NEWS ANALYSIS -- Sometimes, even politicians change
Jenifer Ragland
COSTA MESA -- Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva is finding himself in a
familiar, though perhaps uncomfortable, situation:
He is at odds with public opinion.
Early in his political career in Huntington Beach, the then-city
councilman faced a tough dilemma -- continue support for a controversial
beachfront development or switch his long-standing position after a
citywide vote made it clear that the project wasn’t wanted in Surf City.
Defying conventional wisdom, he became the swing vote to kill the plan.
The vote stunned Silva’s supporters and critics alike.
Now that Measure F has passed in a landslide victory -- and in his own
district by as much as 59% -- will Silva waver and become the swing vote
to doom any change for an El Toro airport?
The quick answer is no, he won’t. At least not now.
Nearly nine years ago, as a city councilman in Huntington Beach, he was
on the verge of a critical vote on the controversial Pierside Village
project -- a proposal to build a $20-million restaurant complex on the
beach near Main Street.
The project was so hated by the city’s residents that it sparked an
initiative drive, Measure C, which passed in November 1990 with nearly 75% of the vote. The ballot measure -- a distant cousin to Measure F --
required a majority vote by residents before anything could be built on
city beaches or in city parks.
At the time, the Huntington Beach City Council had a solid four-member,
pro-development majority, of which Silva was a leader. In July 1991, the
fate of Pierside Village came down to a final, dramatic vote. Yes or no.
Approve the lease for the beachfront land -- and then face a citywide
vote -- or reject the development outright.
After a lengthy public hearing came the deciding moment. And Silva,
expected to vote “yes” along with his pro-growth colleagues, surprisingly
switched his stance and cast a “no” vote.
“Some of the business leaders were surprised at the decision,” said
Huntington Beach Councilman Peter Green, who also opposed Pierside
Village. “I see nothing wrong with a person changing his mind. In fact, I
respected Jim for that.”
After the vote, Silva explained that with Measure C, the populous had
spoken. At the time, he quoted his favorite president, Abraham Lincoln.
“Elected officials are to do for the citizens what they cannot do for
themselves in their own individual capacity,” he said.
Fast-forward one decade. Silva, now a veteran county supervisor, is one
of a three-member pro-El Toro majority on the board. A few years ago,
most of Silva’s district also favored a second county airport at El Toro.
But now, things are different. Measure F, the initiative floated by South
County activists trying to derail the airport plan, passed last week by
nearly a 2-to-1 margin.
According to a Times Orange County analysis, even in Silva’s district --
normally neutral territory on the airport debate -- voters overwhelmingly
favored the measure. Measure F was defeated narrowly in only one of his
district’s cities -- Costa Mesa voted it down by 51% -- according to the
analysis.
Still, Silva is hanging tough for an airport at El Toro.
“I think the voice of the voters is very important and I will support
Measure F,” he said last week. “But I think you have to consider that
this makes the third vote, and it’s not the last vote.”
He also said he can’t be sure Measure F’s victory means the majority of
residents don’t want the airport at El Toro.
“I voted against the Pierside Village project because I felt a majority
of people didn’t want it. In this case, it’s not clear,” Silva said.
“Even the supporters of Measure F admit this had more to do with the
public’s voice in the planning process than in approval of jails or
airports.”
But Silva has not proposed any changes to the airport planning process,
either. Immediately following the vote, he and board chairman Chuck Smith
said publicly that they must continue to move forward and that the
results of Measure F “won’t affect an airport at El Toro.”
When questioned about his statement, Silva responded, “What do you
suggest I do?”
With Measure A -- the 1994 initiative that started the airport planning
process -- still in effect, he said his hands are tied.
Making matters more complicated, one area of his district, Costa Mesa,
supports the airport plan, albeit narrowly. And while Newport Beach is
outside of his district, the bulk of the donations from his 1998 campaign
against Huntington Beach Councilman Dave Sullivan came from Newport Beach
pro-airport forces. Silva will be up for reelection in 2002.
As for what he should do next, South County officials have some ideas.
“Anything can be fixed, but the county has to change the way it does
business and start telling the truth,” said Meg Waters, spokeswoman for
the El Toro Reuse Planning Authority. “The process can’t be fixed with
more PR.”
She added that Measure A doesn’t require the county to approve a bad
airport plan, which is what she contends has been done.
Leonard Kranser, who helped lead the campaign for Measure F, said the
county paid for its past mistakes when the initiative won its landslide
victory last week. And rather than simply dismiss the loss, county
officials ought to find the lesson, he said.
“Everything they have done has been politically motivated, without regard
to legitimate concerns of the surrounding community,” Kranser said.
“Silva’s up for reelection in two years and I think he would do well to
go with his constituents on this issue,” he added.
Mark Petracca, chairman of the political science department at UC Irvine,
said Silva’s situation goes to an inherent contradiction in democratic
theory.
“The contradiction is between the expectation that leaders will follow
and the expectation that leaders will lead,” he said. “The question is,
under what conditions are leaders more likely to follow, and under what
conditions will the public expect their leaders to lead?
“This could very well be a rare opportunity for Silva to behave like a
statesman and provide leadership for the board, driven by an overwhelming
expression of constituent support for Measure F. Silva doesn’t have to be
a weather vane. This was not a public opinion poll. This was an
election.”
But Bruce Nestande, president of Citizens for Jobs & the Economy, which
spearheaded the “No on F” campaign, maintains that Silva should stand by
his position on the airport.
“Measure F, regardless of what the anti-airport people want to claim at
this point, was not a clear referendum against the airport,” Nestande
said. “People had a smorgasbord of issues on which to vote. How one could
conclude that this is an anti-airport vote mystifies me.”
He added that anti-airport forces admitted publicly they crafted Measure
F in order to gain more support in North County, where voters may not
have turned down another initiative strictly on the airport.
“They chose not to make it just an up or down on the airport, and now
that they won, they are saying that it was all about the airport,” he
said. “I don’t accept that and I don’t think Jim Silva will accept that.”
To that, Kranser said if Measure F wasn’t about El Toro, then was it just
a coincidence that Newport Beach -- clearly the most pro-El Toro area in
the county -- was also the city that most soundly defeated the measure?
As the debate rages on, Waters suggested Silva take this piece of advice
from his favorite president: “As long as government tells the truth, the
country is safe.”
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.