Please read the 9-12-03 L.A. Times article on Santa Barbara’s philanthropy. It spoke of the art museum, zoo, Natural History Museum, ballet, homeless shelters, environmental groups, as well as health and education programs that are completely underwritten by the fabulously wealthy or staffed by not so wealthy resident volunteers. Monetary donations and volunteerism define you as part of that community. The reason that I am telling you fellow Malibuites about it is because that same community sense of teamwork, though dribbling to the surface here and there, exists little in this wonderful community.
We have tremendous wealth though little is funneled into Malibu’s nonprofits like the stage company, the urgent care center, parks and recreation, wildlife and turtle rescues and the workers’ cooperative. Each and every nonprofit group here struggles mightily to keep its doors open.
Squabbles constantly erupt about where to put ball fields or a park, when probably a quarter of the residents at least could turn around, write a check and buy this poor town a perfect park or ball field without having to be beholden to our pseudo Mayor Perenchio. He himself could give this city all of his vacant land instead of making the City Counsel grovel. It is disgraceful with all this wealth that celebrities like Streisand and Cher only donate for some ulterior motive like tax deductions or punishments for planning gaffes.
Santa Barbara has the likes of Oprah, John Cleese, Jeff Bridges, Bo Derek and Fess Parker, for example. These are not the biggest celebrities, and most are not the wealthiest, yet these people work to keep the coffers full both by donating and volunteering. To paraphrase a memorable line from the Times story, “The old guard of the Santa Barbara philanthropy scene are like energizer bunnies running from one money raising event to the next, and the more that they have, the more they share. Come on Malibu, let’s get with the program. Charities here need your money or your time. Let’s not be known as we are now-the richest and most stingy city in America.
Susan Tellem
American Tortoise Rescue