When the local business issue was discussed at last week’s City Council meeting, the positions of two sides of this issue were clearly delineated. On one side of the auditorium were a group of regular citizens of Malibu, local consumers concerned about a growing lack of balance between high-end retail and community-serving business who were hoping that a process could be put in place to insure future diversity and on the other side of the auditorium, corporate developers and their spokespeople singing the praises of what they perceive to be the retail heaven that is Cross Creek.
Those who oppose any sort of process would like the public and the politicians to believe that the Preserve Malibu group is a small minority of Malibu’s residents, and that somehow trying to impose even something as simple as an inexpensive business registration is somehow un-American or un-Malibu.
All this despite a tremendous amount of evidence that such a process has worked in many cities across the country without harming local businesses. My experience in talking to hundreds of people while sitting at Ralphs every Sunday in July (most of whom signed our petition) is that we are actually not a minority in this town and that there is widespread dissatisfaction with the direction of retail in Malibu.
I am grateful that the Council expressed some support for the CUP process suggested in the staff report. We must keep up public pressure to insure that diversity is provided in the future. It is my belief that our small efforts also reflect the growing movement across the country that is standing up to protest the corporate dominance of politics in our government.
Kathy Sullivan