Mailbag: Planning initiative gives more control to the people

Chris Bunyan is perplexed by an item in the definitions section of the Costa Mesa First initiative (“Mailbag: Arguments in favor of controlled growth measure perplex,” May 14). The definition of a significant traffic impact does use some technical traffic engineering terms, but most of the nearly 7,000 people who signed the petition relied on the city attorney’s summary rather than parsing every word of the initiative ordinance.

Bunyan seems not to understand that the citizens already have the right of referendum under the California Constitution. The Costa Mesa First initiative is a way of exercising that right with regard to future changes the City Council may make to land-use laws in order to approve certain major new development projects.

If the measure passes in the November election, changes in land-use law for some major development projects will be automatically subject to approval or disapproval by the voters, without the need to petition each time the council amends the laws to accommodate a project proposal as they have done so many times in the last several years.

Some who see land-use laws as mere obstacles to be circumvented want to make it as difficult as possible for the citizens to exercise their right of referendum. They prefer a piecemeal approach that would require the people to circulate petition after petition every time a developer persuades the Council to approve a project that doesn’t conform to the existing laws.

But we, the people, have the opportunity in November to take control and make land-use laws effective again by adopting the Costa Mesa First initiative ordinance.

If developers want to avoid a public vote on major development proposals, they can simply design projects that conform to the land-use laws. If they want changes to those laws, they can make their case to the people, who can then approve or disapprove their projects.

Eleanor Egan

Costa Mesa

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This one that didn’t get away

Re. “Fish tales from the trout trip files,” May 7: This piece was off the hook. Great job, sir. Those rascal bastards nearly brought a tear to my eye. Huh? Nah. That’s just the morning mist beneath my bifocals. Thank You.

David Worthington

Costa Mesa

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Opposing T-shirts for Harbor High

“Dump Trump” shirts allowed at Newport Harbor High School? Will the Newport-Mesa Unified School District allow “Corrupt Hillary” shirts? Doubt it.

John Larson

Newport Beach

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Proposed entrance sign

Wow! Newport Beach must have money to burn! Come on people, why are we going to erect a $235,000 “Balboa Village” sign, when one of the biggest blights on the Peninsula is the decades-long closure of the Balboa Theater! The city should encourage the latest developer, with funds if necessary, to resurrect the theater to a retail project. Obviously, continuing any plan to organize a performing arts or movie venue is problematic.

Pete Rabbitt

Newport Beach

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