Meet Bill Sampson, Candidate For Malibu City Council

MALIBU, CA — As ballots start to hit Malibu mailboxes, it’s time for locals to get to know their candidates.

Come Nov. 8, six candidates will vie for two open Malibu City Council seats as Karen Farrer and Mikke Pierson have terms ending this year. Neither will run for reelection.

Malibu residents will also weigh in on a number of other local elections, including the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

Visit this link for more information about the upcoming Malibu election.

A number of City Council candidates answered questions to introduce themselves to Patch readers. Get to know Bill Sampson:

Age (as of Election Day)

75

Party Affiliation

None

Family

Wife and one daughter

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BA Math UCLA '71, JD UCLA '75

Occupation

Lawyer

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Malibu Code Enforcement Task Force; Member Malibu Homelessness Task Force; President, Santa Monica State Parks Citizens Advisory Council

Campaign website

City Council | Bill Sampson | Malibu

Why are you seeking elective office?

Preserve and Protect Malibu and its Citizens

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I will honor the voters' wishes and NOT immediately after the election, win, lose or draw, attempt to have a winner recalled as occurred after the 2020 election (applies only to Doug Stewart); I will honor democracy and Malibu precedent and vote for the leading vote recipient for mayor as did NOT happen following the 2020 election (applies only to current mayor Grisanti and outgoing council members Pierson and Farrer); I am slow-growth and I believe my opponents other than Hap Henry and Ryan Embree are not. I'll respect the Vision and Mission Statements as the affirmative guideposts and statements of law, which they are. Henry and Embree agree the others do not. I have more than seven years effort to curb the over-saturation of Malibu by STRs owned by LLCs, foreign corporations and hedge funds and operated as party motels, and have urged the council to enforce the prior existing zoning law - I will enforce that law.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The school district should separate; we should have serious patrol of PCH preferably by the CHP; We have purchased land for the citizens and should use it as recreation, open space, whatever use the citizens most want.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have successfully practiced law for 47 years as of the end of 2022. Throughout my practice I have successfully negotiated or where necessary tried contentious matters, all the while recognizing that as a lawyer, just as a councilman, I am entrusted with someone else's money. I am and have been a leader in all my endeavors. Family values (like community values) are ultimately more important in estate planning than money; likewise community values have no line item in the city budget or income/expense statement..

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Persevere

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have been the president of most of the organizations to which I have belonged and received the highest honors in several for service to them and the community. Through my efforts and encouragement in 1987 women were first admitted to a previously all-male service club here in Malibu. My family and I moved here for the ocean, the mountains, the weather, the air, NOT so we could shop for $300 T shirts and $500 lunches. We believe and I believe in community. our MALIBU community should come before any tourist serving efforts.

Correction: Due to a reporting error, an earlier version of this report supplied an incorrect link to Sampson's campaign website, the mistake was rectified and now includes the correct link.