Re the human interest story on the front page of your June 11 issue (“Powerless in Paradise” by Kim Devore), Mrs. Booth has managed to park her trailer, her three children and her horse in the middle of what was once the location of a lovely home with a pool and, not mentioned in your article, a panoramic ocean view. This was once a very desirable piece of property.
Mrs. Booth has been there well over the time allotted for a building permit to run its course. From your article, it appears that she has neither the resources nor the intention of building a home on this burnout lot. Yet, without the most basic permit she has been allowed to continue to live there in her trailer with her young children and her animals.
I am writing in support of the city of Malibu. My understanding is that trailer permits in neighborhoods designated for traditionally constructed houses are given to property owners who are in the process of building their homes. Those of us who have built in Malibu know that there are many hoops to jump through but the building regulations established by our city are there for a reason. Ultimately these regulations protect the integrity of our neighborhoods. They protect the safety, health conditions, environment and the investment that homeowners make in their property. No homeowner should be forced to have a trailer parked alongside their home indefinitely. Particularly one that is not meeting the minimum requirements set by our community standards.
I just wonder how the neighborhood in Thousand Oaks where Mrs. Booth used to live in a 6,000 square foot home would feel if she were living in her trailer there today. I even question if Mrs. Booth, would be pleased. Of course, it would not be tolerated by the city of Thousand Oaks. Why should it be acceptable in Malibu!
Keep Malibu A Paradise