Friday, March 09, 2007

Lots Going On In Malibu.

Once again, Malibu is front and center in the news. Anti-LNG activist Keely Shaye Brosnan is organizing another demonstration against Cabrillo Port this weekend. According to the Malibu Surfside News it is being timed to coincide roughly with the release of the revised EIR. It's not clear if the activists are planning to unveil a new policy/strategic element to their campaign, or if this is more a morale-boosting event in advance of next month's hearings.

Meanwhile, the Hoover Institution's Bill Whalen slams Shaye Brosnan and her fellow activists in an article in the American Spectator:

"This amounts to the kind of demagoguery that eco-activists routinely accuse energy interests of using to avoid real discussion and thwart their purported good works. And with friends like Ms. Shaye, what environmentalist needs enemies?"


All of this is going on against the backdrop of another story in Malibu that has caused surprisingly little controversy. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that billionaire Larry Ellison has bought up $200 million worth of property in Malibu and plans to open at least two new high-end restaurants that Malibu Mayor Ken Kearsley is opposing because of the traffic problems the tony eateries will create. Nevertheless, the Malibu City Council has granted Ellison a zoning change called a "local coastal program amendment" which would allow him to proceed with his project.

I guess I was wrong-- Malibu residents aren't NIMBY's after all. At least they're not when the developer is one of their own and the project involves a nice restaurant!

‘No LNG’ Rally Slated for Malibu Pier on Saturday [Malibu Surfside News]
Who's Afraid of Liquified Natural Gas? [American Spectator]
Billionaire's buying has the town talking [Los Angeles Times]