Whole Foods and the Park Ownership to Sponsor 'NO on R' Committee

From a press release:

The individual owners of the proposed “Whole Foods and the Park” project announced that they are joining forces with the Malibu Chamber of Commerce in their campaign to urge a NO vote on Measure R.

Los Angeles Police Commission President Steve Soboroff, a longtime civic helper in Malibu and a partner in “Whole Foods and the Park,” had the following comments to make about Measure R.

“Public surveys by the Chamber have concluded that the vast majority of local residents want stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and the Malibu Cinema in Malibu. Yet, Measure R will make it nearly impossible to attract/ retain retailers like Whole Foods and the Malibu Cinema, as well as the new upgraded facility for the essential Malibu Urgent Care.

“Voters who hear both sides of the issue say they will vote No on R. Voters who read the independent analysis of the Malibu City Attorney say they will vote No on R. Voters who read Measure R see the errors and unintended consequences and say they will vote No on R. We intend to make sure the voters get those opportunities. So far the non-voting part-time proponents and their outside consultants have spent $300,000 to show a very slanted view.

“Rob Reiner is a great guy who simply is trying to do the right thing the wrong way,” said Soboroff, who was a major supporter of and participant in Reiner’s 1998 Proposition 10 tobacco tax initiative. “But this time they just made some big errors and didn’t have time to correct them before submitting this takeover initiative.

“Several legal scholars, including the city’s own legal expert, have said the Measure R may not stand up to legal scrutiny. It creates a different set of rules for the same businesses just across the street from each other. If the supporters of Measure R felt their measure was legal then they would have agreed to indemnify the city from lawsuits. They refused. If the city has to defend Measure R – and loses – it would be devastating to the city financially to the point where fire and police services could dramatically be reduced.

“The proponents have also refused to explain why they wrote in a loophole that allows some shopping centers to dedicate up to 83% of their space to so-called ‘chain stores’ and yet a center across the street can only put in 30% chain stores.

“The voters of Malibu deserve to hear both sides of this issue,” Soboroff concluded. “We are proud to present a check for $25,000, to match Rob’s, to start helping get the voters easy access to both sides of the issue!”

PHOTO Patch file photo.