The following letter was sent to Gov. Brown.
Malibu Lagoon is a thriving ecosystem, teeming with record amounts of wildlife-bird, fish, and terrestrial. Contrary to claims of a ‘sick environment’ by supporters of the Restore (pro-development) Malibu Lagoon drive, the ecology is doing fine. Although there are problems with pollution coming from upstream, the lagoon itself is functioning as it should.
The opposition makes claims about fixing the toxicity of the water; changing the lagoon without stopping the source of the pollution is like cleaning spilling milk. Besides, if the pro-development contingent claims the lagoon is toxic, will this correct the problem? No. Are they removing the dirt following toxic waste removal precautions? No. Does this mean periodical toxic waste removal from what will be a continuing problem? No. It’s obvious that the pro-development side is talking out of both sides of their mouths.
According to the state of California, the ocean rose eight inches in the past century. This century, the state is officially planning for a possible 55” rise. All new government coastal projects are to take this into account and yet the Restore Malibu Lagoon project doesn’t. With rising waters, does it make sense to create a back bay behind Malibu Colony? This would be disastrous under tide surge occasions. The proposed wall on the backside of the colony is a laughable New Orleans/Katrina wall, permeated with access holes for wildlife. You can be sure that Malibu Colony residents will one day sue the state for allowing this to happen when a storm surge washes their houses away.
To add insult to injury, the pro-development contingent is proposing to destroy a recently built park so that it can be reconfigured to accommodate a 900 square foot metal structure for a visitor center. This sounds more like demolition and construction, than environmental restoration. Do taxpayers really need this?
This massive four-month long construction project will disrupt business in Malibu during the height of tourist season with over 1,000 truckloads of dirt being removed and transported on Pacific Coast Highway. Traffic is already unbearable.
This development will further destroy one of the best surf breaks on the California coast. This matters to the thousands who surf here annually and by extension the world surf community. After all, we’re talking about Malibu Surfrider Beach! This development will kill countless wildlife. It will disrupt the migratory patterns of tens of thousands of birds.
This is another example of the good intentions of California voters being hijacked by insiders. Why should we ever vote for another bond issue when the money gets misappropriated to developers and consultants.
Please, Governor Brown, we can really use your help to stop this misguided environmentally destructive plan. California is closing parks because of the budget crisis. We shouldn’t be wasting our money on such folly.
Mark Pierson