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# Wisnicki goes the civic route
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/wisnicki-goes-the-civic-route/
- Published: 2007-12-21T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T04:28:19.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Government & Politics, Malibu, #archive-import

*Ex-President of the Board of Education runs for City Council*

MALIBU Kathy Wisnicki is trading in the No. 2 pencils and shiny red apples for a shot at city politics.

Less than a week after ending her stint as President of the Board of Education, Wisnicki has announced her candidacy for a seat on the Malibu City Council, pulling nomination papers on Monday.

Wisnicki, who won a seat on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s school board in 2004, is up for re-election next fall, but has decided to redirect her attention to city issues in Santa Monica’s neighbor to the north.

“I see issues in Malibu that affect our quality of life, and I believe that I can be effective as a member of the City Council,” Wisnicki said in a statement this week.

The mother of two children is one of five people that have gathered nomination papers as of Thursday for the April 2008 election, leaving open a possibility that Wisnicki could still run for the school board seat if she doesn’t come out victorious in her hometown. The nomination period to run for a seat in Santa Monica is from July 14 to Aug. 8.

“Representing Malibu as a member of the Santa Monica-Malibu school board has given me the opportunity to develop relationships that will help me hit the ground running as a councilmember,” Wisnicki said.

Candidates for City Council are required to receive no less than 20 certified signatures of Malibu registered voters and no more than 30 signatures to qualify for the April ballot. There are three open seats on the five-member City Council. Mayor Jeff Jennings and Councilmember Ken Kearsley cannot run for re-election because they have exceeded their term limits. Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich has not drawn nomination papers yet, according to the Malibu City Clerk’s Office.

Wisnicki served as vice president of the Board of Education in 2006, but served a considerable amount of time filling in as the president once then President Julia Brownley began campaigning for a seat on the California State Assembly. She was promoted as the president late last year, serving as the head of the board during a tumultuous time when district officials were called into question for accountability and transparency. The throne was passed on to board member Oscar de la Torre on Dec. 13.

The lone board member from Malibu would also be the only parent of a public school student on the City Council if elected.

Prior to serving on the Board of Education, Wisnicki served on the district’s Financial Oversight Committee, PTA Council — which she served as president — and was the co-chair of the Measure S Campaign. She received her doctorate in education from UCLA and specializes in studying the achievement of at-risk youth.

It is because of her experience in the school district that de la Torre believes Wisnicki will be successful in April, calling her a “shoo-in.”

“Kathy is a strong advocate for Malibu and she would do a good job as a member of the City Council representing the best interest of the youth and families at Malibu,” de la Torre said on Thursday. “The added benefit is she has many good relationships with not only the school board, but with other elected officials in the city and the region, making her a valuable asset to the political culture of Malibu’s political community.”

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/122107-04_orig_016.jpg)

BIG PLANS: Kathy Wisnicki, the former president of the SMMUSD school board, is seeking a seat on the Malibu City Council. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 21, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/122107.pdf?ref=smdp.com)