Arnold York’s editorial “The ‘no’ chorus” from the Oct. 22 edition of The Malibu Times paints a picture of an angry group of people diametrically opposed to anything because of their opposition to the new mini-mall planned under the appealing “Whole Foods” cover. I disagree with his take on the meaning and effect of not agreeing with the commercial plans being discussed.
Here are a few things in the local area that people have said “no” to:
1. A nuclear power plant planned for Corral Beach in 1963
2. The 101 Freeway plan to go along the coast through Malibu
3. The LNG Plant planned for the nearby coast to import natural gas from Australia
4. A freeway down the Kanan-Dume corridor
5. Massive development in the Santa Monica Mountains
These are examples of the power of “no” having a lasting effect on preserving the natural beauty of this town and the surrounding area.
I recently ran across a map of the water mains in a part of the Santa Monica Mountains dated 1965. On the map, the existing water mains were depicted in red and the “proposed water mains” were in blue, and they were extensive. This represented planning by the water company to accommodate the expected and planned development in the Santa Monica Mountains. The interesting thing about the map is that the proposed water mains never happened because the development never happened. This is because a wide range of people from across the spectrum of politicians from political parties, activists, state agencies and interested people worked together for many years toward a common goal of preserving the natural beauty of the Santa Monica Mountains. In other words, these people just said “no,” and everyone is the beneficiary of their efforts and will be for years to come.
I am thankful that those who came before me here said “no” enough times to keep Malibu the way it is. We owe it to everyone else who comes to visit to keep our town intact. They don’t come here for the mini-malls, they come for the natural beauty.
Rick Mullen