BREA

A group of residents hoping to limit development of local hillsides has turned its focus away from the public and onto local politicians.

The group, Save Brea’s Hills, has met the requirements to put an initiative on the November ballot and is turning its lobbying efforts to members of the City Council, hoping to persuade them to adopt the Hillside Heritage Initiative outright rather than put it on the ballot.

Glenn Parker, a former councilman, and Claire Schlotterbeck, a community activist, plan to meet with individual council members to discuss the initiative. The council will hold a special meeting Aug. 8 to discuss whether to adopt the initiative as an ordinance or turn it over to the voters to decide.

The initiative would give Brea voters the power to reject planned developments that require a change in the city’s zoning plans or that affect the local environment above established traffic and noise thresholds set by the city.