MSN_081618

8 | August 16, 2018 | Malibu surfside news news
malibusurfsidenews.com
Five qualify for two open City Council seats in November election
Michele Willer-Allred
Freelance Reporter
Malibu voters will get
to choose from five City
Council candidates who
successfully qualified for
this November’s election.
Malibu City Clerk
Heather Glaser announced
the list of residents who
met the 5 p.m. deadline Friday,
Aug. 10, and who have
been confirmed as qualified
candidates.
They are Olivia Damavandi,
Karen Farrer, Jim
Palmer, Mikke Pierson and
Lance Simmens.
The candidates will be
vying for two seats that will
be vacated by long-serving
councilmembers Lou La
Monte and Laura Rosenthal.
Both are termed out
this year.
Those who are elected
will be tasked with solving
many of the issues Malibu
is currently facing, including
traffic, development,
vacation rentals, Mountains
Recreation and Conservation
Authority land
access, Federal Emergency
Management Agency flood
maps, and coastal and environmental
preservation.
Council candidates said
they are up to the task.
Pierson — a certified
business coach, adviser and
small business owner who
has served on the Malibu
Planning Commission for
the past six years — was
the first to return his paperwork
and qualify earlier
in the week. On Friday, he
said he was kicking off his
campaign with an event
that night for close family
and friends.
“I just really care for
Malibu,” said Pierson, a
lifelong Malibu resident
who has also served as a
Public Works commissioner
for the City.
Pierson said he is running
for council because he
enjoys volunteering to help
others and the community.
He said he likes to be part
of the groups that “make
Malibu as special as it is”
and also actively tackle the
City’s problems.
Simmens, a professional
writer on contemporary
political issues, said on his
website that “a devotion to
public service and comprehensive
and compassionate
public policy are still major
drivers in my life.”
“I’m honored to be qualified
to run for a position in
my community that I love
so much,” Simmens told
the Surfside by phone Monday,
Aug. 13. “I just want to
contribute as much as I can
to make a difference.”
An avid biker, one of
the many issues Simmens
plans to focus on is safety
on PCH. He also said he
wants to restore faith and
confidence in elected governmental
leaders.
Simmens, a former adjunct
professor of public
policy at Santa Monica
College, states that during
his time when he’s not
opining on national and
global issues, he is actively
involved in local politics.
He previously served as
president of the Malibu Adamson
House Foundation
and he is currently the vice
president of the Malibu
Democratic Club.
Simmens said on social
media that he will be calling
on his friends for help
as “I finally attempt to put
my four-decade political
career into a run for office.”
Palmer, who grew up in
Malibu, is an award-winning
wine grape grower
and winemaker at Malibu
Vineyards, which he also
owns.
Palmer currently serves
as chairman for the city’s
Public Works Commission,
and said what qualifies him
most for City Council is his
understanding of the nature
of City government, dedication
to the protection of
historic and environmentally-sensitive
sites, and love
of community.
“My heart is really in
it,” Palmer told the Surfside.
“I want to continue to
preserve and maintain the
quality of life and natural
beauty of Malibu.”
Farrer has served almost
three decades as a Malibu
public school volunteer and
advocate in the community,
including as president of
the Advocates for Malibu
Public Schools. Farrer has
served for the past two
years as a Facilities District
Advisory Committee member
for Santa Monica-Malibu
Unified School District.
“I’m very excited to run
for City Council,” Farrer
told the Surfside. “I have
advocated for the Malibu
community for years and
look forward to the opportunity
to continue to do so.”
Farrer, a 40-year Malibu
resident, said she cares
deeply about the future
of Malibu, and that the
community needs leadership
that is “honest and
forthright, with focus on
public safety, emergency
preparedness, land use
stewardship, preservation
of natural resources and
community partnerships.”
Damavandi, who was
born and raised in Malibu,
is a former staff writer and
assistant editor for The
Malibu Times, and also previously
served as the City’s
media information officer.
On her campaign website,
Damavandi said she
understands the unique
problems facing Malibu,
and her “wide range of experience
in the community
gives [her] the ability to
solve those problems.”
“I’ll fight to protect Malibu
residents’ quality of life
by putting Malibu’s interests
above those of all other
groups, including outside
governmental agencies and
financial investors,” wrote
Damavandi, who is president
of the Santa Monica
Mountains Safe Trails Association.
In other election news,
Craig Foster was the only
Malibu resident who qualified
for the Santa Monica-
Malibu Unified School District
board election, where
four seats are up for grabs
in November.
Foster, an incumbent
who has served on the
School Board since 2014,
also is a local education
advocate who would like
to see Malibu form its own
school district.
The final list of qualified
candidates from Santa
Monica was not available as
of press time, as signatures
still were being counted.
Two from Santa Monica
have qualified: Laurie
Lieberman and Richard
Tahvildaran-Jesswein, both
incumbents.
It was still to be determined
if Santa Monica
residents Oscar de la Torre
(an incumbent) and Ann
Thanawalla have qualified.
They both filed.
Innovative Medicine-Compassionate Care
REMINDER
Rattlesnake Season!
Protect your Pet from Rattlesnakes.
We are here to help.
Call us with any questions or concerns.
Malibu Coast Animal Hospital
23431 PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY
MALIBU, CALIFORNIA 90265
310.317.4560
www.malibuvets.com
Police Reports
Vehicle reportedly vandalized at Solstice Canyon Park
A vehicle reportedly
was burglarized July 18
at Solstice Canyon Park,
3974 Solstice Canyon
Blvd. The alleged victim
said she parked and locked
her vehicle at the location
while hiking nearby. When
she returned, she saw an
unknown male near her
vehicle and got an uneasy
feeling, according to the
report. Upon approaching
the vehicle, she saw the
rear, driver’s side door ajar
and the man leaning inside
the backseat and rummaging
through her property,
police said. The man reportedly
then jumped into
a silver Jeep Wrangler
with another man driving
and female in the passenger’s
seat. The vehicle then
drove out of view, police
said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The
Malibu Surfside News police
reports are compiled from official
records on file at the Los
Angeles County Lost Hills/
Malibu Sheriff’s Department
headquarters. Anyone listed
in these reports is considered
to be innocent of all charges
until proven guilty in a court
of law.