Local News in Brief : Countywide : Slow-Growth Initiative’s Foes Outspent Backers

Supporters of the countywide slow-growth initiative defeated last June were outspent by $2.7 million to $106,294, according to a mandatory political finance report filed two months after the statutory deadline by the proponents’ campaign committee.

The report, filed last Friday by Citizens for Sensible Growth and Traffic Control, shows that nearly 25% of the money was spent to keep the initiative on the ballot during a pre-election court challenge by the Building Industry Assn. of Southern California.

The association has said it spent $148,000 on the unsuccessful court bid to bar Measure A from the ballot. It still has not filed a report detailing the source of its funds.

Citizens for Sensible Growth still owes $17,883 in legal fees to two lawyers who are members of the group’s own board of directors--Belinda Blacketer and Gregory A. Hile, according to the report filed with county Registrar of Voters Donald F. Tanney’s office. Hile, who is the group’s treasurer, said he missed the Aug. 1 deadline for filing the report because of illness and lack of needed information.

The county soon will bill Hile for fines totaling $10 a day for each day he was late in filing the report, according to Deputy Registrar Suzanne Slupsky.

Citizens for Traffic Solutions, which led efforts to defeat the Measure A campaign, previously filed reports showing expenditures of $2.4 million. But independent expenditures by other groups, individuals and companies pushed the total amount to more than $2.7 million.

Measure A was defeated on June 7 by 56% to 44% of the votes.