Regarding your story in today’s Times, “Malibu: Commission Approves Land Use Plan,” I participated in the public hearings on this plan over the past two days, as a concerned Malibu resident and former Malibu Planning Commissioner. What I witnessed made me think of the old adage that there are two things you never want to see: how sausage is made, and how legislation is passed.
Malibu was betrayed by the Coastal Commission when they approved this plan, and the sad thing is that they ignored some carefully considered suggested compromises offered by Mary Nichols, Gov. Davis’ Resources Secretary and a nonvoting member of the Coastal Commission. Some voting members of the Commission who were appointed by Gov. Davis in fact voted against some of her suggested wording, which presumably were made with the blessing of Gov. Davis.
I testified before the Commission on Thursday, pointing out that what they were about to pass will turn the “Malibu Days” at past Commission hearings into future “Malibu Weeks,” since almost everything will be appealable to the Commission, often directly from the decision of Malibu’s Planning Department, and for even the smallest modifications to existing residences.
I also pointed out that the policies which they put in place will vastly increase the snarled traffic on Pacific Coast Highway on busy holiday weekends such as this past Labor Day, when over 500,000 people visited Malibu’s supposedly inaccessible beaches. But the Coastal Commission did not heed my advice, and left this problem to the City of Malibu to deal with in the future. Stay tuned.
Ted Vaill