Petition drive in Huntington Beach called deceptive
A couple of signers of a petition demanding the removal of the nine current members of the Huntington Beach Downtown Business Improvement District board say they felt pressure to sign or were misled about what they were lending their names to.
Mike Ali, who owns Zach’s Pier Plaza and Zach’s Too, told the Daily Pilot that he gave his signature after being misinformed about the true nature of the petition.
He said a woman came into his business and told him that if he signed the paper then a maintenance crew would clean the pier. Ali, who called the incident “deception,” later found out that his signature was included on the petition.
BID president Steve Daniel said Thursday after the group’s monthly meeting that he’s received reports from several business owners that they were misled by the organizers of the petition drive.
But Susie Smith, former BID president and the person behind the petition drive, said Thursday that she has not been approached by anyone claiming to have been misled. Smith said she collected all of the signatures and made the contents of the petition clear to each person she approached.
The petition alleges that the BID — a public-private partnership that aims to revitalize the downtown area — has kept two sets of books since 2011 and that one of the accounts, totaling $271,000 as of September, was kept secret from the council.
The petition comes amid controversy surrounding the finances of the BID and the council’s vote on Feb. 21 to have the city’s Finance Commission launch an audit.
BID President Steve Daniel has denied that the account, which he said contains money made from Surf City Nights, a popular street fair sponsored by the BID, is secret.
Assistant City Manager Ken Domer said previously that city officials have known about the Surf City Nights account.
Domer has also said they were aware of plans by the BID to save the money for major projects, like new lighting in the area that could cost as much as $1 million.
Ali’s name was included twice on the petition. Some signatures are repeated on the document, but Smith said that’s because some signers have more than one downtown business and have to pay BID dues for each, which grants them multiple votes when electing BID board members.
Ali, who has been operating in the downtown area since 1971, said he has no quarrel with the BID board. He thinks the BID is doing a great job.
Henry Carey, co-owner of Bomburger, 200 Main St., said he signed the petition to appease a man who had repeatedly confronted him at his business with requests to sign it.
Carey said it was an “unfair” document and wishes his name had been left off of it.
The petition not only relates to the BID finances but it also calls for the removal of the BID board so it can be filled with downtown business owners. Currently, employees of downtown businesses make up some of the members. Smith said employees “do not have enough stake” in improving downtown.
The BID board members considered this notion at their Thursday meeting, held at the International Surfing Museum.
BID member Matt Peterson said it’s too “exclusionary” to only allow owners on the board and added that the petition organizers are being “too simplistic” and are “painting with a broad brush.”
BID member Bob Bolen responded, saying that it’s important to have business owners on the board because other people come and go.
Peterson told Bolen that he believes that a policy of business owners only would exclude those who can’t attend meetings from being involved.
Daniel and the board decided to table discussion of the petition until they can speak with City Council members.
The BID will meet again at 8:30 a.m. April 10. A location has not yet been chosen.
Twitter: @benbrazilpilot
