Politics as usual

It’s election time in Agoura Hills, and while some excellent candidates are running for office, most with impeccable credentials, there’s been a report of foul play in the campaign that has once again given local politics a dirty name.

Last week, challenger Bill Koehler filed a police report with the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station alleging “multiple thefts” of his campaign signs. In at least one location, even his replacement signs were stolen, Koehler charges.

Elections in the city of Calabasas and the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District have been notorious for their campaign shenanigans—stolen signs, unecessary personal attacks, etc.. The Agoura Hills campaign appears to have taken the low road, too.

Calabasas is in the middle of its own contentious campaign regarding the Malibu Inn and Spa development. On Nov. 8, Measure C will ask for voters for their opinion on whether or not the city should annex property in the Santa Monica Mountains and approve a 203-room equestrian resort. But the laws surrounding the development are so complex that neither side can be exactly sure about what they’re voting for. The resulting rhetoric has embraced both fact and fiction and caused ill will in the community.

Confusion about what the Mulholland Highway development will actually entail was evidenced by The Acorn online poll introduced last week. In the first few days of voting, those opposed to the Malibu Inn and Spa led by a 70 percent to 30 percent margin. A week later the score had been reversed with more than two-thirds of the voters saying they favored the controversial project.

How Measure C will fare on the real ballot is anybody’s guess.

As for Bill Koehler in Agoura Hills, somebody please return his campaign signs. Stealing from somebody else in order to get an edge in the election just isn’t right.

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