Count on The Malibu Times to stir up trouble as election time approaches. Last week’s front page headline attacking environmental activists is curious since most Malibu residents are grateful for the quality of life we enjoy here, and want to protect our beautiful mountains and coastline.
As for the specific allegations made against my colleague Roy van de Hoek and me, the record needs to be corrected on three counts.
1. Our “guest editorial” was not meant to discuss the specifics of the Local Coastal Program (LCP) that will be considered by the Coastal Commission during the next few months. We were simply suggesting that Malibu residents still have time for their voices to be heard about issues they care about, and to ignore rhetoric suggesting otherwise. While we had not read the LCP when submitting the editorial, the point was to encourage others to read and comment on it, as we intend to do.
2. Why would we waste our time reviewing LCPs submitted by the city that were incomplete, missing basic and important ordinances like how the public can appeal a decision? These documents are irrelevant now.
3. Roy van de Hoek’s decision to run for City Council has nothing to do with the guest editorial written by representatives of several environmental organizations, including Roy on behalf of Sierra Club. It was your paper that decided to link the two in an attempt to derail Malibu citizens from the real elephant in the bedroom that developers would rather we not discuss: over-development and what Malibu’s limits for “growth” are.
Can PCH and Malibu Canyon Road sustain more traffic? Do we have enough water to accommodate future “growth?” How many more new structures can be built upstream from Malibu Lagoon before the ecosystem collapses and it becomes impossible to eliminate health hazards to swimmers and surfers? How do we ensure the resource needs of current residents and businesses are met? Where will we accommodate open space needs in our community–both for active recreation, like ball fields, as well as for communing with nature? What are the impacts of more development in Malibu to the local wildlife: seals, birds, butterflies, coyotes, deer, tide pool animals?
These are some of the issues we need to comment on to the California Coastal Commission and topics I hope to see addressed in your paper during the next few months, as Malibu’s future is at stake.
Marcia Hanscom
Grass roots to the rescue
On a cold and rainy evening, about 200 Malibu residents met with the Coastal Commission staff to advise them of our response and reaction to their current draft of a Malibu Local Coastal Plan (LCP). Basically the LCP determines what we can do with our property, and includes maps, zoning, development, beach access, and much, much more. I took notes on 38 of the speakers, which covered most of them. Though there were those who were friendly to the content of the draft, overwhelmingly there were feelings of outrage and anger expressed by very many of our neighbors who felt disenfranchised.
The legacy of AB988, passed by the California Legislature, removes the right of the City of Malibu to create its own LCP, and gives it to the Coastal Commission, a State agency, staffed by non-elected appointees. In response to what is apparently an unconstitutional act, a grass roots petition from the citizens of Malibu, which calls for a repeal of AB988, is now being circulated in the community. A projected Coastal Commission hearing about the draft has been postponed and is now scheduled for Nov. 15. This gives us more time to collect your signatures before the event.
We need to be heard at the grass roots level. We need as many signatures as possible to show that the citizens of Malibu are actively objecting to any legislation that deprives us of our right to self-governance. If your homeowners association does not have a petition for you to sign, you can call for one at 310-457-4588. Leave your name and number. If you have a petition to submit now, send it to “Petition”, Box 786, Malibu, CA., 90265.
Your signature is very important, but if you can do more, we would welcome your help circulating petitions at your church, synagogue, club, social gathering, etc. Time is short. We can restore our rights and have our concerns seriously heard if we pull together. Let us hear from you.
Ruth White, director
Ramirez Canyon Homeowners Association