Thanks for your recognition of the role of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club has 650,000 members in the United States and our Southern California Angeles Chapter has 56,000 members.
Some of our most effective and respected Club leaders happen to reside in the Topanga-Malibu area, including Marcia Hanscom, Steve Hoye, Frank Angel and Roy van de Hoek. Frank Angel is also one of Sierra Club’s attorneys, having represented us on numerous occasions in our quest to obtain justice for our natural environment.
The Sierra Club’s national legal committee voted to file legal action against the City of Malibu for violating its own laws. The Malibu Council recently approved two new structures to be built 11 higher than any other Malibu resident is allowed. These buildings would block the view of our coast. The Sierra Club has been very active in protecting Malibu. We work hard on many Malibu issues and are parties to several other lawsuits that are supported by local homeowner groups.
One of Sierra Club’s major national campaigns is the prevention of urban sprawl. Our “sprawl hurts us all” campaign has two components. One is to restore our urban core and make our cities pleasant, livable places. The other side of the campaign is to keep our urban edges as wild and open as we can.
Malibu is on the urban edge in two ways. It is bordered by the ocean and it is bordered by the mountains. The Sierra Club is committed to slow growth in Malibu. We are committed to clean beaches, restored creeks and restored wetlands.
We are a political organization and we endorse candidates and initiatives that we believe will work to protect our planet’s natural beauty. We will stand up to developers and other destroyers, and we will tell them that Malibu must be protected. We look forward to your support.
Gordon LaBedz, M.D.
Chair, Angeles Chapter
Sierra Club