Dana Point Recall Vote Sets Off City Squabbling

Nothing in her 16 years as an elected official prepared Dana Point City Councilwoman Judy Curreri for this.

Over the last few months, she has seen the council chambers transformed into an arena for people to exchange insults and insinuations, and nearly trade blows. The city manager has resigned, a council member has been reprimanded for slipping into City Hall after hours to copy documents, and another has publicly called the council “a joke.”

Audiences at City Hall frequently jump into the fracas, greeting council comments with catcalls and shouts.

“It’s been as close to anarchy as anything I want to experience,” said Curreri, a public health nurse and sole remaining member of the city’s first council, seated in 1989. “Many citizens who come down to share their viewpoint at the podium will call me afterward and say they are very fearful and won’t come again. I think that’s frightening.”

The councilwoman said she has had enough and will not seek reelection.

The civil war in this small coastal city centers on a March 26 recall election targeting Mayor Karen Lloreda and Councilman Harold R. Kaufman, accused by foes of selling out to developers. The two deny the claim and say the recall is a thinly disguised power struggle orchestrated by a group of disgruntled citizens who want to put the brakes on commercial and residential development by gaining control of the council.

Both sides agree that the recall comes at a critical time in the short history of the 7-year-old city. Over the next few years, Dana Point will create a downtown, which it calls its town center, replan the old Doheny Village and watch closely as the county upgrades Dana Point Harbor.

“This is an important time. There is a lot to be done right now, a lot of plans and ideas are being discussed,” said Matt Ehrhart, a Dana Point resident for 17 years and former president of the city Chamber of Commerce. “The problem is I don’t see any leadership coming out of City Hall. Everyone is preoccupied with the recall.”

Recall supporters claim that the council majority has endangered Dana Point’s cherished small beach town atmosphere by supporting tourism and development, particularly on the Dana Point Headlands, a 121-acre promontory near Dana Point Harbor.

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Kaufman, Lloreda and their supporters say the city is on the right track and it is the disruptive recall, stirred up by false accusations that play on an anti-incumbency mood of the electorate, that threatens the city’s future.

In the meantime, the recall has created a hopelessly divided council with Curreri, Lloreda and Kaufman on one side and council members Toni Gallagher and William L. Ossenmacher, both recall supporters, on the other. Gallagher, fearful that unspecified documents would be destroyed, was the one copying memos and reports after hours.

But the recall has also polarized the 36,000 residents of the city named after 19th-century sailor and author Richard Henry Dana, who noted the area in his “Two Years Before the Mast.” Each side claims to represent the majority of residents, and each describes the other as a lunatic fringe.

“I think it is very sad that the whole atmosphere has deteriorated to the point that it has,” said Ingrid McGuire, a former council member. “I personally don’t believe in recall. I don’t think it’s good governance. . . . But some people are very angry and feel disenfranchised and that’s how we got to the point we are now.”

Many observers trace the roots of the recall back to the city’s ill-fated redevelopment agency, which was created shortly after Dana Point incorporated as a city in 1989.

The very concept of redevelopment instilled distrust of the new government and suspicion of “back room deals,” according to critics, who convinced the council to disband the agency in 1992. But those fears still persist today.

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“Redevelopment was the initial thing. It woke people up and we started becoming a community,” said Geoffrey Lachner, a local attorney and leader of two grass-roots groups backing the recall: the Committee to Save the Headlands, and CHANGE, Citizens Help Against Non-Representative Government and Excesses.

Then in 1993 came the politically volatile proposal to develop a $500 million hotel and residential resort on the headlands, the last large open property in the city and one of the last undeveloped coastal areas in the county.

The proposal, which would have allowed a 400-room hotel and more than 300 homes on the headlands, became a rallying cry for council critics, environmentalists and members of the slow-growth movement. “Save the Headlands” bumper stickers popped up all over South County.

The headlands are owned by Chandis Securities Inc. and the M.H. Sherman Co. Chandis Securities, a firm that oversees the financial holdings of the Chandler family, is a major stockholder in Times Mirror Co., publisher of the Los Angeles Times.

The proposal, although scaled back several times, was approved in 1994 by a previous council that included Lloreda. The council reasoned that the landowner had a right to develop the property and that the project would bring important revenue to the city.

Although the council’s approval was rescinded by a local referendum in November 1994, the fight that had been brewing for four years was on. It’s still all about the future of the city’s unique character, said Jim deYong , an 18-year resident, recall supporter and former owner of an advertising agency.

“I don’t want to turn the city over to tourism. I want it balanced,” said deYong, who owns a home overlooking Dana Point Harbor and down the street from part of the headlands. “Yes, we live on the coast and people want to come here, but we don’t need any more big hotels and big resorts. They bring problems with them.”

Supporters of Kaufman and Lloreda, including a local political group called Dana Point United, counter that the city has already dealt with the headlands proposal. There is no reason for a recall and the harm that comes with it, they say.

“These are a group of people who are absolute extremists, against anything good that happens in this city,” said Forrest Owen, a founder of Dana Point United. “They keep bringing up issues that have long ago been settled. They constantly bring up redevelopment, which was thrown out five years ago, and they keep bringing up the headlands deal, which was defeated almost two years ago.”

Kaufman and Lloreda, two residents who worked on the city’s early incorporation efforts, say the turmoil in Dana Point is part of the growing process of a young city. A new power structure, headed by Gallagher and Ossenmacher, is trying to take charge of the city, they say.

“I honestly think it’s a power play,” said Kaufman, who was not on the council during the headlands controversy but has been targeted for recall for receiving campaign contributions from its landowners. “A group is very active and incorporates a city and has great vision, then another group becomes the no-growth side and is anti-everything. I think most cities go through this.”

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Lachner, however, said the recall is only about finding council members who listen better.

“We don’t dislike [Lloreda and Kaufman], we don’t like their unwillingness to listen to the will of the people,” he said.

The debate over issues is better done during the normal election season, not by an emotionally charged recall process, said Kaufman and Lloreda who, along with Gallagher, won council seats in 1994.

“It’s wrong . . . it’s not the correct government tool,” Kaufman said. “If you don’t like what someone is doing, get rid of them when they are up for reelection, unless they are guilty of something immoral or illegal.”

Four potential council candidates will also be on the ballot as replacements for either Kaufman or Lloreda.

Mike Eggers, a former mayor and current congressional aide, and Bill Lane, a teacher and businessman, are vying to replace Lloreda, if she is recalled. Douglas Bitter, a mortgage broker, and Ruby L. Netzley, a retired businesswoman, would like to replace Kaufman if voters oust him.

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Eggers, who has taken no stand on the recall, has created a “Common Sense Contract” for Dana Point, which includes a proposal for term limits for council members. Lane and Netzley, both political newcomers, back the recall and opposed the headlands plan.

Bitter, another political newcomer and recall supporter, has focused his campaign on promoting “time-honored values” and activities for youth.

Residents will be asked to cast a yes or no vote for the recall of either Kaufman or Lloreda, or both. They must vote either way on the recall to then be allowed to chose among replacement candidates.

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Dana Point Showdown

Dana Point residents will be asked on March 26 to decide whether Mayor Karen Lloreda and Councilman Harold R. Kaufman should be recalled. Some background on the two recall targets and four candidates seeking their seats:

FACING RECALL

Mayor:

Karen Lloreda

Age: 48

Family: Married; three children

Occupation: Teacher

Education: Bachelor’s degree in human services, Cal State Fullerton; teaching credential from UC Irvine

Background: Current mayor and council member since 1990; former president of the Capistrano Beach Community Assn.; active Girl Scout leader

On the issues:

* Headlands: “The people of Dana Point need to commit to buying all or part of it, or we allow the property owner some development and see how much they will give us.”

* City Hall: “We should own a City Hall because, long-term, it is most cost effective. Where we build or buy depends on what is the best price.”

* Other issue: “The most important thing for any city is to try to ensure we have a continuous stream of revenue we can count on year after year.”

Councilman:

Harold R. Kaufman

Age: 53

Family: Married; two grown children

Occupation: Structured settlement broker

Education: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Penn State; master’s in business administration, University of Denver

Background: Former city planning commissioner; vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of South Coast Medical Center Foundation; board member Capistrano Valley Symphony

On the issues:

* Headlands: “Let’s buy as much as we can afford and get as much open space out of it as we can.”

* City Hall: “We need our own City Hall, and we should build or buy whatever we can within our budget.”

* Other issue: “We should fight the proposed commercial airport at the El Toro Marine base intensely.”

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

Douglas Bitter

Age: 48

Family: Married; eight children

Occupation: Mortgage broker

Education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Brigham Young University; master’s in business administration, University of Utah

Background: Moved to Monarch Beach from Laguna Niguel a year ago; active in youth organizations and Boy Scouts of America

On the issues:

* Recall: “I support the recall because I do not see an efficient government working for the benefit of all the citizens of Dana Point.”

* Headlands: “There are a lot of options, but the essence is the various parties have to come together to make a plan mutually beneficial for all.”

* City Hall: “We should shop for a new location because City Hall rent is double what it should be.”

* Other issue: “Education-related issues and youth programs to create good citizens are dear to me.”

Mike Eggers

Age: 47

Family: Divorced; four children

Occupation: District chief of staff for Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside)

Education: Degrees in journalism and photography from El Camino Community College

Background: Former councilman for six years, mayor from 1991-92; 1988 Citizen of the Year in Dana Point; former instructor at Saddleback College; former district chairman, Boy Scouts of America

On the issues:

* Recall: “I didn’t sign the recall petition, but I’m offering myself as an alternative should the recall succeed.”

* Headlands: “Get an honest appraisal of the cost to buy, improve and maintain the land for 20 years, then let the residents vote for a bond.”

* City Hall: “We shouldn’t build one because there are enough central locations. We should move to one of them and stop spending $32,000 a month.”

* Other issue: “Term limits. State law allows them, voters want them, let’s do it.”

Bill Lane

Age: 41

Family: Married; one son

Occupation: Educator and businessman

Education: Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, master’s in biology, Cal State Long Beach

Background: Volunteer tutor for Capistrano Unified School District

On the issues:

* Recall: “I support it because I don’t feel the council represents the people’s interests.”

* Headlands: “We need to have it appraised, talk to the owners and restudy the development. I think we can come up with an agreeable plan.”

* City Hall: “We are paying too much now. We either need to renegotiate the lease or move, but purchasing a new space should be delayed until we have more financial stability.”

* Other issue: “We should have a consensus on illegal immigration, the proposed commercial airport at El Toro and a council sensitive to public input.”

Ruby L. Netzley

Age: 71

Family: Widow; one daughter

Occupation: Businesswoman

Education: Graduate of Montebello High School; attended UCLA, Pomona College and Cal State Fullerton

Background: Director of the Village at Dana Point Homeowners Assn.; former president of church youth organization

On the issues:

* Recall: “I support the recall to preserve the quality of life in Dana Point.”

* Headlands: “We should get a better deal. I support the principle of saving the Headlands from overdevelopment and too much traffic.”

* City Hall: “We can’t afford to build a new one now, but we should find a lower rental rate than what we have.”

* Other issue: “I feel very strongly about fiscal responsibility, integrity in government and overdevelopment throughout the city.”

Source: Individual candidates; Researched by LEN HALL / Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times