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Residents on the private street DeButts Terrace, about five miles north of campus, succeeded in changing their street name to Murphy Way on Monday. The Malibu City Council voted in favor of the name change after the residents petitioned for a name that would be less embarrassing.
Malibu homeowners claimed that in today’s vernacular, the name DeButts has become easily ridiculed, and offered alternatives including Winding Way, and Paradise View Way.
Allison Thomsen, resident of the former DeButts Terrace, has lead the petition and spoke to the City Council. The petition was originally filed on June 8th, 2005 and was signed by all of the 12 current homeowners and 8 of the 21 remaining underdeveloped parcels.
Thomsen stated that the residents wished to rename the street its original name, The Overview, after the first two name options were refused. The Overview was the original street name which was changed to DeButts Terrace in 1980.
The reason behind the hesitation to change the name is that the street was named after former Malibu residents, the DeButts family.
Originally from Virginia, the Debutts’ were pioneers and lived off the land without natural gas or plumbing. The DeButts’ lived in Malibu for several generations, and named several of the surrounding streets around them.
Among the Malibu residents who were against the name change was Malibu mayor, Ken Kearsley.
Kearsley knew the DeButts family personally and taught their daughter, Forrest DeButts, at Santa Monica High School.
“The DeButts’ were a very nice family.” Kearsley said. “It would be a shame to forget them.”
The city council also seemed to be divided on the issue originally. In a city council meeting which took place two weeks ago, two members voted in favor of the change, two voted against, and one offered an alternative choice, Marianne Paradise View Way, in an attempt to include a member of the DeButts family in the new name.
“To be perfectly honest, this is not high on my priority, crisis list,” Councilwoman Sharon Barvosky said, “All this media hype over a name change is like giving Madonna’s adopting a baby the same air time as the number of people dying in Iraq.”
Councilman Jeff Jennings said that normally he would not have a problem with residents changing their street name, but with the history attached to this particular street, the issue became more complicated.
“To my mind, that tilts the balance in favor of retaining the old name,” Jennings said.
Jennings addressed resident’s concerns that their children would be teased because o the name.
“If that’s the worst their children have to endure while growing up, they’ll be fortunate indeed,” Jennings said.
However, residents continued their fight and actually managed to contact Forrest DeButts, now Forrest DeButts Nelson, for her input.
In a letter written to the city council, Nelson said, “I must agree with the residents of DeButts Terrace, that street and what it has stood for in the past, is NOT them.” Nelson claims that the original DeButts’ pioneering nature in no longer a part of the area.
Malibu residents have attempted to rectify the situation by offering a memorial to the DeButts’ family in exchange for allowing their street name to be changed. Nelson said that she thinks the monument would be a great idea.
As of now, the location for the memorial is unknown, but is expected to be placed near the mailboxes on the newly renamed, Murphy Way.
Submitted 10-26-2006
MALIBU, CA
