This letter was sent to Gov. Gray Davis.
I am writing to express my strong position regarding Bluffs Park in Malibu. Since 1983, the Department of Parks and Recreation has allowed Malibu to use the park for Little League baseball. At this time, Malibu was notified that State Parks intended to reclaim this spectacular coastal viewpoint as a location for a visitor center in conjunction with National Parks.
In October 1997, at the request of former Park Superintendent Dan Preece and current Superintendent Russell Guiney, my office arranged a meeting with Malibu High School staff and City Manager Harry Peacock to determine the progress made by Malibu to locate other sites for baseball fields. The primary purpose of the meeting was to avoid an outcry in the future that the city had no knowledge of the state’s intention to reclaim Bluffs Park when the present lease runs out in 2002.
A few weeks ago, on a tour through Malibu with Parks Director Rusty Areias, Superintendent Guiney pointed out a dozen locations where a single or multiple ball fields might be located. The city ostensibly has made no such search.
It is time for Malibu to take the initiative and select new sites for their recreation programs. With its unique setting on Santa Monica Bay and the California coast, Bluffs Park must remain in the hands of State Parks and returned to a more natural state for the use of all Californians and our national and international visitors.
Sen. Tom Hayden