Property fight group gets enough signatures for vote

Eron Ben-Yehuda

A group determined to suspend the city’s power to purchase Downtown

residential properties by force has collected enough signatures to

qualify for a ballot initiative, organizers said this week.

Huntington Beach Cares turned over to the City Clerk Tuesday about 18,000

names of registered voters, nearly twice the number required for a

referendum, group leader Jim Lane said.

The strong showing indicates the vigorous opposition to the “evil”

ordinance passed by the council last month, he said.

The law would allow the city to use the power of eminent domain on nine

properties above El Don Liquor in the 400 block of Pacific Coast Highway.

Those properties stand in the way of a multimillion dollar hotel,

restaurant and retail project that the council favors.

But the group’s achievement is marred by controversy as proponents of

Downtown redevelopment through eminent domain accused petition gatherers

of misleading residents into believing that hundreds of homes are

threatened.

“It would appear that this is election fraud,” said City Atty. Gail

Hutton, who referred the matter to the district attorney’s office for

investigation.

If the allegations are true, a court may remove from the petition the

names of residents who were misled, City Clerk Connie Brockway said.

Barring legal action, the County Registrar of Voters has until late

December to verify the signatures, she said.

To place the referendum on the March ballot, the registrar must finish

its review before Dec. 6, she said.

Question:

HOMES ALONE

Do you think the city is fair in reinstating eminent domain powers?

Leave us your thoughts on our Readers Hotline at 965-7175, fax us at

965-7174 or e-mail us at [email protected] . Please include your name

and city where you live.