For reasons that are far from clear, we are rapidly turning into a nation of negativists. Many people at every level in America, California and Malibu respond as if there is a coming apocalypse, and whatever is being proposed by anyone — whether from the right, the center or the left — will destroy America as we know it. There appears to be zero optimism about the future, as if no matter what it is, we can readily expect disaster will inevitably follow. One offshoot of this kind of “all or nothing” mindset is that people who have a different opinion than us are not just wrong, but they’re evil, they are out to destroy us, America, Malibu or wherever. That means that whatever you do to fight them is OK, and therefore it makes our politics very mean.
I’ve been talking to people and looking at the political mail and our letters to the editor here in Malibu and, if you didn’t know better, you could believe what is being proposed in the Civic Center is a toxic waste dump or something equally as horrendous. We’re talking about a market — not even a particularly large market — in a park-like setting, to try to attract both tenants and customers. People have said to me it’s just a bait and switch. They’re really going to put in a 99 Cents Store instead, or something equally as silly. Let’s keep some perspective on this — it’s not a life or death issue, it’s a political decision that we, as voters, have to make.
One of the offshoots of this kind of hyper-competitiveness is everyone ends up angry at everyone else, and that alone begins to tear up the fabric of this town, which I think is already happening. Being laid back is part of the Malibu rural way. It’s a small town feeling that we could easily lose. For example, in this political battle, there were some PTA leaders who endorsed a “yes” on Measure W. There were others in the PTA who I suspect also felt that they were leaders, and they were against Measure W.
A group of the “no” people started complaining to the superintendent’s office, and, apparently, the superintendent’s office — showing their usual political sophistication — leaned on the Webster principal (who I understand is a very nice lady) to send out a letter to the community, kind of an explanation or apology, but not really (See our story on page A1.), thereby violating several primal rules of politics. The first rule is to never inject yourself into the middle of a mud-slinging contest, because no matter what the outcome, one thing is guaranteed: the man in the middle always ends up covered in mud. Secondly, whenever you get in the middle of someone else’s fight, you can absolutely be certain that, ultimately, everyone is going to end up mad at you. That rule applies in Malibu and it applies equally in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. I have a feeling it’s going to take a long time for many of these self-inflicted wounds to heal in all three places.
I view the Whole Foods project as a good project. It’s scaled to the neighborhood, sensitive to local feelings, esthetically pleasing, with a good local developer. I understand there are people who support it and many who do not. I would encourage you all to try and look past the immediate and into the future. If this project is voted down, the message that goes out to land owners is this: if Whole Foods couldn’t pass the voters, then you pretty much can expect a “no” vote on any project, so don’t waste your money on development. Put that money aside and use it to take the matters to court because that’s the only place you have a chance. We, as residents of this town, should think about a few longer-term consequences. Our two-screen movie theater is gone as of the end of next year. The Malibu Stage building is up for sale. In the near future, we’re going to need an arts, stage and movie complex. We also don’t have a community center. Our parking in many areas is not adequate, and we’re going to have to build some parking structures. Perhaps we can put some street level, lower-rent stores into those structures, as some cities have.
We have to plan for the future. A knee-jerk “no” won’t save us. In fact, I believe it will produce the opposite effect. The daily traffic will be there whether Whole Foods is built or not. The 15 million visitors will keep coming to Malibu every year whether Whole Foods is built or not. If we want to protect our town, we have to live in the real world as it is — not as we would like it to be.