inn Motel/Hotel project, which now can possibly be considered void in a court of law due to their conflict of interest in more ways than one with this project. Virtually ALL the projects they have voted on in the past and future can possibly be voided! Why would the City take such a risk and without any public comment or involvement in this serious matter?
This needs to be, at the very least, discussed with the public as it is city conduct and not a lawsuit and the city council represents the residents, and these planning commissioners are supposed to be representing we residents and not serving themselves in the process, so Please bring this item to be discussed in public if these commissioners refuse to simply step down for the sake of our City.
I am sending a link to all the additional accolades that this proud female attorney of Latin American heritage has received and needs to be shown some respect for her care for Malibu and the law: law.berkeley.edu/our-faculty/faculty-profiles/ann-ravel/. She should not be discounted as she was the other night by certain council members who have caused this potential violation. The whole City needs to be notified of this possible violation due to their actions and inaction. Transparency and accountability will earn your constituents’ trust, not the other way around.
Jo Drummond, Malibu