Fending Off Development

Councilman Marvin Braude is doing the right thing when he proposes deletion of the road from Mulholland to Sunset. He is opting to protect the residents of his district as well as the interests of the citizens-at-large from being sacrificed to the development goals of outside money.

In one fell swoop, the road would facilitate development in both the San Fernando Valley and in Big Wild itself, and that is its purpose.

The suggestion that this road is needed to solve local traffic problems is a red herring. This road would require paving dirt Mulholland for access. North and west valley development interests wish to take a rare treasure from the Santa Monica Mountains in order to solve the problems created by poor planning in their own districts.

Presenting this road as providing better access to Topanga State Park is laughable. There wouldn’t be much left to access. A natural area does not have a high-speed road running down the middle of it.

Destruction of this large natural park (we are the only city to have such an area within its boundaries) in order to shorten someone’s morning commute is throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

SUSAN GENELIN

Sherman Oaks