Don Michael’s remarks in a letter to the editor in the March 23 issue about the Malibu Lagoon extension are somewhat incorrect. The UCLA Study can be accessed online. The lower Malibu Creek basin/floodplain is a dysfunctional wetland, which extends throughout most of the Civic Center area. It is buried under many feet of landfill and on top lies the Chili Cook-Off property, Koss property and Soboroff property, as well as portions of other properties in the area.
When I was at the Adamson House museum, there were several pictures that show wetland activity and lagoon activity pre- and post-development. Also there are many photos of the lagoon showing its extension into the Perenchio golf course. There is a painting of the Civic Center landscape from 1892 showing the wetland thriving throughout the area before development started. There is also a picture taken in 1938 showing the wetland area active with a lake-size pond around the Coldwell Banker building, which wasn’t there then.
Jeff Jennings once stated on camera at a campaign fundraiser, and I am paraphrasing, that the UCLA study showed historical wetlands only existed east of PCH, next to the Colony. This was also a misleading statement, which only serves to confuse the facts.
These questions, or misleading so-called “facts,” come from corporate interest that only serves to confuse the true facts of good science. They prolong the effort to solve the problems, while giving time to the corporate interest and their bottom line, and, of course, at the expense of public health and safety.
Bob Purvey