Upset by city rudeness in Calabasas

Several local residents had taken time from their evening at home to attend a recent Calabasas City Council meeting to speak at a public hearing on a city's proposal to extend sewers into the Old Topanga rural community.

Our group of residents included Gary and Cynthia Maxwell, a board member from the Cold Creek Community Council; Hal Helsley, longtime teacher, water district board member and current L.A. Regional Planning Commissioner from District 5; plus a half-dozen Old Topanga residents, including myself, a two-term Calabasas planning commissioner.

When it was announced by Mayor Maurer that the agenda item was to be "continued," our group of residents exited the council chamber. It was raining, so we entered an empty, open and lit conference room to discuss the issue at hand, when through the door entered a small, rude man from the city. Holding open the door, he exclaimed, "Okay, out. Now."

"Are we being thrown out?" we asked. "Yes, now," was his response.

There was a time when residents were welcomed at the Calabasas City Hall. What does it say about a city staff that community stakeholders should be subjected to such rude, intolerant and disrespectful conduct? Such actions are inexcusable. Whose city is this, anyhow?

Toby Keeler

Calabasas