It is getting harder and harder to be in what I consider the silent majority here in Malibu. Two articles last week focus on what is rapidly happening to our little corner of the earth. The first was on building permit avoidance. Everybody knows that in most areas of Malibu, you can install a septic system by bringing in a tractor, digging a hole, pouring in water to make sure it drains and then establishing a gravel cleanout area where you dug the hole. In most cases, the best area is near the system you already have.
In 2003, the cost of this was approximately $5,000 by a reliable Malibu septic company. In 2005, the city will now require months of permitting and the installation of a system of close to $100,000. If you ask me, I can’t believe I haven’t heard people screaming. Most of us would now have to get a new mortgage on our home, which, with interest, will put the septic system at close to $175,000. Is it any wonder some will try and put in a new pit without a permit? The fact that people haven’t revolted is what surprises me.
Yes, I contributed to the Legacy Park project, but what bothers me is what happens after we acquire the site. Either the residents will have to continue to pay through our tax dollars, but even more I fear that to pay off the bonds, the city will allow the expansion of commercial development around the Civic Center area, especially with the Coastal Commission encouraging visitor-serving zoning. It’s incredible to believe that the property owners of the shopping areas in Malibu think that we need $200 T-shirts, but we don’t need a place where you can buy lumber. I guess that’s because it’s impossible to get a building permit if you’re just an average person owning an average home in the silent majority.
Oh, yes, and after 10 years, I can’t believe that we can’t get the highway landscaped.
Hear the roar of the silent majority.
Terry Lucoff