Home Ranch opponents to begin vote drive

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- The opposition to the Home Ranch project will hit the

streets today in hopes of gathering enough signatures to put the

development’s future on the ballot.

Members of Costa Mesa Citizens for Responsible Growth, a community

group vocally opposed to the Home Ranch development, will start their

referendum campaign by gathering signatures from registered voters.

Cindy Brenneman, an active member of the community group, will lead

the signature-gathering campaign. Members of her team, as well as any

other volunteers, plan to meet at Totally Coffee at the corner of Mesa

Verde East and Harbor Boulevard and then split up to cover more ground.

Opponents have 30 days to file enough qualifying signatures to mandate

a referendum.

“We are under a time crunch, but hopefully there will be enough

interest in doing the right thing for the city,” Brenneman said.

The Home Ranch project -- which calls for a flagship Ikea furniture

store, 192 homes and a mix of commercial and industrial land use -- was

approved by the City Council on Nov. 19. Planning Commissioners endorsed

the project in September.

While organizing a referendum campaign is certainly within the

people’s rights, Mayor Libby Cowan said opponents don’t fully understand

the widespread support for the development. She said she is afraid scare

tactics will be used to get signatures.

“I would just ask anyone who is asked to sign to fully read the

resolution and understand what it is they are being asked to do. Because

[the project] doesn’t put a bridge at Gisler Street and the project is

designed to mitigate the traffic to no worse than current levels,” Cowan

said.

But traffic congestion and the Gisler bridge will be selling points

for signature gatherers, former mayor and vocal opponent Sandra Genis

said.

Certain concerns are more prevalent in certain areas of the city,

Genis said.

Her strategy: If someone lives near where the Gisler bridge is

penciled to be built, tell them the increased traffic could require the

bridge. If they live near the building site -- bordered by the San Diego

Freeway, Fairview Drive, Harbor Boulevard and Sunflower Avenue -- point

out that traffic at surrounding intersections will undoubtedly get worse.

They are not scare tactics, they are facts that were not included in

the traffic analysis done by the city, Genis argues. Regardless of where

a resident might live, the most important thing is they collect

signatures from registered voters in the city of Costa Mesa, Genis said.

Opponents need to get about 3,000 valid signatures to get the Home

Ranch project put to a vote. But they won’t stop when they think they

have enough, Brenneman said.

Genis echoed her sentiment, saying there are bound to be invalidated

signatures once the petition is turned in to the city. Referendum

petitions are usually given from city officials to the county registrar

for a final count. Signatures are cross-referenced with voter

registration files to determine their validity.

If opponents don’t gather enough signatures this weekend, they will be

out again in a week.

“We’ll be out there as long as it takes. As long as people are willing

to walk, we’ll be out there,” Brenneman said.

-- Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .