Dear Editor, 

On behalf of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where I have worked as a pediatric oncologist and as a local Malibu resident since 1999, I want to express my most heartfelt thanks to the Malibu community for their decades of support of the Malibu Triathlon. 

Over the last 34 years, I’ve had the privilege to care for children with cancer at CHLA. These children and their families provide a strong inspiration to our pediatric cancer program medical team to work to cure more children and decrease the related side effects. Those of you who attended the Planning Commission and City Council meetings regarding the permit for this year’s triathlon were able to hear some of these families share their personal journeys and the important role CHLA plays in fighting childhood cancer. Many of these families participated in the triathlon last weekend and helped to raise awareness of children’s cancer and provide important funding for cancer research at CHLA (more than $18 million since 2007). I hope many of you who were triathlon participants had a chance to meet these heroes as they swam, biked, and ran with you. I also want to thank the many Malibu citizens who spoke at the city meetings in support of the role CHLA plays in our own community. Locals also spoke about the importance of the triathlon for local athletes, building community, and raising awareness of children’s cancer.  

Thank you, Malibu!

Judy Villablanca, Malibu

Dear Editor,

The author neglects to point out that in recent years, the typical “golf carts” around Point Dume have evolved into what I’d describe as “electric ATVs” with much larger wheelbases, big traction tires, and powerful lithium battery-driven motors. Our humble Ez-Go is dwarfed by some of these beasts, which can seat up to eight excited teenagers, all training to become next-generation off-road racers. I’m all for having fun, but these steroid-enhanced “golf carts” pose a much greater risk to public safety. I mean, our 12-year-old legitimate golf cart can barely keep pace with a chihuahua at full sprint. These newer machines are Formula One racers in comparison.

James McGowan
Malibu, Point Dume

Dear Editor, 

I have thoroughly gone through the letter from Ann M. Ravel, Former Chair, of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, County Counsel of Santa Clara County, Chair of the Federal Election Commission, and Deputy Assistant Attorney General, United States Department of Justice.

Just all the titles below her name begs the question —Why is no one at the City listening and responding accordingly and appropriately to this obvious expert in this matter? I heard some comments from the City Council members on the Dias on Monday stating that it might not be “valid” or “isn’t supported by law” and that there is “no evidence that any improprieties have occurred” or it’s “bogus” when the letter is FULL of the evidence. All of this cover-up talk is irrelevant to the code sections cited by Ms. Ravel in the letter. Her Wikipedia page states: “At the FPPC, Ravel oversaw the regulation of campaign finance, lobbyist registration and reporting, and ethics and conflicts of interest related to officeholders and public employees.” So this is what she specializes in. She is also hardly a “young lady” at a highly accomplished and distinguished 74 (the same age as my mother). She now occasionally lectures at her alma mater, University of California, Berkeley. I have no idea how she was consulted on this matter, but we should be grateful for her assistance. I also personally submitted several cases as evidence to both planning commission and you, the city council, where Skylar Peak, while as a city council member, voted through projects where on one, in particular, he had a foreseeable financial gain which he did eventually and substantially profit from for 6701 Portshead and a bias with this one and several other projects regarding the applicant & architect, Doug Burdge, with whom he has a professional relationship as well as voting through friends’ projects without any disclosure or recusal. Why would the City want this to more than likely bring about an FPPC violation for possibly both the council members who made these appointments on top of the two planning commissioners?

Both of these planning commissioners have done work with Doug Burdge and recently voted through his environmentally damaging Malibu Inn Motel/Hotel project, which now can possibly be considered void in a court of law due to their conflict of interest in more ways than one with this project. Virtually ALL the projects they have voted on in the past and future can possibly be voided! Why would the City take such a risk and without any public comment or involvement in this serious matter?

This needs to be, at the very least, discussed with the public as it is city conduct and not a lawsuit and the city council represents the residents, and these planning commissioners are supposed to be representing we residents and not serving themselves in the process, so Please bring this item to be discussed in public if these commissioners refuse to simply step down for the sake of our City.

I am sending a link to all the additional accolades that this proud female attorney of Latin American heritage has received and needs to be shown some respect for her care for Malibu and the law: law.berkeley.edu/our-faculty/faculty-profiles/ann-ravel/. She should not be discounted as she was the other night by certain council members who have caused this potential violation. The whole City needs to be notified of this possible violation due to their actions and inaction. Transparency and accountability will earn your constituents’ trust, not the other way around.

Jo Drummond, Malibu