By Cece Woods, Editor in Chief, co-authored by Dr. Amora Rachelle, J.D., Ph.D, ONE Peace and Restorative Justice Center
In the first of a multi-part series, The Local Malibu exposes the corruption at City Hall that interfered with voters rights to recall two City Council members. Voters must now seek legal remedies against the City to reinstate the voter’s right to due process and complaints have been filed with multiple law enforcement and government agencies.
Complaints of alleged bribery allegations involving City Manager Reva Feldman and council member Skylar Peak are now in the hands of government officials after emails were received by our publication shortly after the Letter of Intent to Recall was served on council members Skylar Peak and Rick Mullen at a February City Council meeting.
The alleged bribe(s), along with other alleged illegal activities by City officials, severely compromised voters rights to the recall process and violated California State elections codes.
On February 11, 2019, at a regularly scheduled City Council meeting, the Letter of Intent to Recall Council members Skylar Peak and Rick Mullen was served upon each of them, individually, for refusing to follow through on campaign promises to clean house at City Hall and conduct themselves in a legal and ethical manner as a council member.
The lack of leadership by the City to provide a comprehensive evacuation plan during the Woolsey Fire was criminal, as was the act of denying critical emergency relief to residents who stayed behind. Additionally, city hall was abandoned for 3 weeks and leaving residents without vital emergency information during the fire.
City officials continued to abuse their power by using resources for their own advantage, while refusing the same resources to residents, and was documented in the L.A. Times article regarding L.A. City Fire’s after action report.
Voters were left with no option other than to initiate the recall process as the deteriorated relationship between the community and the City hit its peak after the disaster. There were no options left, and no resolution in sight.
The final recall petitions were approved by the city on March 22, and March 25th, 2019, after the City was threatened with a lawsuit for obstructing justice for their delay tactics.
ALLEGED BRIBERY/PAYMENT FOR VOTING ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECALL
On February 16th, as one of the organizers, I received an email from a proponent who signed the Letter of Intent asking to remove his name from the recall after “long talks with Skylar and Reva”, who in turn promised to officially support the proponent’s project (they previously rejected before the recall process began), in exchange for withdrawing his name and support from the recall.
Below are the first emails obtained by The Local Malibu only days after serving Council members Peak and Mullen.
On March 26th, over a month later, I communicated with the proponent to see if progress was made with his project.
The proponent’s answer to my March 26th inquiry.
The project, costing $2.2 million dollars in public and private funding, was immediately calendared on the City agenda after the agreement was made by both parties, and has moved forward with support of the City, at the request of council member Skylar Peak.
And now the alleged potential misappropriation of funds of tax payer dollars could impact much needed city improvements, and/or even emergency resources needed in a future disaster.
Shortly after the first 5-0 vote supporting the project went on record, council member Rick Mullen enlisted his personal resources to assist in furthering the project. In other words, the two council members currently being recalled, and the City Manager, were all three allegedly actively engaged in pushing forward a bribe directly with the intention of undermining with the recall election.
The Local Malibu is awaiting comment from law enforcement agencies regarding an update on the complaints filed by the proponents as well as a comment from the City Attorney regarding the bribery allegations.
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