Last week I received an e-mail from Laura Rosenthal titled “A plan to get Friday night lights back at MHS!” Laura details her plan to have the SMMUSD Board file a “reconsideration request” with the Coastal Commission, asking them to reverse their 12-0 vote against night lighting at Malibu High. Laura cautions that “this reconsideration process would not be easy or cheap.”
Even so, she encouraged all of us to contact the School Board to urge them adopt her reconsideration plan and she closed by warning us that if we did not call and make our voices heard, Malibu High would be “doomed to darkness.” Laura did not explain how many nights of lighting she thinks would be appropriate for Malibu High, nor did she reveal the cost to the School District to file her appeal.
At the most recent Coastal Commission meeting, the School Board claimed they were only requesting permission for temporary lighting for five night football games. When evidence was presented that demonstrated the School Board’s plan to install 80-foot high permanent light poles and to light up the athletic field some 200-plus nights a year, the Coastal Commission denied the lighting request. Is Laura still trying to get the plan for 200-plus nights of lighting approved?
What will it cost? The School Board spent in excess of $650,000 to prepare its first presentation to the Coastal Commission. Laura’s “reconsideration request” will cost less but still be expensive, say around $400,000. That would be over a million dollars spent primarily on consultants and lobbyists during a period when the School Board is contemplating over $13 million in budget cuts. Most of the individuals I have talked to believe this is a bit excessive. What do you think?
Steve Uhring