SOAR Initiative Will Go To Voters After All
Posted by: Jubal | 02/21/2008 9:38 PM
According to the Los Angeles Times, there aren't enough votes on the Anaheim City Council to bypass an election and simply adopt Disney's SOAR initiative as a city ordinance.
The key was SOAR-supporter Harry Sidhu's decision that the decision on SOAR should be left to the voters:
Anyway, kudos to Councilman Sidhu. I understand SOAR's desire to avoid an election and have the Council enact their initiative. But if Anaheim voters want impose a separate, far more arduous zoning regime for Resort District property owners, they can choose to do so. After all, SOAR got 20,000 Anaheim voters to ask for just that opportunity.
Speaking of SOAR, an op-ed bylined by SOAR Co-Chair Larry Slagle in the OC Register on Tuesday, touting "boom times" for the Anaheim Resort. Glad to hear it.
This passage grabbed my attention:
The key was SOAR-supporter Harry Sidhu's decision that the decision on SOAR should be left to the voters:
"At what price democracy?" he asked. "I thought the whole idea of this was to let the people decide."Exactly. The SOAR campaign has said as much. Kind of. Sometimes. Just not right now.
Anyway, kudos to Councilman Sidhu. I understand SOAR's desire to avoid an election and have the Council enact their initiative. But if Anaheim voters want impose a separate, far more arduous zoning regime for Resort District property owners, they can choose to do so. After all, SOAR got 20,000 Anaheim voters to ask for just that opportunity.
Speaking of SOAR, an op-ed bylined by SOAR Co-Chair Larry Slagle in the OC Register on Tuesday, touting "boom times" for the Anaheim Resort. Glad to hear it.
This passage grabbed my attention:
Many residents and community leaders lament that the controversy over the Anaheim Resort District has divided the city. But healthy debate can also serve to educate the public about important issues.I didn't know it was a "healthy debate" we were having last year (I was a member of the consulting team whose project SOAR was formed to oppose). According to the SOAR people last year, we were trying to destroy Disneyland and the City of Anaheim. And those were the nicer things they said. If that was healthy debate, I'd hate to see what an acrimonious spat is.
CATEGORY:
Nimby Mouse
Mr. Ayer registered as a Republican to be electable in an interim election with no incumbents. He did...
Land use planning by popular vote may sound democratic, but is a bad idea. The property owner and market should decide the use of the property, consistent with rational zoning schemes.
Land use planning by popular vote may sound democratic, but is a bad idea. The property owner and market should decide the use of the property, consistent with rational zoning schemes.
Hi Matt,
You missed something in your assessment. SOAR did not ask Council to adopt the Initiative outright. Frankly, we have been humming along, content in the knowledge that focus groups and local polls show an overwhelming support of the Resort, and we were going to take this election in June without a shot fired. Heck, even your employers are not bothering to mount a campaign. SunCal is out of the picture, and no reasoned, intelligent opposition is coming forward. Bob Hernandez’ belief in a report that said nobody would build hotels in the Resort for 50 years has been put to rest by the current push of hotel development, why not let it go?
City Council brought this up on their own, I suspect they could use the quarter of a million dollars the election would cost. Departments are being asked to cut to the bone, the cost of an election could fund an awful lot of graffiti removal and library books. However, while we did not ask for the Initiative reading, as an Anaheim taxpayer,I am certainly not going to decline their offer of a free gift. SOAR is not being inconsistent; we were cruising for an easy victory. I admire Harry wanting to give us all the right to vote that we fought so hard for, but with no real argument working against, what’s the point? Let’s keep a cop on the street instead.
Whoops, forgot to sign that. I hate people who hide behind anonymous posts. If it's worth saying, it's worth putting your name on it.
Cynthia
"But after a majority vote of the steering committee, coalition members began asking the City Council to enact the policy into law so taxpayers could be saved $250,000 in election costs; the council will vote on the matter Tuesday."
Cynthia, that is from today's (March 3, 2008) LA Times, and contradicts your claim.
Is the reporter in error?
Yes. City Council put this on the Agenda, we voted as a group to support it. And despite your ranting that we are run by Disney, the Disney folk only get one seat at the SOAR table. The decisions that are made by that committee are made by all of us, myself, other community leaders, the Chamber, but we all get the same ONE vote. Personally, in my petty, mean spirited little heart, I would have delighted in the landslide victory of an election. But saving the $250k and the hassle is for the greater good, and that is the higher road we took. We didn't start this fight, we didn't even start this last vote, but by God we ended it. Let it go, let's have some peace, please.
...and the last I checked, Dave McKibben was not at that mneeting.
CW
Disney may have one seat on the SOAR, but that seat holds the check-book -- and without that checkbook SOAR could not have undertaken any of the activities it did.
So to claim Disney doesn't control SOAR is just disingenuous. SOAR would be nothing without Disney's support. I'm not making a judgment. I'm just pointing out reality.
Yes, I am very glad that I have a rich uncle who sees life the same way I do. That does not mean I dance to my uncle's tune. I have been to the meetings, all of them, and there are times when the group may see thngs differently from the Mouse, I have seen them work with the group. Never have I seen them threaten to take their checkbook and go home. It is truly a grass roots organization backed by a monster back account. I also believe that if Disney did choose to leave the table, SOAR would continue with the community leaders and businesses that remain. Sure we would not have money, but we would still meet and speak out and do what we could with our own donations. There is no question in my mind of that, and we will continue to be involved even after this. There is much work to do in Anaheim. Next step, November. Stay tuned.
I know you will not hear that, but I needed to say it. Have a wonderful weekend.