Commentary: Costa Mesa First’s initiative will cause city to stagnate
I have always been and will remain an advocate for smart growth. I’ve never accepted campaign donations from developers, have a strong record fighting for the environment and received the endorsement from the Sierra Club when I ran for City Council in 2008. But Costa Mesa First and Jay Humphrey’s no-growth initiative is lethal for Costa Mesa residents’ future.
The initiative prescribes that any commercial development that requires a zoning change or General Plan Amendment and is over 10,000 square feet, or produces 200 additonal car trips per day, will require approval via special elections by voters.
Some of Costa Mesa’s most-successful businesses would not exist today under this ill-conceived initiative. IKEA, MetroPointe and other notable developments would’ve likely required voter approval. Even the Segerstrom Center for the Arts would likely have been targeted. Nothing escapes the angry assault of the initiative: residents, business, even the arts.
Twelve years ago, downtown Santa Ana was considered lifeless, but due to a laissez-faire approach from its City Council, DTSA is experiencing a renaissance never seen before in Orange County. Hipsters and families now enjoy a revitalized downtown. The proposed no-growth initiative would have stopped this, and DTSA would still be in a decomposing condition.
Malibu’s no-growth initiative Measure R was recently struck down by a court. Redondo Beach, a city listed as one of the models for Costa Mesa’s initiative, recently concluded in a staff report that “the city’s slow growth significantly impacts municipal revenues ...”
If the initiative is passed, then the City of Costa Mesa will have to defend lawsuits surely to be filed, and taxpayers will be forced to pay for the costs. It’s easy for Humprhey and his organization, Costa Mesa First, to push litigious initiatives when taxpayers will be ones paying for the legal defense. According to the City Clerk’s office it will cost taxpayers roughly $20,000, just to verify signatures for the no-growth initiative.
Just as there is truth in lending laws, there should have been more disclosure during the circulation of signatures. I’ve spoken with many Costa Mesa residents who were approached and said they were not told about the potential of lawsuits and loss of revenue.
Too many questions and complications arise from the initiative. The lack of substance and articulation pose problems, not to mention considerable legal and financial consequences.
I’ve been fighting since 2006 to save Banning Ranch, but restricting development in Costa Mesa will only increase the pressure to build on our last coastal space.
Humphrey has said he wants Costa Mesa to be nice for those that live here in 30 or 40 years. I plan to be residing in Costa Mesa in that time and wish for it to be modern and revitalized, not antiquated.
Finally, there’s a saying in politics, “Don’t pass a law you cannot enforce.” Humphrey’s initiative is bad for residents, business and the future of Costa Mesa. The initiative offers no vision, restricts our city’s future and will only cause Costa Mesa to become stagnant.
CHRIS BUNYAN is a former candidate for Costa Mesa City Council.