Judge Upholds Most of Initiative Wording

A judge’s ruling to keep most of the wording on a November development measure was a victory for both sides, opponents and supporters of the growth initiative said.

Superior Court Judge Barbara Lane ruled Tuesday that five of 16 arguments in the Save Our Open Space measure should be changed, such as references to the city’s future development plans, described in the measure as “reckless.”

But despite claims of city officials in a lawsuit against backers of the measure, the judge found none of the statements by SOAR supporters were false or misleading, said Richard Francis, an attorney representing SOAR supporters.

City Councilman Roger Campbell said any order to change wording in the measure’s language validated the city’s complaints.

“If they changed five, then they were false and misleading,” he said.

“The City Council and the Friends of Fillmore had no false and misleading statements in its proponent argument,” Campbell said. “The SOAR people--as they have in the past--have tried to mislead the public and a judge said, ‘No, you can’t do that.’ We’ve been straightforward and honest. I think we won a victory.”

Francis said the city’s lawsuit was nothing more than an attempt to “skew the nature of the debate.”