It seems the clamor for a Malibu school district has quelled a bit in the aftermath of our city council race, so here’s some further food for thought. Last week the Santa Monica City Council, which is controlled by the anti-Malibu SMRR (Santa Monicans for Renters Rights) approved using $50 million in Santa Monica Redevelopment Agency Funds to build low income housing. The city will leverage that money with state bond money, federal tax credits and conventional mortgages to build approximately 500 new three- and four-bedroom units of low income housing. The idea here is to attract an influx of new move-ins that will increase district enrollment by approximately 1500. That’s 1500 new kids in an already overcrowded district.
Next will be the cry for new classrooms which will justify yet another bond issue seeking Malibu money to subsidize construction that will benefit only Santa Monica to remedy a problem entirely of Santa Monica’s making. So if anyone out there thought they’d seen the end of this madness, think again. Until we have our own school district, we will continue to be the gift that keeps on giving to help remedy Santa Monica’s mistakes.
Wade Major