Two words to describe the closure of the Malibu Courthouse: sick and sad.
Anyone concerned with public safety in this town and the surrounding areas should be up in arms over this closing. The recent public safety study for the area highlights several hotspots that need addressing, and hopefully they will be. One element of safety is, of course, the continued enforcement of traffic violations. Guess what, Santa Monica is the new venue for traffic trials (and other infractions) originating here (the Van Nuys courthouse gets the criminal). Anyone who has driven back from Santa Monica recently in the midafternoon or, perish the thought, rush hour, knows it’s a battle, even for a black and white. Not only will officers be more reluctant to enforce here-after all, they’re only human, but they’ll be totally out of commission while attending court hearings away from town. Ouch.
As the saying goes, “There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened.”
Prediction: there will be many folks who knock on the Malibu courthouse door next month and “wonder what happened.” If enough of those wondering people with local justice concerns become “those who make things happen,” maybe Malibu court can be resurrected.
Michael Shultz