Feb. 18--A petition for a referendum that would trigger public votes on major new development projects in Costa Mesa was certified Thursday by the county -- a step that brings the proposed law closer to the November ballot.
Costa Mesa First's petition had at least 4,995 verified signatures from registered voters, according to the city clerk's office. The political action committee submitted about 6,900 signatures for verification in January.
"Residents called and emailed, asking to sign," Costa Mesa First organizer and former City Councilman Jay Humphrey said in a statement. "People would call their friends, neighbors and family to their house to sign. I had people stopping me on the street because they wanted to be certain they had signed the petition."
The final step is a procedural vote by the City Council to place the initiative on the ballot.
If approved by voters, the law would trigger a public vote to approve developments that meet a variety of thresholds, starting with zoning changes or general plan amendments. If it requires either of those, it must then meet a second requirement, such as containing at least 40 housing units or 10,000 square feet of commercial space or generating an estimated 200 additional average daily car tips.
Costa Mesa First organizers have called their proposal highly democratic because it gives residents a right to "vote on their future." Furthermore, they contend, the law promotes "smart growth" principles and ensures that developers will stay within the confines of the city's zoning laws and general plan.
Dissenters, including the council majority, have called Costa Mesa First's petition a litigious example of "ballot box zoning" that has the power to deter any new residential or commercial development for years to come because developers don't want to face elections to get their projects through. They also contend that it misconstrues the original meaning of "smart growth," which calls for denser, more pedestrian-centric communities to avoid the pitfalls of urban sprawl.
"[The petition] doesn't just scare off business; they don't even show up," Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer said in July, when organizers began gathering signatures. "They're just gone."
