Signatures submitted for traffic relief measure

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- After only six weeks, proponents of the Traffic Phasing

Ordinance initiative have turned in more than 10,000 signatures to the

city clerk in an effort to put their measure on the November ballot.

“Greenlight got 10,250 and it took them over six months,” said former

mayor Tom Edwards, who coauthored the countermeasure. “I’m feeling as

positive as I can feel. That’s a pretty good sign, I think -- people like

our message and they want a choice.”

Edwards and another former mayor, Clarence Turner, drafted the measure,

which proposes to make Newport’s traffic law part of the city charter and

nullify the Greenlight initiative. If the measure gets the 6,750 valid

signatures it needs, it will appear alongside the Greenlight initiative

on the November general election ballot.

The Traffic Phasing Ordinance, touted by proponents as the toughest in

the county, requires developers to pay for road improvements to prevent

traffic congestion. Adding it to the city charter would make it harder to

change the ordinance.

The ordinance, implemented more than 20 years ago, was “gutted” last

year, Greenlight proponents say. In 1999, the Newport Beach City Council

amended the ordinance to ensure it would stand up to legal challenges.

The amendments changed the way costs of improvements were assigned to

developers and lowered the number of council votes needed to override the

changes.

The new ordinance was the impetus behind the Greenlight measure, which

proposes to give voters the final say on certain major developments, even

after the Planning Commission and City Council have approved the

development.

However, many city officials, including Turner and Edwards, say the

Greenlight measure will halt development in the city. While it’s

well-intentioned, they say, the measure is poorly designed.

Their fear is that the complications imposed by Greenlight would scare

away developers to neighboring communities. While Newport would be left

with the resulting cross-traffic, the city would not get any of the

financial benefits from the developments in order to make street

improvements to ease congestion.

The next step, said Edwards, is to wait for the signatures to be

validated.

“Depending on the validation, hopefully the clerk will put it on the

November ballot,” Edwards said.

It may not be as easy as that. Greenlight proponents are already saying

they plan to contest the petition, claiming the signatures were

fraudulently solicited. They say signature-gatherers gave voters

incorrect information -- an accusation both Turner and Edwards say

they’ve investigated and have dismissed.

“We’re going to try to take it to court,” said Greenlight proponent Allan

Beek.