Measure R has serious consequences for Malibu, particularly for school families and seniors.
Measure R says it’s giving us a chance to vote development up or down, but it’s not that simple. The well-intended Reiners have been misled by a group of traditional school antagonists, including some who are actively suing the District and others who are causing expensive delays in rebuilding and cleaning our schools.
Measure R effectively transfers power away from the city council, who are elected to the group aptly described by Jeff Jennings as the “Coalition of the Disaffected.” How? Since a developer would have to woo the unelected coalition in order to win a “special election,” land use debate and decisions end up in a backroom, without public review, without accountability. Worse, community-serving amenities like ball fields, subsidized rent for Urgent Care, public art or park space would be eliminated because elected officials would no longer have the power to negotiate for them. We end up with development, but without amenities and without public hearings.
And what if, under a Measure R special election, the voters actually review the stacks of documents the city will be obligated to send out (at great expense) and just vote “no?” Endless litigation (the legal costs could be in the millions) and in the end, a judge decides for Malibu.
Were you asked for input on Measure R? Of course not; Measure R was drafted privately and then revised apparently to win over existing shopping center owners by conceding a major increase in chain store occupancy — almost three times greater than our current ordinance. So much for local businesses. The inception of Measure R is just as mysterious as the process it would create — in a back room, without accountability.
We elect reasonable people to decide complex land use issues. Measure R advocates say it gives you voting rights, but in reality, Measure R gives outsized political influence to a group of people that don’t have the numbers to get their candidates elected. Measure R eliminates the opportunity for community-serving amenities, and worse, it doesn’t stop development — it pushes the process into back rooms or courtrooms. Given the extreme delays we parents have seen with Measure BB school projects, we can expect future Measure ES projects to take even longer.
There are options for Malibu. The permanent way to stop development of private land is to buy it from a willing seller. Follow the recent example of 700 acres acquired for open space thanks to James Cameron. If Mr. Reiner and his influential friends could help us buy parcels and deed them back to the city, everyone would be on board. A plan like that would bring this city together — the current plan achieves the opposite. And that’s why I’m voting “no” on Measure R.