7,135 signatures submitted to get Fairview Park voter-control initiative on ballot
An initiative that would require voters to sign off on various possible changes to Fairview Park moved a step closer to a public vote after proponents submitted more than 7,000 signatures Monday in support of putting the measure on November’s ballot.
The Costa Mesa city clerk’s office counted about 7,135 signatures submitted by the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance.
“It was like giving birth to a baby,” said alliance board member Kim Hendricks. “We worked so hard and the community worked so hard. It was such a huge effort.”
The “energy and support from people of all walks of life” were “wonderful,” she added.
The signatures will next go to the Orange County registrar of voters office for authentication. Only signatures from verified registered voters in Costa Mesa will count.
If at least 4,995 are found to be valid, the initiative would be eligible to go before voters this fall.
Proponents said Monday that they’re confident they’ll hit that mark, given the number of signatures they turned in.
“What the 7,000-plus signers are saying is, as a community, this is what we want and we’re willing to vote for it in November,” said alliance member Wendy Leece, who also is the group’s public relations director.
The proposed initiative seeks to maintain the 208-acre Fairview Park as open space. It would require voter approval for a number of changes that could be proposed in the park, including expanding its operating hours, building permanent structures or installing additional lighting.
“The people that I talked to basically think, A, that it’s always been a nature park, and, B, they want it to stay a nature park,” said alliance President Richard Mehren. “They don’t want to see it overdeveloped.”
Efforts that would not hinge on a popular vote include maintenance, preservation or restoration work, Mehren said.
“It’s a great place to go walk your dog, get away from the hustle and bustle of the town,” he said of the park. “You think you’re by yourself out there. It’s a wonderful place with beautiful views, and people value that.”
The Fairview Park initiative is one of a hefty assortment of measures that local voters could face in November.
Already on the ballot is a growth-control initiative pushed by the group Costa Mesa First that would require some larger development projects in the city to get approval from local voters as well as the City Council.
That is expected to square off against a competing, city-sponsored growth-control measure that’s still in the works.
November’s ballot also will likely have three medical marijuana initiatives, including one sponsored by the city.
Also proposed are a $20-million affordable-housing bond and the question of whether to change City Council elections to district-based voting.
With so long to go until the election, and so many other high-profile items potentially on the ballot, Mehren said the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance’s work is far from over.
“Now we have to work hard to keep it in people’s minds so they remember to vote for it in November,” he said.
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Twitter: @LukeMMoney
