Referendum group charged with deception

Eron Ben-Yehuda

A group gathering signatures for a referendum to stop the city from

buying Downtown homes by force has come under fire for allegedly making

false statements to potential voters.

“It’s so inappropriate that they’re misleading people to get them to sign

their petition,” Main Street businessman and resident Howard Makler said.

“It’s really not fair. It’s certainly not right.”

Although only nine apartments on the 400 block of Pacific Coast Highway

are threatened by eminent domain, City Clerk Connie Brockway received a

letter stating that a signature gatherer had claimed hundreds of homes

were at risk.

Brockway referred the matter to the city attorney’s office. If the

allegations are true, a court may remove from the petition the names of

residents who were misled, she said.

Organizers of Huntington Beach Cares, which must gather 10,000 signatures

by Wednesday, said they’re investigating the charges. But they suspect

that supporters of Downtown redevelopment through eminent domain may be

trying to sabotage their effort.