HUNTINGTON BEACH : Last-Minute Vote on Measure Scheduled

In a race against the clock, the City Council will hold an unusual meeting today to vote on a proposed ballot measure for the Nov. 6 election. The filing deadline for ballot measures is 5 p.m. today.

The council will consider a rival ballot measure to an initiative already placed on the ballot by Save Our Parks, an environmental group. The Save Our Parks initiative is a proposed city charter amendment that would forbid the city from selling or leasing park or beach land unless approved by a citywide vote.

The City Council will vote today on an alternative proposal that would still allow the city to lease--but not to sell--park and beach land without a citywide vote.

Tom Duchene, a leader of a parents coalition backing a proposed Youth Sports Complex to be built in Central Park, urged the City Council to adopt the less restrictive measure. Duchene said that if the Save Our Parks initiative is approved by the voters on Nov. 6, the Youth Sports Complex will face an expensive citywide referendum vote.

“We should not force our kids and their parents to wage expensive political campaigns just to have a place to play in our community,” he said.

But in rebuttal, John Fisher, a leader of Save Our Parks, said he believes the Youth Sports Complex could be built without requiring a citywide vote.

The Youth Sports Complex advocates are not seeking to buy or lease park land. But Duchene has noted that one provision of the Save Our Parks initiative would prohibit, in existing parks, any new building costing $100,000 or more unless approved by a citywide vote.

Duchene said that provision would necessitate getting voter approval of the Youth Sports Complex, because it would certainly cost at least that much. Fisher, however, has argued that the project need not cost $100,000 and, therefore, would not require a citywide vote.