The City of Malibu has had difficulity attracting and retaining employees, especially in the Planning Department. This problem, in my opinion, is caused by the high cost of housing in our area and secondly, the way some on the City Council and their appointees to the Planning Commission treat City staff. I am definitely open to the possibility of providing affordable workforce housing, including our trachers, police officers, firemen and those who work at City Hall. I have always treated people and especially those who work at City Hall with the respect they deserve and my appointees to the various commissions, including the Planning Commission, do so as well. I am deeply disturbed by the inappropriate behavior exhibited by some members of our City Council and their appointees toward members of our staff. Public humiliation of any staff member is completely unacceptable. I will work to restore decorum at our public meetings.
What happened at Nobu the past two July 4 holidays is unacceptable. I will support our City Manager and our City Attorney in taking strong measures to address what happened and to make sure this never happens again. I will wholeheartedly support any legislation the City Council can pass to make sure the City has the right and power to stop any infraction before it happens.
Public safety is my number one concern. We have increased Law Enforcement in our City by hiring California Highway Patrol officers. We need to hire even more law enforcement officers and this should be possible since the Sheiriff’s Office is making progress toward training additional personel. The installation of speed cameras will also help as will the various physical inprovements being considered by Caltrans. Let’s be clear, enforcement without sufficent punishment will not significantly reduce fatalities. That is why I sponsored a resolution passed unanimously by our City Council, which urges our Legislators to suport the suspension of one’s drivers license for excessibe speeding. Anyone driving twice the speed limit or over 100 miles per hour should not get a slap on the wrist.
Fire remains the number one safety risk for our Citizens. I am a member of my neighbourhood Fire Brigade. In addition, I serve on Arson Watch with many other volunteers. I was on duty much of the July 4 weekend to make sure that if a fire started, it would be spotted and reported quickly. Malibu has installed a great many red “Beacon Boxes” throughout the City to enable fire personnel from other communities to obtain invaluable information regarding local areas and their proximity to hydrants, pools or other water resources.
