Councilmember Andy Stern, in last week’s Malibu papers, gave the Malibu City Council credit for the City’s purchase of the Chili Cook-off Site.
Consider the facts.
The entire Malibu City Council tried very hard to persuade the community to support the Malibu Bay Company development agreement (Measure M). If Measure M had passed, it would have resulted in massive overdevelopment up and down Pacific Coast Highway, as well as potentially 185,000 square feet on the Chili Cook-off site. Today, Council members have privately acknowledged this.
The credit for the purchase of the Chili Cook-off Site is as follows:
The Malibu community, by a vote of 3 to 2, defeated the Council’s development agreement. The Planning Commission, four of the five commissioners refused to endorse the council’s development agreement. For this lack of support, Sharon Barovsky and Andy Stern fired their respective appointees to the Planning Commission under the guise of an alleged Brown Act violation which never occurred. Ironically, the council itself was guilty of two Brown Act Violations.
The Malibu Coastal Land Conservancy (MCLC) for politically fighting the council’s development agreement and their $500,000 matching grant, which raised $1,000,000 for the purchase of the Chili Cook-Off site. How did the City Council thank MCLC for its generous contribution? They ignored any recognition of MCLC at the February 25 Legacy Park Celebration.
Andy, please give credit where credit is due. The citizens of Malibu are responsible for the purchase of the Chili Cook-off site, not the City Council!
Lawrence Weisdorn