SEAL BEACH : Housing Plan May Be at Issue in Runoff

The fate of the proposed Hellman Ranch housing development and the pace of city’s future projects may hinge on the outcome of a May 8 runoff election to fill two open seats on the City Council, city observers said Wednesday.

Because none of the candidates got at least 50% of the vote in either of the two council district races Tuesday, two City Hall insiders who support the 329-home Hellman Ranch project will face two political newcomers who oppose it.

While Hellman Ranch supporters received more votes than the project’s foes, both sides said the election results reflected well on them.

“This indicates that a lot of people have the same concerns I do . . . but are intelligent enough to be realistic about what we can do,” said Gwen Forsythe, a business manager who garnered 48.8% of the votes in the District 3 race.

Her opponent in the runoff, financial controller Galen F. Ambrose, disagreed. “The vote shows that people are tired of the same clique that runs this town,” he said. “They don’t want business as usual, . . . they want a change.”

Ambrose, who received 37.3% of the vote in District 3, and property management specialist Marilyn Bruce Hastings, who garnered 25.2% of the vote in District 1, oppose the Hellman Ranch plan because of environmental and traffic concerns. Both candidates are relatively new to Seal Beach and its politics.

Forsythe and Joe Rullo, an engineering planner who received 28.2% of the vote in District 1, support the Hellman Ranch development, saying the plan represents a fair balance between environmental and commercial concerns. Both candidates are city planning commissioners and received the endorsements of outgoing council members in their respective districts.

Even though the Hellman Ranch project was approved by the City Council last fall, the two candidates elected in the runoff may have a chance to vote on the plan. A court ruled earlier this month that the council must review the development for a second time.

The District 1 and 3 seats are being vacated by Victor Grgas and Joyce Risner, two members of the 4-1 council majority that supports the development.

A victory for anti-growth forces in the runoff could pave the way for a new 3-2 council majority that opposes the Hellman Ranch plan.

However, it remained unclear whether an Ambrose-Hastings anti-growth alliance would form if both candidates are elected to the council. Ambrose insists that at least 85% of the Hellman property be devoted to wetlands restoration.

He described Hastings as being “very interested in the welfare of the city. With her vote, we can set a new tone for Seal Beach.”

Hastings was not willing to go so far.

“We have our differences,” she said of Ambrose. “I’m going represent (my district) and not align myself with anyone else.”

Hastings said that if elected, she would poll District 1 residents before making a decision on the Hellman plan.

Meanwhile, Rullo and Forsythe said they will continue to stress their government experience and ability to compromise on heated issues.

“I can go around saying the we are a little isolated island and I’ll keep it that way forever,” Forsythe said. “I’m not going to make campaign promises I can’t keep and (needlessly) cause alarm . . . over development.”