Hasty Ruling on Soka

We are extremely disappointed that the Malibu City Council has chosen to issue a negative resolution about Soka University. This snap decision totally ignores an established and effective environmental review process designed to clarify traffic and environmental concerns. The council’s haste in issuing this resolution is done without important and necessary environmental impact information.

At the July 16 Malibu City Council meeting, university representatives respectfully asked the council not to make a snap decision on the university’s 25-year development plan until a detailed environmental impact report, specifically addressing many of the Malibu City Council’s concerns, had been completed. University representatives informed the council that, upon its completion, they would happily return to discuss the report’s conclusions. Unfortunately, the council chose to issue a resolution based on pure supposition rather than wait for a detailed report.

The council’s premature resolution sets a dangerous precedent of making hasty, uninformed decisions without any supportive data for conclusions. This action on Soka now taints the council’s ability to be an objective player in a future environmental review process.

JEFF OURVAN

director, community relations

Soka University