The Malibu What’s in a Name Game

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Having been broadcast, everyone knows of the latest soul-searching conundrum over which the Malibu City Council will now agonize, being faced with the Solomon-like task of deciding whether to jettison a legitimate historical street name, de Butts Terrace, for the physiologically neutral, but admittedly property-value friendly “Paradise View.” This is not an entirely feckless subject in Malibu which has its share of problem names. Does it bother anyone that there is a West Malibu Road but no East Malibu Road? And when did Roosevelt Highway become Pacific Coast Highway? What about gender-confused Rambla Pacifico? What’s more, there are no bones to speak of on Boney Mountain, no sandstone on Sandstone Peak, no Walnut trees in Walnut Canyon, little if any carbon in Carbon Canyon and no particularly noteworthy flora in Las Flores Canyon. Speaking of canyons however, there are probably good reasons for changing some names. Ramirez Canyon used to be Ramera (prostitute) Canyon, and what about Puerco (filthy) Canyon, and Pulgas (flea) Canyon? But back to de Butts Terrace. Since you can’t see Paradise Cove, “Paradise View” seems somewhere between unimaginative and a real estate scam. On one map, it is called the “Overview” – not a bad alternative, but question: since historic names are, arguably, a benefit to all Malibu, shouldn’t their proposed loss be left to the ballot box? It’s hard to see how the annoyingly politically correct suggestion of a monument could preserve equally well the historic significance of an existing physical feature. In addition to the weighty matters that burden the City Council members, those poor devils are now faced with a choice between the value of local history and the desires of some who are all-too easily offended but nevertheless enfranchised.

Don Michael