Greenlight launches slate for council candidates

James Meier

NEWPORT BEACH -- With an initiative under their belts and a victory

over the Koll Center’s expansion to boot, Greenlighters on Thursday took

their next step: the creation of a slate of candidates.

Phil Arst, a Greenlight Committee leader, announced the still-vacant

Greenlight slate at an evening gathering held to thank people who helped

defeat Koll’s expansion in November.

With four spots opening on the City Council this November, Arst told

the crowd of roughly 100 at the Newport Beach Tennis Club that the slate

will consist of four residents -- one from each of the city’s open

districts.

The reason for the Greenlight slate? Representation. While the city’s

voters overwhelmingly approved the slow-growth measure in November 2000,

only one council member -- John Heffernan -- supports the cause.

Heffernan won his seat during that election.

He explained why he, also a developer, supports Greenlight.

“When it comes to my town, where my kids ride their bikes, I want a

better quality of life,” he said, adding that further underrepresentation

exists on the Planning Commission, which unanimously supported the Koll

developers. “The key here is to change the council. . . . They are dead

set against Greenlight. It’s darn rotten to be on the end of 6-1 votes.”

Former Mayor Evelyn Hart, also among Greenlight leaders, said the

city’s majority has adopted the initiative and the council should reflect

it.

“We Greenlighters are the backbone of this city, and we can prove it,”

Hart said, rallying the crowd.

Heffernan also encouraged Greenlight supporters to partake in the

city’s general plan update, an updating process set to begin Saturday

that will greatly affect Greenlight. The initiative requires citywide

votes on any project that allows an increase of more than 100 peak-hour

car trips or dwelling units, or 40,000 square feet more than the general

plan allows.

Greenlight opponents may make general plan changes near John Wayne

Airport that could help projects such as the Koll expansion, Arst said.

Greenlight supporters also showed their discontent for an 11-member

general plan update committee.

Arst said he knows of only two Greenlight supporters on the committee

and encouraged the crowd to get involved in the updating process by

attending Saturday’s Visioning Festival and also joining the general plan

advisory committee. The committee, which is accepting applications until

Friday, will assist the update committee.

“We deserve 65% of the [update] committee,” Arst said. Of the 11

members, he said at least six are against the Greenlight Initiative.

Tom Hyans, a Greenlight proponent and Balboa Peninsula resident who

worries about a proposed luxury resort at the Marinapark mobile home

park, said that while Koll has been defeated, there are other large

projects on the horizon.

He noted that Banning Ranch could add 1,700 homes at the city’s

westernmost edge and the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort could still try

to expand.

Arst said the group plans to unveil the slate when the candidates must

file nomination papers with the city, about three months before the

election.

The only name that definitely won’t be on the slate is Arst’s own, he

said.

“A lot of us can be better behind Greenlight,” he said.

Instead, he will work to raise funds for those who do join the slate,

he said.

* James Meier is the assistant city editor. He can be reached at (949)

764-4324 or by e-mail ato7 james.meier@latimes.com.f7