Sewer Plan for Malibu

Having never been accused of being an advocate for the “status quo,” I found it amusing that this label served as the focus of Supervisor Deane Dana’s response (Letters, March 3) to my article (Editorial Pages, Feb. 18), “Malibu Sewer Plan Is a Case of Overkill.”

There are septic tank problems in Malibu, but these do not justify what the county proposes. A sewer system is necessary for small portions of the Malibu Civic Center area and for the growth of Pepperdine University. It is possible to construct a small system that would serve these users without placing undue burden on the residents of Malibu. The capacity of existing sewage facilities could be expanded, such as the Malibu Mesa Wastewater Treatment Plant, to serve the needs of the already approved commercial and residential projects.

Why does Supervisor Dana want to sewer 27 miles of coastline because of the failure of 200 beachfront sewers? Why sewer the hills above Malibu if, as the supervisor writes, it is “residential water run-off, “ not septic tanks, which have triggered earth movement? Why threaten the taxpayers of Los Angeles County with footing the bill for lawsuits over future landslides when we know for sure that they are going to have to pay for the inevitable litigation over this ill-founded sewer system?

It is not political expediency to represent the overwhelming popular will of one’s constituents?

If Dana is on solid ground, why are the citizens of Malibu trying to raise a $1.1 million legal fund to torpedo his proposal?

TOM HAYDEN

Assemblyman

44th Assembly District

Santa Monica