The lesser of two evils

The truth: if the Malibu Valley Inn and Spa is not approved, 81 houses will be built instead.

Like it or not, the developer already has county approval to build 81 houses on 440 acres with the right to grade over two million cubic yards of dirt. We all want to preserve oak trees, but the fact is a permit already has been issued to take out 78 oak trees.

Opponents will tell you the developer will never get a coastal permit to build the houses. This also is not true. The vast majority of the houses are outside the Coastal Zone and do not need a coastal permit. The offsite utilities, approved by the coastal commission, are currently under construction and will be completed over the next 90 days.

These are the facts. If the city of Calabasas does not approve the Malibu Valley Inn and Spa we could have up to 81 houses, we will lose 440 acres of hillside instead of 40, we will have 2.2 million cubic yards of grading instead of 400,000 cubic yards and we will lose more oak trees.This isn’t Ahmanson or Soka. Fighting this project will not preserve open space. Fighting this project will ruin the hillsides instead of saving them.

Vote yes on Measure C. John Otay Calabasas