10/21/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2026
Contact: Seth Jacobson, [email protected] · Wade Major, President, AMPS, [email protected]
AMPS (PAC) Endorses Rouse and Lieberman for SMMUSD Board, Roy and de la Torre for SMC Board of Trustees, and Klein Lopez for State Assembly
MALIBU, Calif. — Advocates for Malibu Public Schools (AMPS) the leading community educational organization in Malibu today announced its endorsements for the November 3, 2026 election: Stacy Rouse and Laurie Lieberman for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education, Sion Roy and Oscar de la Torre for the Santa Monica College (SMC) Board of Trustees, and Deborah Klein Lopez for the California State Assembly, 42nd District.
AMPS based its endorsements on each candidate’s commitment to completing unification: the creation of an independent Malibu Unified School District. In December 2025, the SMMUSD Board and the Malibu City Council each unanimously approved the three agreements that set the financial and operational framework for separation. Securing the special legislation and state approvals that remain will require local board members, trustees and a representative in Sacramento who stand firmly behind that work.
“Malibu families have been working toward their own school district for more than fifteen years, and we are closer today than we have ever been,” said Wade Major, President of AMPS. “Each of these candidates told us plainly that they are committed to finishing the job. We are hopeful that all five will win on November 3, and that they will carry the long fight for unification across the finish line so Malibu students finally have a district of their own.”
The AMPS-endorsed candidates
Laurie Lieberman — SMMUSD Board of Education. An attorney and SMMUSD board member since 2010, Lieberman served as board vice president in 2025 and was deeply involved in negotiating the unification agreements. She has named completing unification, whether through legislation or state approval, as a top priority for her next term.
Stacy Rouse — SMMUSD Board of Education. A 24-year Malibu resident and Malibu’s only representative on the SMMUSD board, Rouse is a former Webster Elementary PTA president and Malibu Schools Leadership Council president whose two children attended Malibu public schools K-12. She has spent 13 years bringing Malibu’s voice to the district through fires, the pandemic and the separation talks.
Sion Roy — SMC Board of Trustees. A cardiologist, UCLA professor and longtime Santa Monica and Malibu resident, Roy has served on the SMC board since 2018 and as its chair and vice chair. He led the opening of SMC’s Malibu campus and has championed stronger ties between the college and local K-12 schools.
Oscar de la Torre — SMC Board of Trustees. A former Santa Monica City Councilmember and founder of the Pico Youth & Family Center, de la Torre served 18 years on the SMMUSD Board of Education (2002–2020) and holds a master’s degree in public administration. He is running as an independent voice for accountability at SMC, with two children currently enrolled at the college.
Deborah Klein Lopez — California State Assembly, 42nd District. An Agoura Hills City Councilmember and former Mayor, Klein Lopez previously served as a district representative for State Senator Henry Stern and a field representative for Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin. She has been a strong supporter of unification, and the 42nd District, which includes Malibu, needs a representative in Sacramento ready to carry the special legislation that will create the Malibu Unified School District.
Malibu is united
Malibu is united behind these five candidates. Parents, teachers, the Malibu City Council and community leaders have stood together for an independent Malibu Unified School District since 2011, and the December 2025 agreements show what that unity can accomplish. AMPS urges every Malibu voter to return their vote-by-mail ballot or vote in person on Tuesday, November 3, and to vote Lieberman and Rouse for SMMUSD Board of Education, Roy and de la Torre for SMC Board of Trustees, and Klein Lopez for State Assembly.
About Advocates for Malibu Public Schools
Founded in 2011, AMPS provides a unified voice for excellence in Malibu’s four public schools. AMPS led the petition drive for an independent Malibu Unified School District and continues to work with the City of Malibu and SMMUSD to complete unification.
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