Another letter. Another opinion. This one based not so much on a plethora of information but more on emotion and a deep love for this community and all that it possesses and doesn’t yet have.
Let me state from the get-go that the idea of living in a sleepy backwater town (such as Malibu was and is still a little bit) thrills me. Empty lots give me great pleasure. The fact that in the center of one of the coolest towns in the world lies a somewhat ratty piece of land for the sole use of chili recipes and carnival madness is sheer brilliance and makes my heart leap every time my daughter and I pass it by. She talks about the Labor Day Carnival from October through August. That longing of hers and her anticipation of that event is irreplaceable. She has never once in her eight years begged for another clothing store, candle shop, eatery, movie theater or yelled, “Mom, more leather goods!” And actually neither have I.
I am a strong supporter of local shopping and will continue to patronize Malibu shops, but more we don’t need. As I’m sure we all know, the rat race is alive and well and living in Santa Monica, Hollywood, the Valley and all the other communities that boast five for the price of one. Good for them but it’s not for me. Voting “no” on M is voting “yes” on the reason we all live in this town. That reason resonates in all of us. It’s about feeling at home in a town where most of us are transplants from other parts of the country, and that feeling we have of belonging to Malibu is not just an accident. It is helped and aided by the flavor of a small town. Where not much happens. Where deep and meaningful friendships abound as a result of that. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that development won’t change that. It will. The truth is staring us in the face as we look out our windows and view what’s left of our open space. Lord deliver me from charming shops, tastefully hidden sewage treatment facilities and all the other soul deadening ideas lurking in the heart of the Malibu Bay Company.
Kathryn Wrye