|
Right to Vote petition submitted
By AMY ANGELO YORBA LINDA STAR - August 11, 2005
Complete
text - registration required
Excerpts:
More than 8,500 Yorba Linda residents who want a say in land-use changes signed a petition that organizers submitted Friday to City Hall – the first step in calling a special election.
“We would like to have a voice on major redevelopment changes. The city is proposing up to five stories and densities up to 53.5 housing units per acre on some sites,” said initiative sponsor Jim Horton.
The signatures have been submitted to the county Registrar of Voters for verification. An official count will be completed by Sept. 19.
A special election requires 6,065 valid signatures of the 8,662 submitted. That’s 15 per- cent of registered voters in Yorba Linda as of May 16, when the notice of intent to circulate a petition was filed.
“We have decided to validate the entire 15 percent at the cost of $3.40 per signature versus taking a random sampling to see if the signatures reach 110 percent,” City Clerk Kathie Mendoza said.
“Because if we didn’t find 110 percent, we would be forced to go back and do the per-signature count.”
This recommendation came from City Attorney Sonia Carvalho, who has dealt with other initiatives and believes it is the wisest use of city money.
“They are going to spend our money because they don’t trust us,” said Gabriella Rollins, a supporter of the Yorba Linda Residents for Redevelopment, the group leading the campaign.
Based on the number of signatures submitted, Rollins would prefer the city opt for a random sampling with the belief that they would most likely find 15 percent.
This might not be the last signature count in 2005.
Residents are concerned about the creation of a new set of land-use guidelines – called the Town Center Planned Development zoning regulations – that the city is looking to consider for the redevelopment area by the end of November, before the initiative could be up for vote. City officials could not confirm a possible ballot date for the initiative.
“A timeline for the proposed set of zones was established before the initiative was even on the table, and we are moving forward,” said Michael Maxfield, city public information officer.
If the petition qualifies with 15 percent of the voters, the city would be forced to set a special election, according to State Election Code. The city also would have the option of adopting an ordinance without an election.
If the land-use changes are adopted prior to a vote on the initiative, residents would have the option of seeking a referendum – which would require collecting 10 percent of registered voter signatures in 30 days – to overturn the new zoning regulations.
At last week’s City Council meeting, Jan Horton challenged the council on the issue.
“Will you … force a referendum prior to an election on the Right to Vote initiative? This would result in our having to ask the people to establish their mandate again during the holiday season – the busiest time of the year and when many people travel,” she asked.
“Your constituents would view this as once again, the council working on their own agenda rather than listening to their constituents. It would be the game of politics.”
Complete
text - registration required
|
