A political injustice has been perpetrated in the City of Malibu. Last year, Assembly Speaker Hertzberg (with the full support of our then Assembly member Sheila Kuehl) introduced AB 988. This bill empowers the California Coastal Commission to draft Malibu’s Local Coastal Plan (LCP), which includes land use plans and land usage maps (which determine what people can do with their properties). Aided by many misconceptions and stories about Malibu, AB988 sailed through the Legislature and was signed by the Governor.
No one in Sacramento was told about the years of effort and public hearings that resulted in a Malibu General Plan and zoning ordinance which implements the Coastal Act. And no one from the Coastal Commission mentioned that we had submitted two drafts, both rejected without review or adequate explanation (the second was still sitting on the Coastal Commission’s desk). These rejections have caused almost irreparable harm to our community, first frustrating us, then fracturing our community, as we have thought that we may have been to blame for other reasons than possibly not having submitted the best format. Without a doubt, this has had a negative effect on the political atmosphere here.
We in Malibu must correct this situation. As disenfranchised citizens, we will fight to preserve the rights and integrity of our self-governance. We are circulating a citizen’s petition to send a direct message to our legislators. Copies are being sent to all the Homeowners’ Associations in Malibu. We will also be taking signatures at the markets on Saturday, Oct. 27, and at the Coastal Commission meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the Webster Elementary School. You will also find a copy of this petition in The Malibu Times.
The United States is engaged in a war, fighting to preserve our democratic freedoms. We cannot lose them from within.
Please sign our petition.
Ruth White