Ben Marcus Rules

Usually in politics you need to lay down your platform. But since you were a 90s skateboarder girl, what are the planks in your ramp? Your half pipe? People want to know where you stand on things. They want transparency. So what are the issues with Malibu that really concern you? Is it PCH? School separation? The planning department? Fire protection? Stand up paddlers? $7 lattes?
I want to put the civility back in civics.

That’s a bold statement, but to be applauded. I used to say Barack Obama put the dignity back in being a dignitary - so good on you.

What bothers me is that we are fighting each other when we could be putting that energy into creating productive things for Malibu. I spend too much time defending myself or being reactive or on the offensive. We could be cleaning up the beaches or talking with MRCA or telling CalTrans what the people of Malibu want:  Is it bike lanes? Is it a landscaped median? Is it roundabouts? The boulevard? Is it nothing? Just leave it?

They want answers from Malibu, but if we cannot agree, then they're going to hand it to us. Just like Coastal does, when we can't come to an agreement because of decision paralysis or because of all this agitation that we have. The agencies that govern us will just hand it to us, and then that will feed into this idea that we don't have any control.

But we do have control, and we have to take it back, and we have to stop fighting with each other, and we have to stop saying that if I am meeting with a developer or a real estate person, that means I'm a developer or real estate person, because that's not true.

Okay the pro-growth/slow growth divide seems to be a major fault line. I don’t know how anyone who cares about Malibu wants to see the paradise paved and turned into a parking lot. But where do you stand on that?

First of all, I have to ask what that means. What kind of development? Give me a definition here: If it's more retail or commercial space, I do not believe that we need more of that. And I've said that in my videos - that we need to fill the vacancies that we have. Until we do that, I don't believe we need more buildings for retail or commercial.

But I won’t make a pledge before I get into office. It’s a case by case basis. One of my consigliere said: “To make a pledge before seeing a plan is the definiton of bias. Pre-condeming a project absent of details is likely illegal.”

Well the scuttlebutt online – for what it’s worth – suggests you are pro-development or part of some cabal of developers.

What bothers me about all of this is the rumor mill.  

Rumors are as volatile as flicked cigarettes in Malibu. They can create firestorms.

Oh that’s good. I like that analogy. Because it’s true. If I'm meeting with the head of the preservationists, I must be aligned with them. Or if I’m meeting with developers, there must be a cabal of some big money conspiracy. None of that is true. I'm merely meeting with all of the players in this city, because I need to know the players of the game to be able to play it. But every time I meet with somebody, I get hate for it, then they say, “You must be friends with Don Schmitz.”  That doesn't mean anything. It just says that I'm doing homework and research. I am not aligning with anyone, and this notion that I have to align with a side of Malibu to play the game is not in my rules.

Some voices in the chorus and the peanut gallery are suggesting Haylynn Conrad is a “Let them eat cake” dilettante getting involved in local politics. What say you?
You ready? Is that tape recorder on?

Go.
In the last two months, I’ve been to four in-person city hall meetings and I met every candidate as well as council member. I have met the City Attorney, manager, planning and more. I have had multiple one on ones with ex mayors and ex staff members. Call me crazy. 

Watched nine city hall meetings dating back to 2020 online. They are too long. 

I've been to three planning commission meetings in person and watched three You tube recordings. Met with each planning commissioner and many from our past.

Met with three local architects and two expeditors in the city. One contractor. And have heard all of their ideas, opinions and solutions for our planning dept. 

Sat through an MTC meeting.

Been to two in-person safety commission meetings and met with most commissioners from that.

Attended the three city run land use meetings for the five parcels of land that City of Malibu owns. 

Met with the Boys and Girls Club and talked about the future and how the past has shaped us. 

Watched a documentary about suicide the Boys and Girls club put on at City Hall. It made me cry.  

Rented the Dume pharmacy as my HQ and meet with a dozen amazing smart creative Malibu locals a day. 

Your headquarters next to Pavilions is a good move by the way. Location location location.

Except that I’m never there because I’m running around town doing all of this.

Collaborated on an art piece about PCH with Katherine the Great Kousi.

Met with more than a dozen small businesses and learned how if I get elected I would help them. How the city is failing them. Asked each of them two questions: How can Malibu city hall help you survive in this town? And how can we improve?

Been to one Parks and Rec meeting and met with most of the commissioners.

Reading the King and Queen of Malibu. Taking longer than I hoped. 

Got my Malibu books signed by Suzanne Guldiman, Peter Jones and Ben Marcus.

No way! She's good. I'm writing another Malibu history book called Chumash to Hard Cash and I want her to edit it.

Watched a zoom Coastal meeting, also too long. Where they passed a bathroom on Broad Beach.

Been to a ribbon-cutting safety meeting at the sheriff’s department in Lost Hills. Added my cameras to the registry. 

Not sure what that means so I asked Chat GPT: “The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) Camera Registry is a voluntary program that encourages residents and business owners to register their surveillance cameras with the department. The registry allows the LASD to maintain a database of locations where cameras are installed, helping deputies know where footage might be available if a crime occurs nearby. Importantly, this program does not provide real-time access to the cameras or their footage, but it helps law enforcement contact camera owners when video evidence could aid in investigations.

The camera registry aims to enhance public safety and improve investigations by providing quicker access to potential evidence.

For more details, you can visit the LASD's official website or contact your local LASD station.”

Some see the Camera Registry as a Big Brother-ish program for people to sign up their security and surveillance and flock cameras but it could be very useful, like when the four Pepperdine girls were killed. 

For more information, go to: https://connectlosangelescounty.org

Did any cameras catch the Pepperdine incident? That and a lot of other incidents by land and road and sea.

Exactly. Met with Jennifer Seetoo, fire dept 71, Volunteers On Patrol. Signed up for arson watch and fire brigade. Went to a safety festival. Went to the city hall orientation for candidates.

Took my Friday memoir class at SMC. That’s a Senior’s class but they let me in there.

SMC in Malibu? I think you're the first person I've spoken to who has been in there or taken a class there.

Met area reps Ben Allen, Cathy Irwin, Lindsey Horvath.

Fed homeless.

You mean me? Oh, other homeless.

Gave blood.

Watched coastal vulnerability meetings on recordings and did research on sea walls.

Read City Charter information. Reading the codes. Not light material. I’d rather be finishing King and Queen of Malibu.

Put out signs all around the city but now people are saying I’m running with Paul Grisanti because they are bunched together.

Met with four heads of HOAs and listened to their issues.

Did a ride along with Sheriff’s department officer Mason.

Where to where? 

Started at City Hall and stopped at all the hot spots for RVs and homeless encampments. Listened to his ideas and got depressed by how we defunded the police. They can’t do what they want to do because they are short-funded. And no kids want to be cops because it’s not cool anymore. It’s all going to AI.

Learned about that butt-ugly tower for the Sheriff substation.

Went to a 9/11 remembrance at Pepperdine. I was in New York for 9/11 and here for Woolsey.

Went to a Point Dume Club homeowners meeting about the future of their community with Hometown USA. I have a dozen friends who live there and in Paradise Cove.

Met with four of the most powerful  preservationists in the city.

Took my daughter to her soccer games. Went to see Rabbi Cunin for Rosh Hashanah.

Been to the Thorne family farm twice and the Sunday Farmer’s Market.

Went to Composer’s Breakfast Club three times.

Did you see the lady doing the hula hoop as she yodeled accompanied by the dude on bagpipes?

No, missed that one.

Been to three city land use meetings in person. And watched one online.

Sat through two-hour Human Resource meetings with Gerry Preciado, the 34th Street consultant, about the practices, protocols and policy that our insurance agency made mandatory for council members and commission meetings. Teaching the council and commissioners how to engage in respectful discussion and discourses so the insurance company will still cover us.

And not get sued.

Yep.

I’ve spoken to hundreds of people in the city from both sides. Ex city staff. Ex council members. Ex commissioners. Met with CalTrans personally. Met with MRCA personally. Been to Chamber of Commerce meetings, task force meetings.

Read the Baker Tilly report and the suggestions and recommendations.  They’re a consultant we paid to teach the city how to run departments.

I read The Wagner Affidavit. Read the consulting firm's findings which found nothing.

Read Reva Feldman's complaint and her settlement. Read the mobile home park ordinances - all 145 pages. 

I’m going to wait for the movie on that one.

Read the LCP. Read the city’s mission values.

Watched three presentations that various residents passionate about  safety have put together about safety on PCH.

Read a proposal about brush-eating goats.

Take that seriously. A friend in Watsonville has brush-eating goats, they’ll go through four feet tall and 10 feet deep of poison oak and blackberries like it’s caviar. Very effective.

I watched the Los Angeles County Bicycle Lane Master Plan. Here’s the link.

Watched Michel Shane’s documentary about PCH.

Watched  Every 15 Minutes about drunk driving.

Engaged in three candidate forums. Five personal meet and greets. Been accused of running with Paul cause I went to his meet and greet.

I could go into detail on that.

Maybe later. This is getting long.

We could do a deep dive on my last two months.

This is all in the last two months?

I got approved on August 8th.

Connected two Woolsey victims with people they needed to meet with to get their homes rebuilt. Followed up with a third. I have written proof.

It’s shameful that these long-time community members are coming up to me asking what to do. Woolsey was how long ago?

The anniversary is coming up. November 2018.

Attended two AYSO board meetings. Attended one Sycamore School board meeting.

I want to ask about Sycamore School in another segment of this. People wonder about your community involvement and I would say starting a school is pretty involved.

Joining the Mending Kids board. And managed to ride my horses, hang with my daughter and husband and sadly not surf nearly enough as I would have liked to.

Vey! Well everyone's complaining about the lack o’ surf so you're not missing anything there.

Oh good. Can't let Civic mindedness and running for office get in the way of surf.

Now Elvis Costello's Welcome to the Working Week is in my head.

I met with Michel Shane on July 29th at Zinque after my son’s friend was in the Uber where the driver died on the Fourth of July. 

How is that kid? What happened?

He had a brain bleed and was in a coma, but he’s better.

My son is getting his driver’s license and his friends are getting hurt driving in Malibu. 

You know that movie Network? “I’m mad as hell and I can’t take it anymore!!!”

I first pulled papers in August. Nobody asked me to do this. I thought it was going to be all about PCH safety and school separation, but I was surprised to realize that our little town is so incredibly divided. That has become my focus. I want to be a voice for all Malibu residents, not just the loudest voices and even the furry ones. 

Okay someone read an early version of this and said you are being wishy washy about pro growth/anti growth. They want to know where you stand on development in Malibu. I want to ask you about the Richard Weintraub project and other things hanging over Malibu, but we’ll end this here and continue in two or three days.

Okay, let’s do that… Oh one more thing.

Go.

Campaign signs. I don’t like them. If I had my way, they would go the way of plastic straws and smoking on the beach and other rules Malibu has initiated.

Signs signs everywhere signs.

I’m all about Keep Malibu Beautiful so those signs have to go. I mean, people see my sign next to other City Council candidates and they think I’m aligned with them. That angers me.