On June 5, 2012, Malibu and 50th District voters will be casting votes in the primary election for various offices. One of the hotly contested open positions is for State Assembly. A job that pays about $92,000 per year plus benefits.

In the weeks leading up to the election, the candidates and other interested parties have spent approximately $1 MILLION on this 50th Assembly District race. Nearly every day I receive another piece of campaign literature touting how great the candidates are from environmentalists, democratic parties, and even the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Banning California.

When I cast my vote tomorrow, I will do so with a heavy heart.  I will think about how that million or so dollars could have been put back into our Assembly District to help improve our schools, public safety, and other environmental efforts.

If elections continue down this path, I fear our government seats may be bought by those with the means to get their way, regardless of what the majority of people want and say.

The Malibu City Council contest this year is anything but politics as usual.

On February 1, 2012, Moms-Pod issued a challenge to Malibu City Council Candidates. We asked the candidates, once you covered the minimal costs of a couple fliers, ads and signs, why do you need to raise more money?  Why not start revolutionary campaigns, where if Malibu citizens want to contribute to your campaigns, they could look around Malibu and give to a cause that tugs at their heart.

On February 23, 2012, Moms-Pod and Malibu Patch co-hosted the first great Malibu Debate.  Many of the candidates not only accepted the challenge, but embraced the concept and started revolutionary campaigns.

Three of the seven candidates, namely Hamish Patterson, Andy Lyon and Missy Zeitsoff ran revolutionary campaigns and took in no contributions.  Hans Laetz spent under $1000 this past statement period.  Compared to Skylar Peak, Joan House and John Sibert who raised  $13,930, $6446, and $5,120 respectively for the period from February 25 to March 24. (See Patch Article and filing statements posted on March 30)

On February 28, 2012, Moms-Pod published the first Malibu City Council Election Poll. Admittedly, this poll is not scientific and may merely be a popularity contest showing who has the most clout amongst Moms – but the results may amaze you.

As of April 3, 2012, only one week before the election, 319 votes were cast in the Moms-Pod Poll.  Hamish “The Illusion” is in first place with 24.14% , Skylar Peak came in second with 20.06% and Andy Lyon and Missy Zeitsoff were in a dead heat tie with 16.93%.  Hans Laetz and Joan House tied for 5 and 6th place with 7.84% and incumbent John Sibert garnered 6.27% of the votes.

Who will be the winner on April 10, 2012?  There are 8,726 active voters according to the Malibu City Clerk.  2,775 ballots have been sent out by mail (compared to 2,514 ballots in 2010).  As of April 2, 2012 a total of 779 mail in ballots have been returned.    In 2010, the total number of vote by mail ballots returned was 1,697 and the total number cast at the polls was 1,747, plus 112 provisional ballots for a grand total of 3,538.

How many ballots will be cast next Tuesday?  Who will represent YOU, Malibu?

Moms-Pod encourages everyone to vote and let their voice be heard.

To the candidates, we thank you for your service, and “may the odds be ever in your favor !”

Please participate in Malibu’s first ever poll for the 2012 Malibu City Council election!  This poll is unscientific, but it will give you the chance to be heard.  We want to hear from you – Malibu!

The Malibu City Council election will be on April 10, 2012, which is during the Spring Break holidays.

A voter registration drive will be held at Malibu Bluffs’ Park on March 10 from 11-3.

The Malibu Sample Election Ballots will be mailed on March 12, 2012.   You can request to vote by mail when you get your sample ballot.  If you lose your sample ballot, you can still request  to vote by mail by visiting the City of Malibu website at malibucity.org.

Poll results will be announced exactly one week before the election – on April 3, 2012.

Thank you for participating!  Power to the people!

On February 3, 2012, Moms-Pod issued a challenge to Malibu City Council Candidates. We asked the candidates, once you covered the minimal costs of a couple fliers, ads and signs, why do you need to raise more money?  Why not start revolutionary campaigns, where if Malibu citizens want to contribute to your campaigns, they could look around Malibu and give to a cause that tugs at their heart. Maybe it’s the California Wildlife Center, the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu, the Shark Fund, the Children’s Lifesaving Foundation, the Emily Shane Foundation or some other local charity?  Every supporter of your campaign can register how much time/money people who support you lend to the cause of their choice, then you can show that your campaign will and did make Malibu better regardless of the outcome of the election in April. (See http://malibu.patch.com/blog_posts/challenge-to-malibu-council-candidates)

Only 20 days later, Malibu Patch and Moms-Pod hosted the first great Malibu Debate where it was anything but politics as usual.  Many of the candidates not only accepted the challenge, but embraced the concept and have begun revolutionary campaigns.

The debate took place at Malibu City Hall in the Zuma room with standing room only.  On the one hand, we had the regular Malibu activists, including members of Preserve Malibu, Save Malibu Lagoon and A Safer PCH, but there were many new faces.  I looked around and saw teens and toddlers, mothers, fathers, sons and many surfers – all concerned citizens who shared a deep love for Malibu.   What started out as a croweded night, got down right hot when the questions began to roll.

The seven candidates sitting in the hot seats, in ballot order, are Hamish Patterson, carpenter; Skylar Peak, business owner; Hans Laetz, reporter/environmental analyst; Andy Lyon, Realtor/actor; Joan House, retired teacher; K. “Missy” Zeitsoff, teacher; and John W. Sibert, scientist/administrator.

If you were at the debate, we would love to get your feedback.  If you were not at the debate, you can view the debate at the Malibu Patch website.  Three people will be left standing after April 10, 2012.  Who will they be?

We want to hear from you – MALIBU!

Mother Teresa, when accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, said it best:

“I believe that love begins at home.”  (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-lecture.html)

The Love button does not live on Facebook.  Why is it that facebook has a like option, but not a love button?

Time for the love button revolution!

If you want to show some love, let’s begin at home and on facebook.  Join the Love Button Petition and let’s see if we can bring love to Facebook!

Like: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Show-me-the-Love-Button/219953944766404?sk=wall

Just over two years ago, on Jan. 21, 2010, the Supreme Court issued an opinion in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case which essentially gave corporations the same rights as people. Some may even say the Supreme Court’s decision “hijacked our democracy’’ by opening up unregulated and virtually unlimited money contributions by corporations to politics.

I was told by the US Conference of Mayors that they estimate over $2 billion will be spent on the upcoming Presidential election.  Just look at Florida, and you can see how money helped Romney beat Gingrich. The Romney campaign and the super PAC, Restore Our Future, outspent the Gingrich campaign and a super PAC supporting the former speaker by a 4-to-1 ratio in Florida.

I for one believe it is time for a revolution and time to get money out of politics. There are so many other causes that are in desperate need of funding at this point in time. Why waste billions on campaigns?

I think politics plus money doesn’t equal victory.  In November 2012, all the money in the world, well at least $160 million, couldn’t help Meg Whitman beat Jerry Brown in the Governor election. (Maybe if Meg had donated that money to the California Schools she would have been elected?)

I have faith that, at least in California, you can win an election without having to waste money.

Now that the Malibu City Council race is in full swing, I would like to issue a challenge to all candidates.

Once you have covered the minimal costs of a couple of fliers, adds and signs why do you need to raise more money?  Why not start a revolutionary campaign, where if Malibu citizens want to contribute to your campaign, they can look around Malibu and give to a cause that tugs at their heart.  Maybe it’s the California Wildlife Center, the Malibu Boys and Girls Club, the Shark Fund, the Children’s Lifesaving Foundation, the Emily Shane Foundation or some other local charity.  Every supporter of your campaign can register how much time/money people who support you lend to the cause of their choice, then you can show that your campaign will and did make Malibu better regardless of the outcome of the election in April.

I have faith that California and Malibu can show the rest of our country how a democracy can work for the people, by the people, to help people!

Malibu and politics don’t have to be “business as usual” or a “machine”.  Malibu is a “way of life”, and it is up to us to define the meaning of life and the way to achieve it.

You can do this.  We can do this.

If you are going out of the country,  when you come back you may be in for a wild time while in line at LAX airport customs.

On January 19, 2012, President Obama signed a little known executive order entitled “Establishing Visa and Foreign Visitor Processing Goals” (see http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/01/19/executive-order-establishing-visa-and-foreign-visitor-processing-goals-a to view the entire text.)

On January 23, 2012, we came back from Austria and the Youth Olympic Games to a scene which was reminiscent of Ellis Island.  Thousands of people, many wearing masks, speaking all different languages waited together in lines longer than any I had ever seen even on a holiday weekend at Disneyland.  After waiting over two hours in lines, to get through customs, we had to wait in another long and winding line just to leave with our luggage.

I asked the Customs official what had happened, was the dollar that low that everyone was on a shopping spree to America?  He explained that because of the executive order, travel had become easier from China and Brazil and that  the customs lines had and would continue to get longer.

Although the line was long after a 18 hour journey, it also made me have empathy for my relatives who had made the trek many years ago from Ireland, Poland, Germany and Italy. 

Even though waiting in line was divine for the first time, I also learned how to avoid lines in the future.  The Global Online Enrollment System allows registered users to enter their own applications for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Trusted Traveler Programs.  More information can be obtained by visiting:  https://goes-app.cbp.dhs.gov/main/goes

Happy travels!