2 Slow-Grow Initiatives Face Voters in 2 Cities : Electorate of San Clemente and Seal Beach to Cast Ballots on Own, County Measures

As voters across the county are deciding the fate of Measure A and future growth in the unincorporated areas on Tuesday, residents of San Clemente and Seal Beach will have an opportunity to vote twice on slow-growth initiatives: once on Measure A, then again for measures in their respective cities.

In Seal Beach, Measure F supporters argue that City Council members have done little to keep traffic congestion in check despite approval of a growing number of development projects that exacerbate congestion. Opponents say the measure’s passage could frighten away developers and stand in the way of well-planned projects, including the city’s first golf course.

2nd Slow-Growth Vote

To the south in San Clemente, residents will vote for the second time in two years on slowing growth.

An earlier measure limited the number of building permit approvals to 500 per year. But supporters of Measure E, which is on the Tuesday ballot, complain that the permit figure is hard to enforce and that the old measure did not have the language to assure police, fire and paramedic response times, language that they say Measure E does have.

The language of Measure F and Measure E is a carbon copy of that in Measure A, which would apply to development in unincorporated areas of the county if it is approved in the election Tuesday. The only difference is that “Orange County� has been deleted from the measures and the names of the two cities have been inserted instead. Several other cities have succeeded in placing similar measures on the November ballot.

The measures would tie future development in the cities to improvements in streets and other public services.

For Barbara Roundtree, who helped put Measure F on the Seal Beach ballot, the issue is having to contend with gridlock on several intersections despite hearing City Council members proclaim that they are tough on developers.

But Roundtree said she isn’t trying to put a halt to development.

“We aren’t proposing to stop development,� she said. “But we already have gridlock at the Seal Beach Boulevard overpass of the San Diego Freeway into Lampson Avenue and at Seal Beach Boulevard at Pacific Coast Highway.�

She added: “For years, the Seal Beach Homeowners Assn. has tried to get the City Council to conduct a traffic study, but they did not show an interest. Developers have to have the responsibility for increased traffic. I want you to know that we gathered 2,500 signatures in a matter of five weeks to succeed in placing this measure on the ballot. People here are concerned about traffic and their safety.�

Seal Beach opponents contend that the measure is unnecessary, saying Measure F fails to address the city’s greatest traffic problem. That is “through traffic from Long Beach to Orange County,� said Robert Nelson, Seal Beach city manager.

Language Called Vague

And City Council members say the measure’s language is too vague.

“I’m not sure what Measure F would do essentially,� Seal Beach Mayor Joseph Hunt said. “But it’s the uncertainty that really scares me.�

Hunt said city costs to enforce the measure would be exorbitant for a small coastal city. City estimates included $3.8 million to bring seven intersections into compliance, and an additional $40,000 a year for a traffic study to determine what the base is for traffic flow, he said.

“But we don’t know how much it really will cost because of the uncertainty,� Hunt said.

And recently, Hunt successfully won a unanimous vote of the City Council against Measure F.

“It could jeopardize the Hellman property where a developer is proposing a 110-acre golf course, and we want that golf course so bad we can taste it,� Hunt said, referring to a 225-acre vacant parcel on Seal Beach Boulevard just opposite the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station.

Measure F’s passage, Hunt said, could exorbitantly increase developer costs resulting in the project’s demise.

But if developers are allowed to build without taking financial responsibility for the city’s traffic flow, it could jeopardize the safety of the city’s residents, Roundtree said.

“In Leisure World, the paramedics go in there almost twice a day,� she said. “If the overpass on Seal Beach Boulevard is gridlocked, the ambulances will not be able to get through.�

As for any expected city costs, Roundtree argued that there is nothing in the measure that requires the city to pay anything.

In San Clemente, one of the biggest supporters of Measure E is Mayor Thomas Lorch.

“There is a feeling among the City Council members here that they want to be in control rather than allow the voters to be empowered,� Lorch said, explaining why other council members are against the measure.

“But many residents feel that government officials have not provided them with the standards to protect our standard of life here in San Clemente.�

Two years ago, Lorch said, “we didn’t have a traffic problem.�

Now, he said, the city has major traffic flow problems on at least four intersections, including Avenida Pico, Vista Hermosa and El Camino Real, he said.

In addition, one of the attractions of Measure E is guaranteed response times for police, fire and paramedic services, he said. The measure requires that police, fire, and paramedics for 85% of all calls respond within five minutes in emergencies, he added.

“Right now, we’re without a standard on traffic as far as it relates to developers,� Lorch said. “But the commercial development that developers will cause does make it necessary for them to participate on a fair-share basis with us to help with traffic solutions.

“If the voters don’t agree with me, that’s fine. If they want to sit in downtown traffic that’s fine.�

Opponents of the measure such as Thomas J. Davis, who is president of the Chamber of Commerce and owner of Tierra Planning, a planning consultant firm, believes that the slow-growth movement only hurts San Clemente by limiting the amount of property taxes and other city revenue it can potentially receive.

“People who live in (San Clemente’s) back area now are screaming for schools and more fire and police protection,� Davis said. “What do we do? Meanwhile, (if Measure A passes) we can gradually run out of tax base to help pay for these services.�

There is plenty of open space available, Davis said, adding that San Clemente’s backcountry has several development projects that could be adversely affected if the measure passes, which could mean hundreds of thousands of added dollars for the city budget.

“There’s plenty of areas to build,� Davis said, “but there seems to be a philosophy held by some of the residents who live here. They seem to believe that they have theirs and they don’t care and have an attitude of let’s shut the door and live happily ever after.