Newspaper Clipping About May Knight Rindge

Publisher ’s NOTEBOOK What WouldMay Say? ШМогу has a way of transforming people and events. One of the great ironies of Malibu’s history may turn out to be that the grande dame of the original Malibu, rancho, May Rindge, could be mythologized into the quintessential environmental symbol. That Rindge was a strong personality is not to be denied. That her personal philosophy and economic objectives could have been so different from that of her hus¬ band, Frederick Hastings Rindge, may be more readily questionable. Although there is not the same reservoir of documentation on May’s thoughts that there is of Frederick’s thinkingijUt appears evident in his writings that the notion of Malibu as a West Coast Riviera came replete with the prospect of developing a resort complex that would rival those to be found in Europe. It is not mere flight of fancy to assume that had Frederick Rindge not died at so young an age, Malibu might be a very different place today. The Rindges were socialities in the turn-of-the twentieth century sense of the term, and an elite destination devel¬ opment, quite possibly on the Pt. Dume Head¬ lands at the end of the Rindges’ private railroad line, might have become the linchpin for coastal development that would have run the gamut from hotels to marinas. If such was the case, May’s efforts to prevent the Southern Pacific Railroad were less altruism than protectionism. But this was self-protection, not resource preservation. § till, May Rindge ’s name now graces an award given by The Fund for the Environ¬ ment, the progeny of a woman who is a cer¬ tified environmentalist. Ellen Stem Harris co¬ authored Proposition 20, which became the Cali- fomia Coastal Act. The vice-chair of the Califor¬ nia Coastal Commission for its first four years, she stresses its importance while acknowledging that the panel has been development friendly at various intervals in the last two decades. Harris has bestowed the Rindge award on the locally- based Save Our Coast and a group called DeRail die Trail in San Clemente. JDRT is a coalition of people who want to protect their beaches. Efforts like these are imperative counterbalances to gov¬ ernment and development interests. Whether or not May Rindge would have approved of such groups, and it’s our inclination that she wouldn’t have, her name now honors their efforts. ANNE SOBLE The Malibu Surfside News (ISSN— 0191-7307) Hie Malibu Surfside News (Malibu News) is a weekly community newspaper serving the greater Mal¬ ibu, Los Angeles County area that is published by Malibu News Enterprises, Inc. It has been adjudi¬ cated a newspaper of general circulation, qualified to publish legal notices and documents by die Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Decree No. C149959, May 3, 1976. Copyrighted. AH rights reserved. No reproduction or use of contents is permitted without express written authorization and negotiation of terms. The annual subscription rate for Malibu zip codes is $25, other U.S. area sub¬ scriptions are $45 a year, and out-of-the-country subscriptions are $100 a year. EDITOR in CHEFaidPUBUSHER-ANNECS. SOBLE CTTY/SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR — EHLL KOENEKER FEATURES EDITOR— PEGGY HALL KAPLAN ART DIRECTOR — JOHN JACOBS EdttoriaVProduction Team— Beverly Gosnell, Frank Lamonea, Janies Erickson, Ralfee Finn, Jennifer Muir, Harry Schwartz, Gretchen von Tongeln Newspaper Offices: 28990 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, CA 90265 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 903, Malibu, CA 90265 Telephones: (310) 457-NEWS-457-21 1 2^157-4235 FAX: (310) 457-9908 Website: http://toww.malibueurfsidenews.com e-mail: newsmalibuOaoi.com Periodicals Postage Paid at Malibu, CA 90265 Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Malibu Surfside News, P.O. Box 903, Malibu, CA 90265 LETTERS POLICY The Malibu Surfside News welcomes all expressions of opinion and commentary for con¬ sideration to be printed in the form of letters to the editor. Letters should, ideally speaking, be typeset by whatever means, double-spaced, and not exceed 250 words in length. E-mail and Mac/PC disks are accepted. Ail letters must be signed and include a return address and daytime telephone number, but the author may request that his or her name be with¬ held and indicate the cause for such request. Space preference is given to exclusive com¬ munications and letters that express communitywide themes. Political letters should focus on issues and may not endorse candidates. Letters selected for printing do not necessarily