Peninsula votes to lop off utility poles

Alicia Robinson

Utility poles will become a thing of the past in some parts of the

Balboa Peninsula, but for some property owners the cost to put

utility lines underground will be a lingering pain in the wallet.

In January property owners in the Balboa business district voted

down a measure that would have created a special assessment district

and taxed them over a 15-year period to pay for utility line burial.

But for Newport Beach Mayor Tod Ridgeway, the issue wasn’t dead.

He brought it back at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, when

property owners voted to approve the measure with 55.54% of votes in

favor and 44.46% against -- almost exactly the reverse of how the

first vote came out.

The utility assessment district didn’t earn a simple majority

Tuesday. Owners of 62 parcels voted, with 30 parcels casting ballots

for the project. But it was enough to win because the votes were

weighed based on the tax burden they would carry.

“For me personally, where my property’s situated, this doesn’t

benefit me whatsoever,” said Jim Candelmo, a property owner who voted

against the project both times. “In a day and age in California where

we’re being taxed to death, I certainly don’t need one additional tax

on my bill, especially to bury telephone poles.”

Ridgeway said he wanted to revisit the issue because at least one

property owner changed his mind after the first vote. Some property

owners think the work will boost property values by improving the

area’s appearance, he said.

“Indeed, it appeared that there was support for the [assessment]

district,” Ridgeway said.

While he shared his opinion with residents who called him,

Ridgeway said he didn’t solicit property owners to change sides.

“It’s hard to vote on spending that kind of money, but it’s needed

and I’m happy to see it’s going to be happening,” said Bob Black, a

vice-president of the Pavilion Co., whose $50,000 tax assessment is

one of the largest in the project. “I think it will benefit all the

properties in this area.”

If the utility project had not gone forward, it’s unlikely the

city would have completed additional improvements it planned for area

streets and sidewalks. This bothered Candelmo, who said just because

property owners don’t want one improvement doesn’t mean they’re

against another.

“[Ridgeway] really gave me the impression that it’s his way or the

highway,” Candelmo said.

The city already has shelled out $9 million for major improvements

in the area, and council members probably wouldn’t have voted to

spend more without participation from property owners, Ridgeway said.

Black agreed that he and other property owners should chip in

something.

“The city put a lot of money down here,” he said. “Now it’s time

for the property owners to step up.”

Work on the project is expected to begin in September.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

alicia.robinson@latimes.com.