I read with concern the news that Remy O’Neill, Carolyn Van Horn’s longtime campaign manager, has threatened to sue the city of Malibu unless it repeals its $100 per person campaign contribution limit. That limit was enacted to insure that every Malibu resident would have an equal voice in the political process and to avoid the appearance that government decisions were being unfairly influenced in favor of large contributors. I seem to recall that in the past those policies were supported by the very people Ms. O’Neill worked to elect. Abolishing the contribution limit would open the door to excessive influence by individuals with great wealth and large monied interests who are willing to spend whatever it takes to get their way.

The voice of the average Malibu citizen would be weakened, and public confidence in the impartiality of our government (certainly none too strong at the moment) would sustain further damage. It is extremely unfortunate that Ms. O’Neill and her friends have allowed their own short term political needs to outweigh the sound policy goals of the city. For the record, regardless of whether Ms. O’Neill is successful in obtaining court sanction for her fat cat campaign, my election campaign will continue to voluntarily abide by the existing $100 per person contribution limit, and I also offer to assist the Malibu City Attorney, on a pro bono basis, in his defense of the campaign ordinance if he thinks my help might by useful.

Jeff Jennings

Stage Reviews

By Dany Margolies/Associate Editor

Almost Perfect (at Santa Monica Playhouse); Arsenic and Old Lace (at Westchester Playhouse)

Buddy Apple is married to a nagging wife. All he wants is to live life as if it were a Gershwin song. If only he could finish his screenplay. If only his wife understood him.

But his marriage and his position with his family’s business keep him trapped — in adulthood, poor boy. No wonder his wife seems like a mother figure and his father treats him like a child. How refreshed he feels as he embarks on an affair with an exciting, ambitious young woman.

The Santa Monica Playhouse production of playwright Jerry Mayer’s “Almost Perfect” is satisfying for many reasons.

Because of the play’s simple plot and subplot, the audience can focus on the complexities of the characters and their relationships. And Mayer’s depiction of those relationships is as real as it gets; the story is reportedly autobiographical.

Director Chris DeCarlo keeps the humor flowing while ensuring the characters grow. At the opening night performance, not unusually, every line got a laugh. In this instance, however, every laugh was deserved.

The play is wisely cast. The actors playing the Apple men resemble one another, particularly Bishop and Ackerman. The women in Buddy’s life also vaguely resemble each other — and are taller, leggier versions of his mother.

Albie Selznick makes Buddy simultaneously funny and pathetic. He is an energetic actor with a revealing face and pleasing timing. Wendy Michaels gives a crushingly honest performance as the sourpuss wife.

Bill Ackerman gives a warm, wisecracking side to Buddy’s seemingly carefree, nonintellectual brother. Heidi Anderson wisely garners empathy as the other woman.

Don Bishop is terrific throughout as Dad; Susan Davis as Mom comes into her own as she makes a move for her independence.

Best may be the transcendent scene between Dad and Buddy when Dad tells his son, in essence, to grow up.

The set, designed by Chris Beyries and James Cooper, consists of metal piping backed by black cloth, which allows for quick, simple scene changes. The structure serves as a metaphor for the family’s building business, as well as an insider’s view of familial relationships, stripped bare.

“Almost Perfect” runs through Jan. 9, Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m., and Sundays at 6:30 p.m. at Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 4th Street, Santa Monica. Tel. 310.394.9779.

Today’s politically correct norm is to excuse criminals for being compelled by unspeakably evil childhoods to relive or relieve their misery.

How ahead of his time was 1940s playwright Joseph Kesselring? His classic, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” is a comedy bound to bring to mind the nature-or-nurture argument of human behavior, as well as the joys of that era’s theater.

It may be the 1940s, but aunts Abby and Martha Brewster remain very Victorian, in looks and spirit. They feel pity for “forlorn and unhappy” gentlemen who outlive their families. So they help them along in finding “peace” — with a poisoned glass of elderberry wine. Besides, it reminds them of their youth, when Grandfather always used to have a cadaver or two around the house.

At Westchester Playhouse, directed by Sheridan Cole, the production stays close to the original. Costume design by Maria Cohen and Phil Massi ranges from Victorian mourning to ’40s evening wear. Designer Michael Cohen takes direction from the script and provides a charming set.

Elizabeth Ash is a perky Abby, Norma Northcott-Binmore a serene Martha. Brian Mulvey is their “normal” nephew Mortimer, who takes it in the notepad for being a theater critic. His brothers have inherited the family lunacy: Teddy has “political” aspirations (Frederick N. Bald in a particularly “bully” performance), and Jonathan has taken the talents to professional levels (Tom Hyer, in the role written for Boris Karloff, eschews the Karloff imitation but makes his own creepiness). For obvious, and other, reasons, Mortimer can’t commit to Elaine, the parson’s daughter (Alison Mattiza).

In another of the playwright’s previews of the ’90s, Jonathan travels with his own plastic surgeon, Einstein (Larry Jones in a superbly twitchy portrayal).

Dave Parke evokes a ’40s detective in the chatty Officer O’Hara.

Ken Wishard, John Heninger Jr., Frank J. Olivadoti, Andy Kallok and Paul Mazerov round out the cast.

Bits of upstaging stage business keep the action visual.

Lighting by William Goldyn is realistic and effective. A portion of the action occurs in “darkness,” so Goldyn provides ambient illumination coming from the “outdoors.”

All but Mortimer are happy in their insanity, making their world a pleasant two-hour stop.

“Arsenic and Old Lace” plays Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m., through Dec. 18, at Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Ave., 310.645.5156.

The year draws to an end, indeed the next millennium quickly approaches. Today, I pray for the future of the Malibu Community Labor Exchange (MCLE), a nonprofit project that I hold close to my heart. The MCLE sponsors a hiring site that serves both worker and hirer without charge. It is run by a volunteer board of directors and a salaried executive director, Oscar Mondragon, who served 20 years with Cesar Chavez to further social justice through nonviolence.

Since opening in 1993, the center has registered over 3500 workers and helped facilitate over 30,000 jobs. The center averages about 30 work assignments each day. Six mornings per week, skilled and unskilled workers, both men and women, gather to help garden, move, clear brush and do housework. Over the phone or in person, Oscar or a volunteer can assist in selecting a worker and/or negotiating a first time job. The suggested rate for unskilled work starts at $7 per hour.

In 1995 the Labor Exchange planted a 120-Rose Bush Garden in front of the City Hall and invited Malibu citizens to “Adopt a Bush” in the name of a loved one for a donation of $100. When I chose a rose bush to honor my father, Francisco Estevez, I looked for the smallest and least robust to symbolize the struggle my father and others like him faced as immigrants. Under the care of volunteer workers, that bush now produces glorious, healthy blossoms. And like that bush, people of all colors and ethnicities come to the center in need of sustenance.

The Labor Exchange is aided by a Malibu City Community Development Block Grant to help the urban poor. Unfortunately these funds are limited. Therefore, our board is forced to raise approximately $40,000 each year from community donations and private grants. Even as the MCLE struggles with its own survival, it has expanded its services to include the Emergency Shelter Project — a small mobile facility open on rainy winter nights to serve a hot meal and provide shelter for those without. Even as the MCLE goes into debt to upgrade its trailer office, it partners with local churches and schools to build benches and offer a free sandwich for those who come to work hungry. Even as the men who work through the center sit in the rain because the MCLE has no funds to build its own rain shelter, the center stays open to meet our emergency needs.

So, please join me in our own backyard to support this remarkable win-win project by sending a tax-deductible tribute during this season of giving or by participating in the “Two Fly First Class” raffle.

For the reality is that this unique program cannot continue “Helping Others to Help Themselves” without spiritual and financial support. Once again, I invite you to join me.

Faith, hope, love.

Martin Sheen

honorary board member

Malibu Community Labor Exchange

Harry Barovsky was so upset when the city received a letter from an attorney for Remy O’Neill’s challenging the Malibu campaign ordinance, let me see if I can cast a little light on the situation.

The telltale line in the lawyer’s letter to the council is this: “Ms. O’Neill intends to establish a political committee which would make independent expenditures in support of or in opposition to one or more City Council candidates.”

Those are fighting words!

O’Neill is Carolyn Van Horn’s longtime supporter and former campaign manager, so it’s apparent the support they talk about in the letter is obviously for Van Horn and who ever else her group, which includes Gil and Joanne Segal, decide to anoint for council, perhaps John Wall, perhaps not.

The interesting side show is that the only council incumbent who has not announced yet is Walt Keller. Walt apparently would have us believe he’s taking his time and carefully weighing his decisions. In reality, Walt has been running around like crazy, trying to hustle up support for his candidacy, and is meeting with a very mixed reaction. Old-time allies, like Wall, Frank Basso and Ef Fader, are not saying, “No,” straight out, but they’re certainly not saying, “Yes,” either. Most important, Carolyn, Walt’s longtime ally, is not only not saying, “Yes,” but appears to be far from enthusiastic about a Walt Keller candidacy, and there are rumors Carolyn is working hard to cut off Walt’s potential support. To be more accurate, she is working to grab it all for herself because there is some considerable apprehension by the Carolyn team that she is in a race for her political life, and Walt on the ticket would be like dragging an anchor.

Now, as some of you might have guessed, I have never been a great Walt Keller fan, but even I get a bit of a feeling Ms. Carolyn is Ms. Rank Ingratitude since it’s Walt who really made her political career and stuck with her through thick and some considerable amount of thin. I don’t know why I’m surprised, since loyalty has never been Carolyn’s strong point. Walt, however is a stubborn cuss, and I suspect he is not going to go quietly into the night even though few of his former allies may already consider him ancient history.

But back to the council. O’Neill has been the prime mover behind Cornucopia Farms, an organization trying to get a farmers market and some organic farming into Malibu. The story put out by O’Neill and some in the Cornucopia Farms company was O’Neill was burned out, beaten down at the cost of having to defend herself in the recent aborted campaign violations prosecution and not going to take an active role in politics. The council then voted $5,000 and then $20,000 for Cornucopia Farms.

The arrival of the letter meant O’Neill has had a change of heart, or tactics, and is still very much in the game. Now that O’Neill’s tune has changed, some on the council figure they’ve been had and that the grants to Cornucopia Farms, which were allegedly used to set up and fund an office in O’Neill’s garage, seem to have a larger agenda than organic vegetables, which is sad because there are many good people involved in the project whose sole goal is organic farming and a local farmers market.

That gets us to the second part of the sentence I quoted from the lawyer’s letter, about making “independent expenditures in opposition to one or more City Council candidates.” That’s the flashpoint. It’s a reasonably safe bet the people they’re going to oppose first are Councilwoman Joan House and Planning Commissioner Ken Kearsley, both of whom are candidates for council and both of whom are backed by Barovsky. Then, if there is any money left over, it will go to try and block Jeff Jennings.

What we’re seeing is a battle to the death between Barovsky and his allies and Van Horn and her allies for control of the council. The great irony is that the only person in the past who kept the various factions from ripping apart and killing each other was Jennings, who frequently served as the conciliator.

After the last election when Jennings lost to Hasse, the council changed almost immediately. Without Jennings to mediate, it turned into open warfare. Perhaps it was inevitable that after almost 10 years in power, the Zero Growth crowd would begin to split up. Some of it’s political, but most of it is just personal. It’s old grudges, old wounds, old betrayals come to the surface. It’s sort of like watching a nasty family fight for the goodies after grandma dies, and were not going to know how it comes out until after the next election.

For several years I had been content

Taking my Antioxident

Most of the experts had seemed to agree

That life was prolonged taking A C and E

So I swallowed them down

My fears to assuage

Assured I would live to a ripe old age

Now the previous research is clouded and muddy

‘Cause someone came up with a negative study

They gave the vitamins to men who smoke

And they died much faster from bad hearts and stroke

Since I don’t smoke and I’m not a man

Cigarettes can’t kill me but the studies sure can!

Geraldine Forer Spagnoli

Your description of my action in the Nov. 18 The Malibu Times [“Economic plan committee debates its usefulness”] is out of context and misleading. As I explained to the Economic Plan Committee at the time, my suggestion that the members of the City Council not be placed on the consultant’s contact list was because the consultant plans to contact them anyway. In fact, at a prior meeting with the consultant, I had encouraged him to contact all the City Council members.

Since the consultant’s contact list was intended to be for just 15 individuals, placing the City Council members on it would be redundant and possibly reduce the input to the consultant. I request that you print a note in the next Malibu Times to clarify this. Thank you.

Grant Adamson