My jaw dropped to the floor when I read the letter from the dog lovers regarding the necessity for a dog park in Malibu. You cannot include a dog’s needs and children’s needs in the same universe. Children are our future. When you are an old man rocking in your chair and need someone to change your diaper for you, you’ll look down at your dog as it scratches its fleas off onto your leg and wonder to yourself “where did I go wrong.” You should have nurtured a child, not a dog.
This is the problem with many of the liberal thinkers in Malibu politics. I drive down PCH hoping my cell service doesn’t fade out every 100 yards, or try to remodel my home without an act of congress. We get the coastal commission telling us what to do, rampant drug use at Malibu High, law suits, Trancas Town, and bacteria at the beach. You brave City Council members should stop making it difficult for homeowners to remodel, support parks for families and children, make a deal with the coastal commission, and get off your duffs and follow the stink trails to the septic systems, dogs and horses owners who don’t clean their messes.
Let’s allow reasonable development, then use the proceeds from that development to buy or negotiate open spaces for Malibu residents to use. Our kids need clean open spaces, recreation facilities, warm homes, good schools, and support from their community. A new bed and breakfast facility or hotel won’t matter to them nearly as much as having the proper tools and facilities to stay away from the inevitable mistakes and temptations of youth.
Steven Bard