Citizens’ group red-flags Greenlight

The struggle over future development in Newport Beach is now officially two-sided as a citizens’ group has emerged to fight the growth-control ballot measure known as Greenlight II.

It’s not clear whether developers will join the fight, but the group — Taxpayers Against Greenlight II — enlists some heavy hitters, both locally and at higher levels.

Greenlight II is the follow-up to Measure S, the successful 2000 initiative that requires public votes on some development projects that exceed the city’s general plan. The new measure, which will be on the November ballot, would apply voter controls to some building projects that exceed existing development in the city.

Proponents have said the measure is needed to preserve the quality of life in Newport and to allow residents to fight excessive traffic and development they say will come from city development policies.

Taxpayers Against Greenlight II was established by Newport residents who signed the ballot argument against the measure, including former mayors Jan DeBay and Dennis O’Neil and Fire Chief Tim Riley. Documents filed with the city list the group’s treasurer as Thomas W. Hiltachk, who is general counsel for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s reelection campaign.

“Our position is that we are opposed to the measure because we don’t think it is necessary and it is flawed legally,” O’Neil said Tuesday.

For example, he said, the measure is written to exempt some but not all residential properties, and the city is charged with defending the potentially discriminatory measure in court if it passes.

O’Neil said the group will be a grass-roots organization, and he’s not aware of any developer involvement. Developer groups pumped close to $657,000 into defeating the 2000 initiative, but O’Neil said that failure could make them wary of getting involved again.

Of the money, $427,000 came from the Irvine Co.

“We haven’t formally decided what role we’re going to play in the public discussion,” Irvine Co. spokesman John Christensen said; he stuck with that answer when asked if the group has any involvement with O’Neil’s group.

Greenlight II proponent Phil Arst said he expects developers to pony up again, but they’ll do it indirectly through political action groups or individuals.

The Irvine Co. “really got a black eye” from its role in the fight against Measure S, Arst said. He expects developers to lay low but fight vigorously.

“We’ve got enough money to do some mailers and advertising,” he said. “We’re going to have to hit back.”

But with the city’s general plan update and an unprecedented six of seven council seats on the November ballot, it begs the question: Why don’t Greenlight supporters try to go through the official channels to influence development?

“The Greenlight people are OK with representative government — they just don’t like the representatives that are there right now,” O’Neil said.

Greenlight supporters have largely struck out with candidates — Councilman Dick Nichols and former Councilman John Heffernan were their only successes, and Heffernan has since distanced himself from the group.

Arst said Greenlight will back some candidates but doesn’t have the funding for six of them. The group has failed with past candidates because voters don’t always look closely enough at candidates, and the power of incumbency has helped keep the status quo, he said.

“When we have a specific environmental issue — traffic, density, the character of the city — people get involved enough to react to that,” Arst said.

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