MEASURE W: WHY "DON'T MALL MALIBU" IS SOUNDING A LOT LIKE "DON'T CROSSCREEK TRANCAS"

Demagoguery: an appeal to people that plays on their emotions and prejudices rather than on their rational side.

I’m not here to talk for or against Measure R--the ballot measure that hits Malibu next Tuesday (consult local listings)…I am here to talk about one of my favorite subjects…Truth.

Full Disclosure: I’ll come clean and say that I am in favor of Measure R…Personally, I like tasteful, environmentally sensitive civic spaces…..which I deem this to be....they are places where people meet, where connections are made, where leaves fall where someone is watching. But, I am quick to point out these are just my opinions based on my sensibilities…and I don’t pretend that they are more valid than any of yours…to each his own..and all that…if more people agree with my views than oppose them…Measure R will pass…if not…I let the chips fall where they may…after all, Malibu owes me nothing…I am but one inhabitant…and there is no obligation to make Malibu in my image…

I was recently asked if I would put a sign on my front yard supporting Measure R…...I said “no” to the request…I’ve never liked things that tell people what to do (like a command) without giving me any compelling reason one way or another…it sounds kind of fascist to me...doesn’t it?

It sure sounds like a command to me, poorly veiled…”Vote YES”, “Vote NO”…it presupposes that I don’t have an opinion of my own…like I am a child and I need to be told how (you) feel and maybe my I’ll abdicate my sovereignty to the person with the most colorful and apparent sign…

I think it’s downright arrogant….Vote YES on X…it’s almost a form of brainwashing…there isn’t a speck of information or justification ..it doesn’t even say the word “please”…

“Marry me Scarlet”

“but why, Rhett”

“Just Do it God Dammit”

But, getting back to my original thoughts…I would no more participate in a debate on the merits of Measure R then I would I would try to convince you of what should be your favorite color…

It is a strictly personal decision…based on individual values, tastes, esthetics, etc..

So, I feel the only honorable thing to do about Measure R would be to encourage everyone to learn about the facts…the objective facts…and then weigh the subjective data…non of which can be fairly characterized by the use of the word ”mall”.

I don’t have the slightest bone to pick with anyone who opposes Measure R…for any sincere reason…..maybe you don’t like development of any kind..maybe you don’t like produce or play areas for kids, even…maybe you feel that the Traffic study that was done was not accurate and the project was going to negatively impact traffic the the Cross Creek area….”pick your poison”. Maybe you even wish Malibu looked like it did in the 60’s…there is nothing wrong with that…it is honest…and sincere..and just as valid as anything else, though maybe not as practical..

But, when I see signs that say “Don’t Mall Malibu” I am quick to remember all of the battle cries about the re-develoment of Trancas…”Don’t CrossCreek Trancas”. Is that really fair..or are people trying to scare us..misrepresent the Truth....does any reasonable reader of reality think that Trancas was “CrossCreeked” when it replaced the garish and tired and oblique How’s Market with Vintage Market and surrounds? Do we wish the opponents of Trancas had been victorious? C’mon boys, hand over your weapons! It couldn’t be much more subtle, could it? I mean…if you aren’t looking for it…you might drive by without knowing it is there..…especially at night…it only whispers. Vintage is a great addition to Malibu...nuff said...they got this one right! Thank goodness that in this case the naysayers were defeated.

You were perfectly free to oppose it…though it is extremely popular…but just don’t say it has been “CrossCreeked”…that is demagoguery…just like saying that the Whole Foods Project is a “mallification” of Malibu..”another shopping mall”. And don’t say that it will endanger baby seals..

We all know how much small towner’s cower at the word “mall”..watching all the Presidential debates lately has alerted me to the importance of getting the facts straight…and resisting the “fear” mongering…some people will do almost anything to see that the things they want in a democracy go their way…..things in your own bedroom should go your own way (maybe) but not necessarily things in a community, society, town, etc…

For the record, and not to support Measure R, which I am indifferent to with respect to (your) position….the Whole Foods Project has an FAR of .15. Is there any development anywhere in America that complies with an FAR of .15..? This project does (which doesn’t in of itself mean that you should support it, but, it’s a fact worth knowing)

…so imagine…if you had 100 tennis balls that were packed together in the shape of a rectangle..if you painted black the tennis balls that represented the Whole Foods and it’s accompanying small retail..you would have 15 black tennis balls, leaving 85 green ones…if I am not mistaken…correct me if I am wrong…the Pt. Dume Plaza by comparison is over .40 (that is 40 black tennis balls), the Lumberyard is over .60, the Ralphs center is over .40.

So, when we use the word “mall” we should be responsible knowing that the word is generally used in America to mean something large…colossal, even…it has only negative connotations…would you call Trancas a “mall”. Would you call a monkey a gorilla …would you call a road a freeway? From what I am seeing in print, you would think Malibu was proposing to put a maximum security Correctional facility on the Whole Foods site.…C’mon, guys…Boogey, Boogey, Boo…

Let’s use Facts…or even hunches…NOT outlandishness, NOT demagoguery…Vote Yes, or Vote No…it’s YOUR choice…

Foodforthought....