In over 40 years as a resident of Malibu, and since Malibu became a city, I have never felt such pride, respect, and appreciation for our City Council members and city attorney Christi Hogin as I do today. The City Council’s unanimous vote on July 14 to file a lawsuit prepared and filed by attorney Hogin against California Coastal Commission Director Peter Douglas because of his support for overnight camping showed a courageous act being taken against a powerful statewide bureaucracy and its influential executive director.
This council action is indeed noble and truly represents the protection of our homes, families, wildlife and irreplaceable belongings against a future wild fire set by a careless camper(s). According to quotes taken from local newspapers, both Douglas and conservancy attorney Laurie Collins insulted our citizens by feigning concern for our city “squandering public resources” and saying the taxpayers of the city of Malibu have already spent quite a bit of money on the battle on overnight camping.
Our citizens well remember the two wild fires last year, and especially the one in November that left homeless families of the 53 homes that burned down! We do not consider the fight to protect any additional homes from being destroyed by fire to be “squandering public resources!”
During local newspaper interviews, both Douglas and Collins attempted to taint the image of our city by adding a negative spin directed at Malibu, stating that the Malibu community is opposed to public access and that opposition to overnight camping is a cover for blatant hostility to this kind of use! They obviously know little about our friendly community, as there are several parks in the hills above Malibu that cater to visitors, as well as locations along our beaches providing public access. If they have ever attempted to drive PCH on a weekend in the summer time, they will find hundreds of cars clogging the highway and thousands of visitors enjoying our beautiful beaches.
If the staffs of the Coastal Commission and the Conservancy lack common sense, as numerous wild fires rage throughout California, then we pray the members of the commission and the board of directors of the Conservancy will have the common sense not to allow their employees to “play with matches!”
Jerry Jackson