It was distressing to read this week that Malibu Bay Company developer Jerry Perenchio’s sphere of influence has expanded significantly since late January when you published my letter, expressing concern over what I thought then was an outrageous sum of money he had given to both Richard Riordan ($100,000) and Gray Davis ($100,000) in their bids for California Governor. The stakes have now been raised by so much more that it is difficult to fathom how and if democracy can prevail against such bold influence.
L.A. Times writer Jeffrey L. Rabin reports that Mr. Perenchio (the one with the private golf course built on former Malibu Lagoon wetlands and polluting one of the world’s most sacred surf spots – remember?) has now donated $625,000 to Davis, $500,000 to Riordan and $205,000 to Bill Jones, also running for Governor. Now that Bill Simon is leading in the Republican polls, no doubt the donation records will change again, and Mr. Perenchio’s checkbook will be even lighter still. The Governor appoints four voting members to the Coastal Commission, as well as several non-voting members, and he has significant influence over the Senate President Pro Tem and the Assembly Speaker, who each appoint four voting Commissioners. Jerry Perenchio owns more unpaved land than anyone in Malibu except the State of California.
How is the current Malibu City Council still missing this elephant in the living room? How has their attention been so craftily diverted to issues that can be proven to be either patently false or terribly mis-guided once a simple investigation has been completed? Do most of the City Council candidates really believe their own false and outrageous claims that citizens will not be able to have a rose garden or a child’s birthday party on the beach if the Local Coastal Program (LCP) includes protections for Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas (ESHAs)?
And when will they stop whining un-truths that the Bluffs Park ballfields will be taken away by the Coastal Commission and begin on a mission of securing more ballfields? The City’s own inaction on this issue is the only thing that will take away ballfields from Malibu’s children, and it is a poor example to set to teach children to lie about failed responsibility and to then conveniently blame someone else.
Since Perenchio so obviously is able to spend more than $1 million to be sure he has the Governor’s ear when his proposed developments come before the Coastal Commission for approval, is he also spending money inside Malibu to make sure these fabrications are perpetuated?
False accusations about the Malibu LCP are creating unwarranted fear about individual homes when, in reality, the most important protections Malibu citizens might ever get against huge over-development and traffic gridlock that Malibu Bay Company, Pepperdine, Brian Sweeney and a handful of others have planned for this town are the ESHAs and other provisions of the LCP. Some of the LCP provisions people have expressed such worry over only apply to new development or remodels where more than 50% of the structure will be torn down and re-built.
Once the LCP is approved, it will be up to the City Council to comply with the LCP and enforce it-providing more “local control” than Malibu has ever had. The real question for voting Malibu residents is this: Do we have a City Council and Planning Commission that can be entrusted to protect the character of our community and our beautiful natural resources? Not only should this question apply to the coming April 9th election for Malibu City Council, but careful thought is needed about who can be entrusted with such an awesome responsibility and be encouraged to run for City Council in two more years when three seats (a majority) will be open. Jerry Perenchio likely has already got his candidates lined up.
The only thing that can compete with the financial largesse of developers like Jerry Perenchio is the power of citizens uniting together to insure the common good is protected. If the people will lead, the leaders will follow. Your leadership is needed.
Marcia Hanscom
Executive Director, Wetlands Action Network
Co-Chair, Sierra Club California Coast and Ocean Committee