Many wonderful teachers are about to lose their jobs at Malibu High School because of budget cuts, and the tireless dedicated work of many parents, administrators, and faculty members is on the verge of being wasted. Pretty discouraging considering that the high school (a little over ten years old) has just been honored as one of the most distinguished high schools in the state of California. Another equally dedicated group of parents is fighting desperately to find a solution to our need for AYSO and Little League playing fields. And, as a new city, Malibu is facing one of its most difficult tasks to date, the Planning Commission’s consideration of The Malibu Bay Company development agreement. This issue is emotionally hinged on a desperate need for athletic fields at a time when the most important issue before this community is the fate of our schools. The planning commissioners have exercised exceptional courage and diligence in considering this complex and controversial plan. After what I am convinced was exhaustive and thorough research, they unanimously rejected it last week.
The deal proposed by the high powered Malibu Bay Company lawyers and strategists is extremely lopsided. Shame on the Malibu Bay Company for exploiting the emotions of a vulnerable community for their personal gain.
The deal is not consistent with the General Plan; includes excessive variances and entitlements loaded with hidden costs; does not properly address serious environmental issues; does not clearly define issues of enforcement, specifically mitigation monitoring; gives no assurance that ball fields physically could ever be built at Point Dume; ignores access as a serious problem; includes grossly underestimated Bay Company traffic projections and cost of extra police, and we don’t even have a business license tax in effect so that Malibu can offset the cost of supporting the vendors who will occupy the 280,000 square feet of proposed commercial rental space.
These sincerely dedicated activist groups fighting to improve our schools, athletic fields, and city, desperately need our support, before we are exploited by those motivated primarily by profit. With this in mind, I suggest the following. First and foremost, everyone in this community should vote yes on Measure S. This means everyone, especially those senior citizens who are exempt from the financial burden. Everyone reaps the benefit of increased property values that result from quality schools. In a community as affluent as Malibu, we should be ashamed of ourselves if this measure doesn’t pass.
Secondly, regarding ball fields. Because of the school issue, we should lobby our elected officials in Sacramento to give us time, before the State Parks Department takes over the Bluffs. Also, this community should know that a proposed ball field bond was dropped by its supporters for the sake of school Measure S, figuring it would hurt its chances of passing if there were two bonds on the same ballot. We should encourage the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District to drop the proposed fees to be paid by Little League and AYSO for use of their fields. They need time to consider and develop a solution to this problem without added costs.
Lastly, the Planning Commission will be sending their recommendations to the City Council soon. I encourage the City Council to listen seriously to what the Planning Commission, appointed by them, has to say. The City Council has an obligation to address the Commission’s concerns and inform the electorate honestly and thoroughly of the problems of this plan, before sending it out for a vote. To do less would be a betrayal of the Planning Commission’s hard work. The Planning Commission has also wisely recommended that the city hire a professional with enough experience in these areas to negotiate a more equitable deal with the Malibu Bay Company. The very future of Malibu for generations to come is at stake here.
In closing, it seems that we have reached a very disturbing point in this country, where too often the rights of the individual or special interests take precedent over the common good. This accommodation to the often times greedy and selfish, can only be stopped when the apathetic segment of our society ignites a sense of outrage within themselves and steps to the podium to be heard.
Peter Burrell