City OKs analyst for Greenlight

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- The City Council approved hiring an analyst to study the

so-called Greenlight initiative Tuesday night despite accusations by

slow-growth supporters that the city is trying to undermine the measure.

“If we are the proponents of [the Greenlight measure], are you the City

Council our official opponents?” asked Phil Arst, a spokesman for the

community activist group that drafted the initiative. “We believe that it

is unfair and borders on the illegal to be using our own taxpayer dollars

to subsidize one side of a political campaign.”

City officials said the Protection from Traffic Density Initiative, set

to appear on the November ballot, deserves thorough examination because

it threatens to change the development process in Newport Beach. They

contended that hiring a consultant is no reflection of personal opinion,

but a city service to inform voters.

“I’m surprised that [the Greenlight group] doesn’t see that the city has

a responsibility to provide factual information to voters and city

staff,” said City Manager Homer Bludau.

The initiative, if passed, would give residents the final say on certain

development proposals in the city.

It would add another step to the already time-consuming process by which

proposals are approved or declined. After a project passes through the

Planning Commission and City Council, it would then go to a citywide

vote.

So far, it has not been adequately evaluated how it would affect the

city’s 49 different neighborhoods. Greenlight activist Allan Beek

admitted that some of his figures were less than accurate.

The council is spending $11,500 and banking on former city employee John

Douglas to conduct a study on the measure’s potential effects.

Slow-growth advocates feel that the task of scrutinizing the initiative

belongs to the media and proponents or opponents of the measure -- not to

the city. Some members suspect that because the council has openly stated

its opposition to the measure, it might be simply hunting for ammunition

to stop the initiative from passing.

“This information is not needed by the city until after the election and

then on a case-by-case basis,” Arst said, adding that his group should

also receive $11,500 for their own efforts.

The city’s study is expected to be completed in two months.