Land Rights and Religion

The letter by Soka’s Jeff Ourvan, whining about the Malibu City Council’s resolution opposing Soka’s development, is wrong on every point.

The Malibu City Council did not make a “snap” decision. Soka’s development plan has been public since May 1, 1991, and has been thoroughly reviewed and analyzed by many interested individuals and groups.

The facts are there for all to see. Does Ourvan deny that Soka wants to build 84 new buildings totaling 1.7 million square feet? Does he deny that Soka wants to grade 640,000 cubic yards and construct 2,500 parking spaces? Does he seriously challenge the traffic study which shows the project will cause massive traffic jams up and down Malibu Canyon? Does he still--with a straight face--say the project will generate only 40 car trips a day from Malibu?

As for Ourvan’s claim that the Malibu City Council should have waited until Soka issued its EIR: Everybody knows developers pay for their own EIRs. Because Soka is very rich, we can expect it to acquire a very favorable EIR. Can you imagine Soka’s EIR recommending against the project?

No, the truth hurts, and this is what Ourvan is complaining about. Soka’s project is a rapacious attack on the mountains. If Soka’s huge new campus can get built in the mountains, anything can get built. Soka has to be stopped if the mountains are to be protected.

LES HARDIE

Las Virgenes