Rob Reiner's Measure R Passes in Malibu

The city of Malibu passed Measure R Tuesday night, a controversial measure that would limit the number of chain stores in new developments citywide. The measure had been heavily championed by actor/director Rob Reiner.

According to the County of Los Angeles official election results, Measure R passed with 59.27% of the vote, with 40.73% opposed. Only about 1,300 votes were cast on the Measure, out of a total of 8,514 registered voters.

The city will now be required to collect votes from Malibu residents on any commercial development over 20,000 square feet. The measure also mandates that chain stores can occupy no more than 30% of the space in new commercial developments in the city.

In a statement, Rob Reiner called Measure R’s passage a “major victory for the residents of Malibu, all of whom now have a stronger voice over the future of our community.”

“I would like to extend an enthusiastic thank you to all those who signed petitions to place Measure R on the ballot, who volunteered on the phones and the streets, and, most importantly, who voted for this historic new law for our city,” Reiner said, according to the Malibu Times.

We now call on the Malibu City Council and City Attorney to swiftly implement Measure R and vigorously defend it against promised attacks from developers who opposed the law. Passing a ballot measure is no small task and the success of Measure R serves as a wake-up call for all those who dismissed it and campaigned against it.

Malibu joins other coastal cities Del Mar and Encinitas in allowing voters to have a say in new commercial developments. 

The public face of the Measure R opposition, developer and police commissioner Steve Soboroff, has vowed to assail the measure with lawsuits, saying in a recent debate that the legislation would be open to legal action on grounds of being unconstitutional.