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Much has been made in the local press concerning the endorsement of Torie Osborn for state Assembly at the Malibu Democratic Club's annual meeting on Jan. 8.
Here is what happened: The bylaws of the club require that new members must pay their dues and register as members a month before the annual meeting, in this case Dec. 9, 2011. Persons who were members in 2011 can, under the bylaws, walk up on the morning of the meeting, pay their 2012 dues and vote. This bylaw prevents candidates from stacking the vote by having people arrive at the last minute, become members and vote. Another reason for this 30-day rule is that it allows time for the club to verify that the persons who become members are actually registered Democrats, which is required under the bylaws in order to cast a vote.
At the Jan. 8 meeting, Torie Osborn resonated strongly with the members, on a number of issues, especially her strong opposition to the destruction of the Malibu Lagoon, which was supported by the other two candidates, Betsy Butler and Richard Bloom (who heads the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, which actually will run the bulldozers that are scheduled to destroy the Lagoon on June 1, 2012). He was actually booed when he stated his position, and Betsy Butler elicited gasps from the audience when she appeared to say that Malibu's growth was "too slow," a tone-deaf comment in Malibu if there ever was one.
The endorsement vote was 41 for Torie Osborn, 5 for Betsy Butler, 0 for Richard Bloom and 13 for "no endorsement." There were, by my count, over 80 people in attendance, and 59 voted. A number of others, including Council member Pamela Conley Ulich, could not vote because they were not club members in 2011 and did not register and pay their dues by Dec. 9. Conley Ulich raised a point of order, and asked for a show of hands as to how many in the audience were Malibu residents, and it appeared to me that a strong majority of those present raised their hands that they were.
In fact, the club's bylaws do not require members to be residents of Malibu, and the question also arises as to what is a resident of Malibu. Is it only city of Malibu residents? Residents who live in ZIP code 90265? Or any Democrats who are interested in Malibu and care to join the club? In fact, Ralph Erickson, the immediate past president of the club, lives in Sunset Mesa, which is not in the city but in the 90265 ZIP code, and no one has claimed he is not a true Malibuite.
After the vote, a club board member volunteered to a Los Angeles Times reporter covering the meeting that three quarters of those voting were not Malibu residents and would never come back for future meetings. This gratuitous, sour grapes comment was inappropriate and inaccurate. The LA times reporter admitted to me in an email that she was not present when the show of hands regarding who was a Malibu resident was taken, and she took the word of the person who characterized the attendees inaccurately.
Ted Vaill is the second vice president of the Malibu Democratic Club and a supporter of Torie Osborn for state Assembly.
Jonathan Friedman
5:58 am on Monday, January 16, 2012
At Malibu Patch, we enjoy giving everybody the opportunity to share their opinions. However, there are at least two incorrect statements worth noting in the above piece. Betsy Butler did not say she supports the Malibu Lagoon project. She said she wanted more information from all sides and scientists. When Pamela Conley Ulich asked people to raise their hands if they were Malibu residents, it is not true that "a strong majority of those present raised their hands."
Marta Evry
7:48 am on Monday, January 16, 2012
Osborn clearly earned MDC's endorsement. Her opponents were counting on the likelihood their claims would be taken at face value without any fact-checking, especially since most reporters don't bother to learn the rules under which the various Dem Clubs conduct endorsement votes (every Dem club sets their own rules such as deadlines and membership qualifications. The only hard and fast rule is that a member be a registered Democrat at the time they join) .
How disappointing they turned out to be right.
Ted Vaill
8:24 am on Monday, January 16, 2012
Additional facts: the 30 day rule was instituted in 2001 after a candidate brought a number of supporters at the last minute to become Malibu Democratic Club members and vote for the candidate, and it turned out that some of them were registered Republicans or "decline to staters", a violation of the Club's by-laws.
Also, although Torie and other Assembly candidates made an effort to register supporters as Club members, if you discount those new members Torie brought into the Club entirely appropriately under the 30 day rule, Torie still received enough votes to win the Club's endorsement under the by-laws.
Ted Vaill
8:32 am on Monday, January 16, 2012
I was with Betsy Butler when she toured the Lagoon, and at that time she expressed clear support for destroying the Lagoon. Also,I saw the number of raised hands indicating they were "Malibu residents" (whatever that means),see the above article) as a clear majority of those presest.
Jonathan Friedman
8:38 am on Monday, January 16, 2012
Ted, I have no idea what Betsy might have told you on a tour you went on with her. I know what she said at the forum, which is what your piece is about. And if you believe a "clear majority" raised their hands, then perhaps we have different definitions of what the term "clear majority" means.
Ted Vaill
10:23 am on Monday, January 16, 2012
Well over 50%, and clearly far more than 25% raised their hands.
I sincerely hope that Betsy Butler will reassess her position regarding the Lagoon, as she learns more facts about it.
I spoke before the Coastal Commission last week (with Commissioner Richard Bloom present), outlining how the $7 million spent or allocated so far for the Lagoon project came from a $3.44 pot of general obligation bond money created in 2002 for the purpose of improving our drinking water quality. Somehow it was made available to "clean up" the Lagoon. I have documents outlining the waste and possible corruption which has occurred in the various state and private organizations receiving Lagoon "restoration" money, including excessive overhead charged and contracts awarded without proper documentation (according to State of California audits).
This project is a gigantic boondoggle, a waste of taxpayer funds. I emphasized to the Coastal Commission that by issuing a permit for the Lagoon project (which they have not yet done finally), they would be violating their three core functions: protect the coastal environment, improve public access to the beaches and coastline (which they will violate by destroying the bridges and direct access trail to the beach and replacing it with an unappealing, circuitous route, and protecting the economic climate of the local beach communities, which they will violate by starting the Lagoon destruction on June 1, at the start of the tourist season.
Ted Vaill
10:37 am on Monday, January 16, 2012
Typo - that was $3.44 billion, yes billion, in state general obligation bond money which was passed in 2002 and tapped not for drinking water quality but for the Lagoon boondoggle.
Bob Purvey
11:51 am on Friday, January 20, 2012
Ted, your history has shown us that you appear on the wrong side of the issues consistantly. You have distorted the facts about the lagoon project. You favor commercial development and I dare you to deny it! Here, you call the lagoon project a "boondoggle" and "destruction of the Malibu Lagoon", when in fact it is quite the opposite. I have video on you and newspaper articles in which you appear supporting commercial development in the center. You have not changed.
Bob Purvey
12:08 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012
Gaming Malibu politics has been unhralthy for Malibu's environment and economy. The commercial developers in the heart of Malibu have been doing it since the beginning of the city of Malibu and it appears to me that such is the case with Ms. Osborne, who is playing right into the commercial developers hands. Obviously Ted Vail supports her and the obstructionists to a very important lagoon restoration project. I wonder how many commercial developers are supporting her?
Ted Vaill
12:58 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012
What is this guy Purvey smoking? I have never supported commercial development in the Civic Center area, and Torie Osborn certainly does not. And I will not be drawn further into a public debate with a crackpot.
Bob Purvey
3:00 pm on Friday, January 20, 2012
TED VAIL ASKS: "What is this guy Purvey smoking?"
Haven't smoked anything in years and don’t want to, don't drink but a glass of wine or a beer once or twice a week, if that and I'm not a "crackpot". Any more epithets or insults you want to throw my way? I'm just a simple, former Malibu surfer, trying to get the water pollution problem solved for the past 20 years.
Insofar as your denial that you supported commercial development in the center...I am at work now and plan to go to storage this weekend, to go through the newspapers I collected and put aside all the papers that relate to you and the candidates, as well as ask my photographer friends about picture of the Malibu Bay Company (MBC) deal Development Deal you were quite vocal about supporting. In the mean time, please deny that you supported the MBC deal. I'm am sure there were other commercial deals that you supported…can't remember off the top of my head, like the MBC deal but we’ll see.
Ms. Osborne is against the lagoon project and plans to martyr herself in front of the bulldozers from what I understand. Fortunately, not all of the past obstructionists are radical and many are having second thoughts now that they are learning about the realities of the lagoon project.