I am writing to express my extreme gratitude to the City Council for unanimously adopting the Master Trails Plan. This trail system is designed to accommodate pedestrian pathways, hiking trails, bike paths, horse trails and safe routes to school.
For the past two years the Trails Committee has been hard at work defining a trail system within the city. Using historical trails and in-put from the community, we came up a draft plan and map linking all of Malibu. The most important element of this system is the Coastal Slope Trail, our own “backbone trail” which connects Malibu from the east to west. Along with established connector trails, neighborhood trails and “safe routes to schools” (already adopted by the city), this complete system will enable residents to walk, hike or ride from one part of town to another. This is a historic moment for Malibu and really goes to the heart of why we live here because our greatest asset is the beauty and availability of the outdoors. My thanks to our staff liaison-City Engineer Rick Morgan and committee members Debbie Purucker, Diane Everett, Patti Keenan, Don Schmitz, Jennifer Skophammer Judi Pace, Jean Marie Webster, Lea Anderson, Robert Arey, Ted Vail, Gina Mertz McCloskey, Ralph Waycott, Sherman Bayliss, Joan Plummer and Edward Albert.
Larry Gray, Malibu Trails Committee chair
Demanding a double standard
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) Board should do more self- examination before it endorses the many unreasonable prohibitions against homes, horse facilities, non-native landscaping, etc. in the California Coastal Commission (CCC) Plan for Malibu. Applying the Golden Rule would be an appropriate timely remedy.
Conservancy members are a group of well meaning public protectors. They include the National Park Service, State Park Service and the Coastal Conservancy; they have all done some wonderful things to manage the public lands that we have paid for through taxes, bonds and gifts. And they have developed many appropriate policies to encourage public access while using criteria for public and resource protection. And they should be held to the highest standards for protecting and managing our public resources for generations to come.
With limited budgets, these public agencies have taken many opportunities to raise revenue locally by renting their attractive facilities. And they value their public developments including homes, patios, meeting areas, horse facilities and attractive gardens just like we do. So why are they so willing to rush to judgment about prohibiting these same types of developments on neighboring private lands.
The SMMC and its member agencies should not be requesting a double standard so that they don’t have to comply with CCC Malibu LCP and current typical individual permit prohibitions and requirements. They should recognize that bad, unreasonable rules for them are bad for everyone else. They should be applying the Golden Rule and lobbying to have worthwhile land use methods and appropriate flexible policies apply equally to them and to us.
Consider the following examples if current CCC LCP rules were applied to these public agencies:
A. Apply a 100 to 200 foot setback from the top of slope of Malibu Creek and Lagoon which are recognized truly as ESHA; you should remove the State Park Ranger’s residence and boat house at the Adamson House and probably the Lagoon interpretative center and its lawn; the CCC would require removing the non-native plants and garden more than 50 feet away from the Adamson house.
B. Apply a 100 to 200 foot setback away from the upper Ramirez Creek riparian area and start removing the five SMMC houses, tennis court, non-native landscaping, patios, rock lined creek, etc.
C. Look at National Park Service’s Yosemite Park and let’s start applying the same setback criteria to Yosemite Valley with respect to buildings, corrals, horse facilities, etc.
This picture should be easy to see. It is time for the SMMC Board to apply the Golden Rule now. Contact Malibu Citizens for Local Coastal Planning at 317-8487 to help.
Jeff Harris