By Douglas Wilson
This is the risk we take if we vote yes on Measure Q – a well-intentioned ballot initiative, but poorly written, complicated beyond any reasonable measure, and most importantly, will lead to more closed storefronts because people with good ideas will not take the risk or the time to face what measure Q requires – “a majority vote by the majority of our electorate.” An impartial analysis of that requirement done by the city attorney of Laguna Beach says this does not mean a simple majority vote on election day – up or down. It means the majority of all registered voters in our community must say yes. Think about that – it means on any one project, at least 80 to 90 percent of “yes” voters on any project would be needed to reach the 51% required for ALL registered voters in our town. The authors of the ballot initiative, Laguna Residents First, say the word electorate was really meant to be a simple majority vote. If that’s the case, why didn’t they say so? This to me only illustrates the poor wording and confusion of the ballot initiative in the first place.
Look – many of the people who think Measure Q is a good idea are friends of mine. I understand their worries about large-scale development that might harm our town’s uniqueness along the coast of Orange County. I applaud them for wanting to do something. However, their first try at a ballot initiative like Measure Q is a disaster in the making. Please, do yourself and our community a big favor and vote NO. If Residents First, who are advocating for Measure Q, want to try again with a better-written ballot measure, more power to them. Measure Q, however, needs to go in the trash heap. If not, I’m afraid we will look up in three years and see more empty storefronts, no new creative projects that make our town a great place to live, and a town run by people who want to live in an idealized past, not investing in a future that can revive our charm and uniqueness as a community along the sea.
Another fear-filled, fact-free opinion piece. The promised “immeasurable harm” isn’t shown here and understandably so: it doesn’t exist. Many cities have passed similar smart-growth initiatives after their residents tired of their city councils approving project after project without considering adverse impacts to residents. The truth is, we live in a built-out town in high-fire zone with only 3 ways out so if the author is worried about empty storefronts instead, he should take it up with the city council: they’ve had 4 years in office. As for the “electorate” the truth–as it has always been–is that elections are decided by a majority of the electorate, meaning all who actually voted. No wonder that argument has since been dropped. We all know what this is really about. It’s about holding on to a 3 council majority voting block to continue to pass overblown projects, issue variances as gifts and continue the great parking space giveaway. Like the author, I too applaud Laguna Residents First for wanting to do something and I believe they have: they’re giving residents the right to vote. On November 8th, I hope they do, and vote Yes on Measure Q.
Having lived in Laguna, this guy has it nailed – The Q Death Knell would be the greatest self inflicted Liberal Hissy Fit ever. thrown by the bully ex-hippies and wannabe trendies. Locals would get what they want. Nothing. Forever.
Douglas Wilson, Here we go again, another condescending and demeaning pat on the heads of the residents who want a voice in the future of our city. You and your developer friends want the residents to keep funding the $25+ million annual subsidy to support the tourists that only benefit the tourist oriented businesses, building owners and developer interests and for us to keep in our subservient place and let your group carry on. Of course we will keep hearing the sky is going to fall in spite of the fact that no such calamity has occurred in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach who have had similar measures for years. Many residents are tired of crony capitalism at our expense both financially and with the degradation of our safety and quality of life. If you need an example of crony capitalism please read the Memorandum of Understanding between the city and the Presbyterian Church first made public at the city council meeting on May 10. Be sure to see the explanation given by the City Manager which starts at 1:25 meeting. The whole thing reeks of friends helping friends in my opinion. It is secret deals like this, leasing parking spaces at monthly gates for less than a dinner in most of the LB restaurants, giving numerous after the fact permits to Mo and outright lying to the residents on important issues that demands that residents have a voice. The building owners and the businesses do not pay anywhere close to their fair share of the cost of tourism yet they are the only ones who benefit. Property taxes in effect pay four dollars for each of the 6,500,000 tourists flooding our city each year. So please no more condescending pats on our collective head and no more the “THE SKY IS FALLING” or will fall if Measure Q is approved.
Doug, yes, elections are decided by the Electorate, just as Measure Q states. The word Electorate gets used in two contexts. In a broad sense, it means all voters. In the outcome of an election, it means the subset of voters who actually voted. People who don’t vote don’t have a say in the election. That is how all elections work. Falsely claiming that “Electorate” means something else in this context is distorting reality.
Use your common sense. We all watch election returns on TV. Has anyone ever seen an election where the winner was anything other than a majority of the electorate; meaning “All of those who actually voted”? Those members of the electorate who don’t vote in a given election don’t get a say in the election.
Village Laguna fanatics- If the language was no big deal, then why not change it? In your negotiating with the city the concern about the “electorate” was voiced you could have made a small adjustment, but you didn’t. Your Measure Q is far too overreaching. Costa Mesa did something dumb like Q and now they are trying to undo it. NO on Q!