Another defining moment, in the true sense of the word, stands before the citizens of Malibu. I’d like to tell you about the Malibu I love. One is sitting on my surfboard in between sets watching in awe as formations of Brown Pelicans dip and skim over the waves, flying with a precision that a Jedi knight would envy. Another is cruising Pacific Coast Highway early in the morning on my road-bike and turning up Mulholland at Leo Carrillo to suddenly encounter the complete quiet and Mediterranean ecosystem of the Santa Monica Mountains. The abundance of natural phenomena is what distinguishes our town from others. Now all that is in the balance.
Some have said to me that “Malibu needs more amenities,” and I have tried to think what those might be. Should we build up the amenities to the suburban/urban level of the Palisades, or better yet Santa Monica? With “more amenities” we get worse pollution, we get more traffic, we get more congestion and all the eco-systems are taxed to the breaking points including ourselves. Should the last bastion of open space in Santa Monica Bay be sacrificed for “more amenities”? I say no!
The City Council offers us a “park” that offers a massive sewer system, as its main attraction, and for this we pay 25,000,000 dollars? So we can provide sewers for Perenchio’s development? How about restoring wetlands at the Chili Cook-off site and being the stewards of a people friendly, environmentally inspiring park instead?
We have open space in Malibu that many of us cherish. The present City Council has ignored the unanimous advice of their own advisors, the Planning Commission, to place Measure M on the upcoming election.
Bob Carmichael
Malibu