The recent attacks on Ozzie Silna of the Malibu Coastal Land Conservancy by the Lily’s Group are mind boggling because they are so inaccurate. Although I disagree with his position on the Coastal Commission’s LCP, Mr. Silna is one of Malibu’s greatest philanthropists and people who actually fund projects are our town’s lifeblood.
Let’s examine Mr. Silna for a moment by his deeds and not by the words of the Lily’s Group. He has funded Malibu’s Ballet programs and purchased sports uniforms for our children’s’ teams. He has offered to give the city in excess of $1 million dollars to acquire various parcels of land for ballfields. He was the first to recommend that 100 percent of the $15,000,000 Malibu Parks and Land Bond should be used for sports fields. Following the City Council’s 5-0 resolution that the $15,000,000 would be spent on ballfields first, he donated several thousand dollars and raised many thousands more for the campaign.
In contrast, the Lily’s Group has always opposed buying land for ballfields. Thanks to their campaign, our city now doesn’t have $15,000,000 worth of new recreational facilities and parks (including a dog park).
The Coastal Commission is doing enough damage to Malibu without letting them engage us in a civil war that splits us further apart as citizens because of our differences on the LCP. While many of us disagree with Ozzie Silna’s words on his LCP position, we should respect him for the generous deeds he has done for Malibu.
Anne Hoffman