Tag Archives: Malibu Lagoon

Countdown to Malibu Lagoon D-Day – June 1, 2012

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“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana- “Reason in Common Sense, The Life of Reason”

In 1983, Governor Jerry Brown, was serving the great State of California and was our youngest Governor when he was elected at 37 years of age. Madonna’s hit song “Holiday” was playing on our radios, “Footloose” was about to debut in theatres, Sally Ride was taking a ride as the first US woman astronaut in Space and bulldozers were dredging up the Malibu Lagoon in order to “restore” it. This Malibu lagoon “restoration” effort involved the excavation of three channels and the creation of a series of boardwalks and bridges to increase wetlands and public access to world-famous Surfrider beach.

Fast-forward to 2012, Governor Jerry Brown is currently serving the great State of California, only this time he will be the oldest governor elected at 73 years of age. Madonna’s new hit song “Girl Gone Wild” is playing on radios, “Footloose 2” is coming out on DVD’s, a private space capsule was launched by SpaceX and the bulldozers will once again be dredging the Malibu Lagoon, imposing man-made designs over what mother nature has created over the past thirty or so years.

The City of Malibu opposed this destructive and dangerous dredging. Nearly 10,000 people from all over the world have signed an on-line petition opposing this destruction. Thank you all for remembering our past and praying that we will not repeat mistakes made.

Will the current Malibu dredging project help Mother Nature or hurt it? We will all be watching. I hope and pray that this time our children will learn what works and what doesn’t work with respect to a true “restoration.”

Tsunami Hits Malibu Lagoon

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Democracy and justice can be as small as a 1 foot or as big as a 50 foot wave.

Whether it be Rosa Parks sitting on the bus, or a million man march on the Capital.

You know it when you see it because you can feel it. Last night, I witnessed a tsunami of democracy.

Last April, the City of Malibu deadlocked at a 2-2 vote on whether to opppose the Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project and failed to take any formal action. In April 2011 and January 2012, I wrote letters to you and the Governor asking that the Governor reconsider the Malibu Lagoon Restoration project as a concerned citizen.
Only one year later, almost to the day, on April 9, 2012, the Malibu City Council voted 5-0 to OPPOSE the Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project. The Mayor of Malibu will be sending the Governor a letter to inform him of this decision. The City also: 1) voted to file an Amicus Brief in the current appeal in State court, 2) allocate $25,000 to an independent study of the Lagoon Project, 3) Form a 2 person ad-hoc committee to meet and collaborate with the State and Stakeholders to see if a mutually agreeable solution is possible before June 1, 2012 (the start date for the project.).

I was overwhelmed by the people who stood before the City of Malibu last night and asked that City leaders stand with them in their desire to protect and preserve Malibu for generations to come. The people who testified ranged from 12 to over 80, surfers, students, teachers, lawyers, carpenters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers. All stood united in their love of Malibu and the Lagoon, and their willingness to fight and go the distance.

I am grateful that I live in a small town with a big heart. I remain hopeful that we will be heard the Governor and the Judges in the Court of Appeals and that Mother Nature will have the last word on what a true restoration looks like.