Irvine’s Proposition Parks Loses Big

IRVINE —  A $57.5-million bond measure to establish new parks and recreational facilities was overwhelmingly defeated Tuesday, with city voters apparently rejecting the City Council’s argument that the new tax would improve the quality of life and cost only pennies a day.

Voter turnout was about 18% during the special election on the bond and assessment district referendum, known as Proposition Parks, that would have funded 27 community service facilities, including three new parks.

With all of the city’s 38 precincts reporting, the measure was defeated by a more than 3-1 margin. It needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

“I must say I am surprised by the definitive nature of the rejection of the bond,” Mayor Larry Agran said. “But as I say, it is an investment decision and the electorate has clearly decided not to make this particular investment at this particular time.”

Proposition Parks had received the backing of an unusual alliance between Agran and Councilwoman Sally Anne Sheridan, who disagree on nearly every issue.

Agran and Sheridan, who are opponents in the June mayoral race, went so far as to write an open letter noting that “for 33 cents a day, we can buy a can of soda for our household, or we can add parks, biking/hiking/riding trails, cultural activities, more lighted athletic fields and landscaped park areas for picnics and activities for all our citizens.”

With the defeat of the bond measure, developers most likely will have to pay for any new recreational facilities or parks, Agran said.

“I think there’s no alternative (but to get developers to pay),” he said. “If we cannot raise funds from voters in a traditional way, then you obviously have to turn to new development to pay for new parks and facilities.”

The council decided to hold a March special election for Proposition Parks in an effort to keep the measure from becoming mired in the politics of the June mayoral race. The city also sent out a color brochure to explain and promote the measure.

Under Proposition Parks, the bonds and the assessment district would have paid for the maintenance and operation of the facilities, in addition to construction and other costs.

But that wasn’t the whole story, some community activists claimed. Hank Adler, an Irvine accountant, had said that instead of calling the measure Proposition Parks, “a more appropriate title would be ‘Proposition Tax Increase.’ ”

Adler said Tuesday night that he was surprised by the wide margin of Proposition Parks’ defeat.

“I guess it shows that size of the park bond must have been overreaching,” he said.

Projects under the measure were scattered throughout Irvine and included a new gymnasium to be shared by Irvine High School and Heritage Park; new trails for hikers and bikers; new parks for neighborhoods; the expansion of the Irvine Fine Arts Center and new centers for senior citizens.

But the range of services aroused some suspicion at the Chamber of Commerce, where members opposed the measure, saying the proposal was padded with excessive luxuries.

Businesses would have paid higher taxes had the measure been approved. For example, an owner of a 5,000-square-foot building would have paid another $507.50 in the first year and $739.33 in the 20th. Homeowners, by contrast, would pay $120 per household to fund the bond issue. That amount would increase annually, topping out at $174.82 in 20 years.

Times correspondent Leon Teeboom contributed to this report.

ELECTION RETURNS

Proposition Parks 100% Precincts Reporting Votes % Yes 2,557 24.0 No 8,083 76.0 Turnout 18.5%