HUNTINGTON BEACH : Rivals Attack Flyer Listing No Sponsors

A political brochure favoring the Measure D parks and beaches proposal in the city’s Nov. 6 election has come under attack from supporters of rival Measure C, who say the brochure is illegal because it does not list a mailing address for a sponsor group.

But officials of the Fair Political Practices Commission in Sacramento said Tuesday that the brochure does not need a mailing address if it has been handed out rather than mailed.

Tom Duchene, spokesman for the committee distributing the brochure, said all of the pro-Measure D publications have so far been handed out and not mailed.

Measure C, sponsored by Save Our Parks, is a citizens initiative placed on the ballot after supporters got about 15,000 signatures of registered voters. The measure would forbid both sale and lease of park and beach land without a citywide vote.

It would also forbid construction of any new building larger than 3,000 square feet or any structure costing more than $100,000 on the beaches or in existing parks unless approved by a citywide vote.

Measure D, its rival, was placed on the ballot by the City Council. It would also forbid sale of park and beach land, but it would permit the lease of those lands by the City Council.

The Huntington Beach Committee for P.A.R.K.S./Yes on D said in its brochure that Measure C would halt a proposed youth sports complex and a youth shelter, both scheduled to be built in Central Park.

Debbie Cook, spokeswoman for Save Our Parks, said Tuesday that the Yes on D committee’s brochure “is full of lies.”

If Measure C passes on Nov. 6, she said, the city could build more ball fields in Central Park without a citywide vote.

Also, the youth shelter building would not be affected, she said, according to a ruling by the city attorney’s office.

Cook is among those who questioned the legality of Yes on D’s brochure, because the publication contained no mailing address.

But Sandy Michioku, spokeswoman for the FPPC, said Tuesday that state law requires that the address be on such brochures only if more than 200 are mailed.