Save Our Parks Gains Ground in Huntington Beach

HUNTINGTON BEACH —  It started in September, when a small group of friends and neighbors got together because they were worried about plans to use part of the city’s Central Park for a golf course.

From that meeting evolved a new political-action group called Save Our Parks. And although it’s only 3 months old, Save Our Parks already is making big waves in Surf City.

In recent weeks, Save Our Parks has:

* Launched an initiative drive to forbid the city from selling parkland without a vote of the people.

* Rallied opposition against Pierside Village--a proposed cluster of restaurants to be built next to the Huntington Beach Pier.

* Fought the proposed sale of about seven acres of city-owned land adjoining Irby Park.

* Appeared regularly at City Council meetings, speaking against any moves to change the character of parks or beaches in this burgeoning coastal community of 180,000.

“I’m very much impressed with Save Our Parks,” said Mayor Pro Tem Peter M. Green. “They’re reasoned in their approach, and they obviously have done a lot of research.”

Added Councilwoman Grace Winchell: “I think they’re very responsible. Their proposed charter amendment (against sale of parkland) is very important, and I like it.”

On the seven-member Huntington Beach City Council, Green and Winchell are usually identified as the slow-growth wing--and are usually on the losing side of 5-2 council votes. But even council members who disagree with Save Our Parks are not hostile to it.

“They’re well-meaning, and I don’t have any problem with them as long as they get their facts straight,” Councilman Wes Bannister said.

Mayor Thomas J. Mays said: “I think they (Save Our Parks) conduct themselves in a professional way. I think it’s good that they’re getting out in the community and bringing in some public comment on these issues.”

Save Our Parks was formed because the City Council majority--with Green and Winchell opposed--agreed last September on the concept of an 18-hole golf course to be built on an undeveloped portion of Central Park.

“I’m not a golfer, but from a business standpoint, the golf course makes sense,” Bannister said. “The land we’re talking about is nothing more than a dump, an eyesore--it’s not land with green grass and trees. The city can’t afford to fix up that land, but here is a way that it could be made attractive and at the same time bring in about $1 million a year in income to the city.”

Debbie Cook, a 35-year-old manufacturer’s representative who is the chairwoman of Save Our Parks, disagrees with Bannister’s assessment of the Central Park land in question. Cook said the undeveloped land at the southwest corner of Central Park is beautiful as is.

“It’s a place where all the cross-country teams in Orange County love to run,” Cook said. “It’s a place where one resident said she goes just to look at the stars. It’s a place with a big hill--about the only undeveloped hill in Huntington Beach.”

In a recent interview, Cook told how Save Our Parks evolved. “I heard about the plans for a golf course, and so I went around to some of the neighbors, and we had a meeting the night before the council was to meet last September. We just decided to have some people show up to speak against the golf course.”

Cook noted that the council majority was not swayed and still favored the concept of an 18-hole golf course. Save Our Parks became a permanent group shortly afterward--initially working only to defeat the golf course but gradually taking on other issues.

“There are only about 10 of us who meet,” she said, “but we have more than 100 people who’ve volunteered to help. Our membership is concerned about preserving parks and beaches. We aren’t interested in running for public office.”

Save Our Parks’ biggest challenge is to get about 22,000 signatures of registered voters in Huntington Beach on its initiative petitions to change the city charter. The measure, aimed at either the June or November, 1990, ballot, would put strict limits on the city’s ability to sell or lease parks or beaches. The measure also would restrict building on any of these public lands.

The proposal says: “Any sale, lease or other disposition of park or beach land would be subject to the prior affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the City Council and of the electors voting thereon at an election mandated by the measure. Such approval is also required prior to construction of any road, golf course, driving range, building larger than 3,000 square feet in floor area or of any structure costing more than $100,000 within any city owned or operated park or beach.”

“We think this would be very democratic,” Cook said. “Before the city could sell or dispose of any park or beach, there would have to be both a majority vote of the people and a majority vote of the City Council.”

Winchell and Green tried to get the measure on the June ballot by council action--preventing the need for voter petitions. But the council rejected the motion.

“This means we’ll have to get people out every week getting the signatures of registered voters,” Cook said.

Winchell, in an interview last week, said: “What Save Our Parks is doing, in getting these signatures, is making a survey of Huntington Beach residents, and that’s good. I think a survey should have been made before the council took any action on this golf course.”

Winchell said that in previous public opinion surveys, residents have clearly expressed a preference for passive, open-space parks.

Bannister, however, said in a separate interview that previous surveys have been vaguely worded. He said the results, therefore, are not conclusive.

But Cook is confident that most residents in Huntington Beach want to keep parks and beaches from being developed.