Foes of Development Curbs Win Manhattan Beach Council Race

Even before the three winners in Tuesday’s Manhattan Beach City Council election had finished celebrating, they were predicting the defeat of a June ballot initiative designed to limit development in the city.

“The so-called Neighborhood Protection Initiative will go down to a much deserved defeat,” proclaimed reelected incumbent Councilman Bob Holmes.

Holmes joined Patricia (Pat) Collins and Steve Barnes in a nearly 2-to-1 defeat of incumbents Jan Dennis and Gil Archuletta, who supported the growth-control measure known as Proposition E in an election dominated by development issues.

Record Turnout

In the five-way race, Collins, 47, led the way with 4,861 votes, followed by fellow Planning Commissioner Barnes, 43, who received 4,783 votes. Holmes tallied 4,428. Dennis, with 2,757 votes, and Archuletta, with 2,693, were far behind.

Nearly 33% of the city’s 22,300 registered voters cast ballots, in what city officials believe is a record turnout.

Even before the final results were in, the candidates discussed the impact on the Proposition E vote on June 7.

The initiative would prohibit commercial parking lots in residential areas and reduce permissible development by counting above-ground parking structures when calculating a building’s total square footage. It also would reduce building height limits from 30 feet to 26 feet in some parts of the city.

Bruce Ponder, a leader of the Neighborhood Protection Initiative Committee, downplayed the damage that the council election will have on Proposition E, saying his group would make sure the rationale for the measure is made clear.

“Once we fully inform the community about the initiative and what it means, they will support it,” Ponder said.

Might Shun Campaign

Dennis, 56, and Archuletta, 48, maintain the city needs the initiative to fend off overdevelopment and excessive traffic.

But Dennis said she might help the proposition more by staying out of the campaign.

“I don’t know how effective Gil or I can be now,” she said. “Maybe both of us should stay away from it. I’m going to have to think about it.”

The three winners said the city already has sufficient building restrictions.

“There were a lot of scare tactics,” said Collins. “We can’t have high-rises like Westwood. We have a 30-foot height limit. We can’t have parking lots on residential lots. That’s not permitted.”

Tuesday’s victors said they will be joined by council members Larry Dougharty and Connie Sieber in fighting Proposition E.

Archuletta accused the winners of using “a lot of lies and distortions and a lot of money” to defeat him and Dennis.

But the victors said it was Archuletta and Dennis who brought bad feelings to the city.

“I think people are tired of a lot of the divisiveness and ugliness in council,” Barnes said. “Clearly peoples perceptions were that they were responsible.”