Community Commentary -- Paul Salata

On Nov. 20, Measure G was voted down. I have always been a good sport

and, even though I supported the Koll project and wish to thank everyone

who voted “yes,” I will humbly concede that we didn’t win.

However, after reading all of the “Monday morning” quarterback

critiques of the Yes on Measure G campaign and the numerous opinions on

why Measure G was defeated, I felt compelled to point out some details

that have been overlooked by these pundits.

First, only 10,810 people voted in the Measure G election, and out of

that 6,388 voted against the measure. With more than 47,000 registered

voters in Newport Beach, less than a quarter bothered to vote, and out of

that less than 14% of all the voters in the city determined the fate of

the Koll project. What’s even more alarming is that there are more than

60,000 people of voting age in Newport Beach, and only 10% of those

people were able to defeat Measure G. I would not call this a mandate,

but a tragedy for the democratic process when such a small minority --

one out of 10 people -- can impact all of our lives.

Second, there seems to be some confusion about the Greenlight

Implementation Committee. The anti-business and anti-growth Greenlighters

don’t own the rights to the word “Greenlight” and are not the sole

interpreter of what Greenlight represents. More than 1,000 residents in

Newport Beach publicly endorsed Measure G, and they did so because they

believed that the Koll project represented the proper implementation of

Greenlight.

Third, I am baffled by the opinion that Newport Beach voters are much

more sophisticated than voters in other communities and were able to

analyze Measure G based on the facts. At the same time, I read letters

from anti-business Greenlighters who claim to be supportive of the

project but will vote “no” because we dared to also use the word

Greenlight.

None of these people attended any of the planning meetings or probably

even read the volumes of information on the project. Does this sound like

voters basing their decision on the facts or more like someone who will

oppose any project in the city no matter what.

Fourth, there is no doubt that we all care very much about our

community. Traffic is one of our key concerns. No one claims to be in

favor of gridlock or “pro-traffic.” We also knew that the Koll project

was going to generate additional car trips, as any new development would.

However, it was unfortunate that the scare tactics used by our opponents

drowned out the true facts about the limited traffic impact on Newport

Beach streets. They also don’t seem to understand that a majority of

these cars are from surrounding cities that they can’t do anything about.

Finally, the Planning Department began reviewing this project in 1997,

the Newport Beach Planning Commission approved it unanimously, and the

City Council approved the project. It is the job of the professional

staff at City Hall to review the studies and make recommendations to the

City Council. We, in turn, elect the City Council to make informed

decisions and not be second-guessed by a small vocal minority whose

actions have undermined the planning process in our city. For this

reason, I believe we all owe the City Council an apology for wasting its

time and our tax dollars.

The quality of life in Newport Beach is important to everyone, and

some people even believe that having a job is an important factor in

keeping that quality. To keep jobs in Orange County, we must all do our

part to keep the economy strong, and that means that Newport Beach must

also do its part by allowing for future development. How can we ask other

cities to support an airport at El Toro or limit expansion at John Wayne

Airport when the no-growth Greenlighters make it appear the we are not

willing to carry our weight?

The city of Newport Beach is going to begin reviewing the general plan

on Saturday, and I strongly urge anyone who cares about property rights,

and maintaining our strong economy, to participate. Please remember that

the more we all get involved in our community, the less control a very

small vocal minority will have over all our lives. It’s not a matter of

getting involved, you are involved. The question is what are you going to

do about it?

* PAUL SALATA is a Newport Beach resident, a former USC and NFL

football player, and is founder of Mr. Irrelevant Week.