Council district battle is on

Jenny Marder

It’s a modern-day David and Goliath as both sides of the Fair

District Initiative clamor to draw votes.

Those who would divide the city into five districts and shrink

the City Council’s number by two have raised more than three times as

much money as those opposed to the ballot measure.

Backers of the Fair District Initiative have raised more than

$50,000 to their rival’s $15,000.

“It’s grass-roots against big money, that’s pure and simple,” said

former Mayor Ralph Bauer, one of the leaders of the anti-district

campaign.

What opponents lack in dollars they make up for tenfold in

passion.

They have launched an aggressive campaign to educate the community

about the perceived dangers of creating council districts. They’re

reaching out to residents through telephone campaigns and

door-to-door canvassing. They man a booth and hand out fliers at

every City Council meeting, and they’ve printed out 1,000 signs.

The group also got the endorsement of a number of former council

members, including Shirley Dettloff, Norma Gibbs, Vic Leipzig and

Grace Winchell.

If Measure E gains voter approval in March, residents would vote

for one council member every four years instead of for three or four

every two years.

“You may gain one voice, but you lose your voice in 80% of the

city,” Bauer said.

A former assemblyman and a former lobbyist for AES Corp., Scott

Baugh, who introduced the initiative, said his plan will have the

opposite effect.

Baugh contends that neighborhoods will be better off having one

council member devoted to a single district. Residents will have

someone to lodge complaints with, and representatives will be held

accountable for their actions, he said.

Those opposed to districts contend that five council members is

not enough for Huntington Beach and fear that the plan will pit

council members against one another as they fight for their

districts. They argue that residents will be disenfranchised under

the plan and have less representation, not more.

Many worry that special interests such as AES will influence City

Council races if there are districts. The company made a sizable

donation to the original campaign to get Measure E on the ballot.

But, Baugh said, AES has not contributed to the campaign to pass the

measure.

“AES isn’t the issue here, the issue is representation through

districts,” Baugh said.

Baugh has mounted a widespread campaign. Those backing the measure

are sending mailers, walking precincts and distributing signs. The

Huntington Beach Police Officers Assn. and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher have

endorsed the initiative.

The opposition is unfazed.

While Bauer says his group is made up of “beleaguered small town

folks,” he is confident that its fervor will prevail.

“We’re at a disadvantage to our well-financed adversaries,” Bauer

said.