No Quarter in Two-Thirds Initiative Fight

* As the proponent of the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative and the chairman of the grass-roots Citizens for Safe and Healthy Communities, I am shocked by Sheriff Mike Carona’s comments that this measure will force him into expanding the Musick Branch Jail in Lake Forest from 1,100 beds to more than 7,500 (Feb. 19).

Carona is barely two months into his term as sheriff, and he has already reneged on his campaign promise not to build a jail near residential communities. Worse, the jail he is intending to “force” on the residents of Lake Forest is over twice the size of San Quentin prison!

The sheriff is wrong that the initiative limits his ability to cure the jail overcrowding problem. It would permit the sheriff to build any size jail anywhere that is not a residential area. It would even permit him to expand Musick if Lake Forest and Irvine would agree.

The initiative requires a two-thirds vote of the people only for jails of 1,000 or more beds in fairly densely populated areas. This is not an unreasonable restriction. If Carona wants to build such a large jail in a residential area, he should get a vote of the people.

If the sheriff has actually read the initiative, then one can only wonder if he has been planning all along to build his large jail near these residential neighborhoods.

This just reaffirms the need for a law that would prevent politicians from forcing large projects upon Orange County residents without their approval.

I would urge the sheriff to work with the citizens and elected officials of Lake Forest and Irvine to work out a reasonable and sensible solution to the jail overcrowding problem instead of alienating even more citizens with such transparent threats.

JEFF METZGER

Laguna Hills

* It seems to me that if we are to have a ballot measure that will require a two-thirds vote to approve certain matters, then we need two-thirds of the voters to approve the measurement.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be valid.

BOB WOLFF

Newport Beach

* This initiative is vitally needed in Orange County and should be extended to the whole state.

The citizens of Orange County are being manipulated and forced to accept the El Toro airport plan by irresponsible county supervisors and the influence of wealthy developers.

There has been deceit, incompetence and a lack of responsible planning on the supervisors’ part. The airport planned for El Toro was considered to be a done deal, but this initiative will stop this fiasco dead in the water. The initiative will shift control of the environment back into the hands of the electorate, where it rightly should be.

People certainly have a right to control noxious uses of land near their homes and schools, not the developers and their buddy-buddy supervisors. The greedy individuals and cargo carriers who thought that they had scored a victory will find out that they have shot themselves in the foot.

Everyone should support and sign this initiative. It will benefit us all.

EUGENE GAVIN

Mission Viejo

* The new scheme is to put an initiative on the ballot requiring a two-thirds approval by voters for county projects such as an airport.

Proponents will need only a simple majority to pass that initiative, but if it passes the new airport would then require two-thirds of the voters to approve it.

That way anti-El Toro airport people only need to find one-third of voters to disapprove of the El Toro airport and that project will be history. In other words, the minority would get their way over the preference of the majority! Does that seem fair to anyone?

JUDY FRY

Fullerton

* There are people from South County who have become so obsessed with trying to keep public projects from their community that they have ceased to make sense.

It has gotten so bad that Lake Forest’s Chuck Corpening actually proposed eliminating our county government altogether (Letters, Feb. 21).

Corpening is unwilling to understand why the majority of our supervisors do not agree with his opinion to stop plans for the El Toro airport and a jail in South County.

He would like us to forget that studies indicate the overwhelming need for such new facilities to meet current and future demands. Obviously, South County would prefer those of us in North County to continue providing such services for them in our neighborhoods so they can continue to live in their pristine environment without sharing such responsibilities.

Our county government is not only necessary, it is vital! Hopefully those in South County will stop the fighting and start negotiating for the well-being of everyone.

MARIAN BRATT

Anaheim