Wal-Mart Developers Sue to Block Special Election

The developers of a Wal-Mart proposed for the site of a closed Huntington Beach elementary school have sued opponents of the project, seeking to bar them from holding a special election to halt it.

In a suit filed in Orange County Superior Court this week, Arnel Retail Group Inc. said it is seeking an injunction against the City Council, the city clerk and Robert F. Cronk, a leader of the opposition.

The lawsuit says a petition filed with the registrar of voter’s office, which calls for a special election on the Wal-Mart, was done without the correct attachments and copies of the local legislation it refers to. Without the appropriate texts, Arnel states, the petition is out of compliance with the state elections code.

The suit also seeks attorneys fees and other costs from the defendants.

Cronk said he has not seen the suit but called it an effort to circumvent the will of the people.

“We anticipated this,” he said. “It’s just another case of big money . . . trying to buy its way into a community.”

The registrar certified the necessary 15,100 signatures Thursday, Cronk said, and either the City Council can enact the petition initiative and stop the Wal-Mart, or the city will have the special election.

The Arkansas-based Wal-Mart chain, however, plans to go ahead and demolish the shuttered Crest View school.

The proposed 56-year lease could be worth $40 million to the Ocean View School District, which wants the money to make plumbing, electrical wiring and other capital improvements to its campuses.