Much as I like and admire Joan House, she is just wrong on the Santa Monica College bond, Measure S. She states she had not seen the agreement between the City and Santa Monica College. That’s because the agreement was signed the day after she wrote her letter. The City now has a Joint Powers Agreement that gives Malibu equal decision-making powers with the College. (The JPA is on the City Website.) She asks: “Where is the Master Plan?” Answer: Both the City and the College have master plans. Malibu will be guided by its Parks and Recreation Master Plan. She states: The college would bring 1,200 students to Malibu. False! Santa Monica College has stated in public that it wants only 10 to 12 classrooms. At 30 students per classroom, that would be a maximum of 360 students. Already 500 Malibu students attend SMC. If these students attended locally, they would not have to commute, decreasing, not increasing traffic. Also, Mr. Niles is way off on his calculations. To accommodate 1,200 students there would have to be 40 classrooms with 30 students per class. Classrooms are approximately 900 square feet. By his calculations, it would be impossible to have 40 classrooms in a 25,000 sq. ft. building. The calculations exclude halls, bathrooms, an administration office, and the proposed joint use multi-purpose room and audio-visual studio. Most important, the JPA gives the City a veto over all uses of the facility exceeding 12 classrooms. She states the bond money cannot be used to purchase the Crummer Property because it is zoned residential. Wrong! The Coastal Commission zoned that property “visitor serving commercial.” Read that as hotel. As a safeguard, the City has the power to rezone. Finally, she asks how west Malibu will benefit. Answer. Most of our young families live on the west end of Malibu. They want additional ball fields. And their kids will also benefit by using the Learning Facility. It’s really very simple. Do residents of Malibu want a small Community Learning Center, ball fields, and a park at a very small cost? Or do they want a hotel or a shopping center? Those are the choices.
Sharon Barovsky,
Mayor, City of Malibu