The following letter was addressed to Capt. Tom Martin of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
I want to take this opportunity to commend one of your deputies, Deputy Amezcua, for the outstanding service that was provided to us last Thursday, Jan.12.
One of Trancas Riders and Ropers’ many responsibilities in serving the Malibu community is to help the City of Malibu maintain the Malibu Equestrian Park. These efforts have saved the City of Malibu considerable monies over the years. With that directive in mind, and acting under my authority, one of our volunteers, Robert Kirby, arrived at the Equestrian Park at around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday to prepare the arena (drag it, place sandbags, etc.) in anticipation for the rain that was due the following Saturday.
His efforts were thwarted, however, by the fact that there were many individuals occupying the arena with sheep and dogs. He contacted me and I immediately went to the Malibu Equestrian Park to assess the situation. Upon arriving at around 3:30 p.m., I was initially shocked to find that someone had apparently vandalized one of the arena gates by cutting off a locked chain that we had previously placed upon the gate in order to preclude entry by anyone during Malibu’s annual rainy season. This is the time period during which the arena is the most fragile. Incidentally, while it is unclear who actually perpetrated the damage, it should be noted that the removal of this locked chain provided the only available access to the arena.
Even though the persons in the arena had no legal right to be there, having been previously ordered to Cease and Desist, when asked to leave the premises, their demeanor became highly confrontational, abusive and threatening. I contacted the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and was informed that a deputy would be dispatched to the scene. Within a brief time period, a patrol car arrived and Deputy Amezcua, after assessing the situation and determining that the parties occupying the area had none of the legal permits required to utilize the facility, asked them to leave. This quick action on the deputy’s part rapidly defused a potentially serious situation.
Rod Bergen, president,
Trancas Riders and Ropers, Inc.