Even though I left the city of Malibu almost 20 years ago, I still like to catch up on what’s happening in the city by visiting friends and relatives in the area and by reading The Malibu Times online. It’s sad to see how much the city has changed since 1967 when I first arrived as a toddler to a very rural and beautiful section of Los Angeles County. When I left Malibu in 1990, its “Brentwoodization” and growing population of paparazzi lounging in its shopping centers anxiously waiting for a photograph of the latest pop diva had begun. While I am excited about some of the changes that have occurred in Malibu over the past 18 years -the Legacy Park, the remodel of the area surrounding the Country Mart, improved public access to county/state beaches -I have also come to the realization that some things never change, such as pressure from special issue groups who don’t have the best interests of the community in mind.
I am disappointed that the city is actually considering a proposed teen center and other facilities near the intersection of Heathercliff and PCH. The area is a traffic nightmare, especially during the summer. It’s even worse now with the opening of Pavilions in the Point Dume Center and with the succession of traffic lights from Paradise Cove to Trancas Canyon. It would also completely upset the rhythm and rural character of the surrounding community. How about expanding on the complex that houses the Malibu Public Library? I am sure the county would be open to the idea in this time of tight budgets. The Malibu City Council should come to its senses and place the teen center/City hall facilities in a place that’s easily accessible by the city’s residents.
More importantly, does anyone actually believe that the proposed teen center will solve the drug and criminal activity problems that plague some of Malibu’s teenagers? I know some residents are enthralled with the idea of a place for teenagers to hang out after school, but speaking as a man whose formative years were spent in Malibu, I know that a teen center with a bowling alley and vending machines cannot compete with the allure of Malibu’s secluded beaches and canyons. And now as a parent and as a high school/university instructor, I’ve learned that a teen center is a poor substitute for daily parental involvement and supervision in the lives of children.
Mike Drago
Irvine, California