While Arnold York and I do not agree about Measure R, as I read his recent editorial about the measure, I found myself agreeing with him more than I found myself disagreeing.
First, I appreciate Mr. York putting to rest rumors about my motives for being involved with this campaign. For me, the only thing at stake is the preservation of Malibu’s small-town character, which to me — and more than 2,000 voters who placed Measure R on the ballot — is worth saving.
More importantly, I couldn’t agree more “Malibu is changing … in a direction with which many of us are uncomfortable.” As Mr. York noted, we are already seeing increased traffic and the appearance of chain stores that do not serve our community, and it’s all but assured that the 1.5 million sq. ft. of development that’s been zoned or approved to be built will accelerate these changes.
Unfortunately, our political leaders don’t seem to see things that way. Instead, as Mr. York pointed out, “the ex-mayors [who penned a letter opposing Measure R] … grossly underestimated the impacts of the Civic Center development.” Indeed, they not only underestimated the impacts, but they did nothing to stop it, and the current Council seems no different.
Rather than deal with development and the challenges it brings, our current Council and the aforementioned Mayors have done everything in their power to stop Measure R. I can only conclude that this is not because they “underestimated” anything, but because these members want to see Malibu overdeveloped. After all, five of these ex-mayors are the same people who supported Measure M in 2003, a Measure that would have allowed building over 600,000 sq. ft. of new development. Then, as now, it took the residents of Malibu speaking up to reverse course.
This brings me to the statements in Mr. York’s article with which I disagree.
First, those who oppose Measure R — and especially Los Angeles developer Steve Soboroff (who is funding the opposition) — undeniably have a financial stake in Measure R’s fate. How much of a stake? Consider that Malibu Village, a development not unlike the one Soboroff has planned for Malibu, recently sold to an Atlanta-based real estate firm for $120 million. We, the proponents of Measure R, have no such interest.
In addition, Mr. York claims “What the measure does is try to slam the door on new projects.” This is simply false. Measure R empowers the residents of Malibu — the very people who have to deal with the consequences of development — to approve new commercial developments over 20,000 sq. ft. If the voters of Malibu want to approve a Whole Foods or a new Urgent Care facility, they can do that (and we would hope they do). If they want to say no to a big box retailer, they can. It’s that simple.
Mr. York also fails to mention that similar measures have been passed in other coastal cities, including Del Mar. Not only do all those communities now support a vibrant mix of local and national businesses, but most have also limited the negative impacts of over-development. Moreover, they have done so without the lawsuits York says he worries about.
Indeed, the very notion that developers have preemptively threatened to level lawsuits (and the costs associated with them) against the residents of Malibu should they pass Measure R strikes me as disgusting and bordering on blackmail. It’s a classic bullying tactic and one that has likely worked with ex-Mayors and Council Members. But it shouldn’t be tolerated by voters.
Finally, Mr. York contradicts even himself when he complains about the language of R. A few months ago, York described Measure R as “a very thorough ordinance, obviously drafted by professionals and seemingly legally vetted.” Though I do not fully understand the about-face, Mr. York himself admits to his relationship of 27 years with the opposition. I can only assume this relationship played some part in his decision.
I believe that Mr. York means well, and I thank him for this opportunity to reply to his note “From the Publisher,” but his column is full of the same falsehoods that developers have been propagating from the start. I urge voters to read the five-page initiative and the letter in the Times from current Malibu Mayor Skylar Peak, as well as former Mayors Walt Keller and Jefferson Wagner, to get the facts.
And don’t forget to vote “yes” on Measure R on Nov. 4 or by mail.