El Toro : Leaders Support Voters on City Name

Saying that they were bound to follow the voters’ choice, cityhood leaders on Thursday vowed to ensure that the name of their city will be Lake Forest despite expected objections by the Postal Service.

Helen Wilson, who was leader of the Community Coalition for Incorporation until she declared her candidacy for the new city council last December, contacted postal authorities Thursday about the controversy involving the name of the city-to-be.

El Toro and Lake Forest residents voted for cityhood by a 2-1 margin Tuesday, but were more evenly divided over the name for their new city.

Lake Forest edged out El Toro by 49% to 47%.

Postal authorities say a battle over the voters’ choice is imminent because there is already a community called Lake Forest near Tahoe City in Northern California.

Wilson, who emerged as the top vote-getter in the council election, said cityhood leaders were assured by postal authorities in 1989 that no incorporated city in California was named Lake Forest.

Wilson added that Hector Godinez, manager of the Postal Service’s Santa Ana division, said he would help expedite a clarification of the matter from postal authorities in Washington.

“We would do whatever we can to support what the voters did,” Wilson said.

“But I don’t think this will mean that we will change the existing names of the high school and library and other institutions. That is not on our agenda.”

Godinez said he was awaiting the coalition’s letter and would “take the proper steps” to clarify the matter.