Patt Healy, co-founder of the Malibu Coalition for Slow Growth, was treated quite inappropriately at the last Planning Commission meeting by the commissioners. The more I think about the attack, the more disturbed I become. It is not appropriate to attack someone who appears at a public meeting in regard to their organization and demand to know their membership.
There can be no other reason for that attack other than to attempt to intimidate anyone who might disagree with them. In fact, the City Council did the same thing to the representative of the Malibu Township Council who spoke before them recently. I and others have felt intimated by this City Council and the city staff.
Most organizations do not disclose their membership. If you asked NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) that question they too would refuse. As for by-laws, since when is that a requirement for anything other than an incorporated body? Where there are no CC&Rs many homeowners associations are loose groups without them. It doesn’t change their right to speak at a public hearing. Equally important is that it is, or should be, irrelevant. The question is not who I am or who I associate with, but whether the points I am raising are valid ones.
The decisions of the Commission and City Council must be based on the laws of this city and good planning, not on who you are or who you associate with. This seems to be a major problem in this community; if you do not agree with this council and their representatives, you are attacked.
Although many are fearful of speaking out, I can proudly say I am a supporter of the Malibu Coalition for Slow Growth and their efforts to protect Malibu from inappropriate development.
Annabelle Heiss