This election is about the right to vote

BY ANDY GERKEN

In 1978, Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann developed Proposition 13. For nearly 50 years, it has protected homeowners from being taxed out of their homes. When it was proposed, many political leaders opposed it and tried to keep it off the ballot. Fortunately, they failed.

It’s a good thing the current Newport Beach City Council was not around then because they are engaged in the same efforts to block the right of citizens to vote on critical issues.

Our city charter requires the General Plan to be submitted to the voters if it authorizes certain levels of development. The council went to court to overturn this voter requirement. They were successful, and the General Plan they ultimately adopted authorized thousands of new housing units, along with high-rise, high-density development.

Newport Beach voters had enacted the Greenlight Charter amendment that required a vote on major development projects. The council’s General Plan strategy pre-approved high-rise projects and effectively circumvented the right of the people to vote under Greenlight. I am concerned that the prospect of high-rise development on this parcel is driving the council’s decision to relocate the police station/jail to Civic Center Park.

Newport voters enacted a charter amendment to require a vote on debt more than $50 million. The council appears to be planning to use proceeds from the sale of appreciating public real estate assets to avoid this voter approval requirement. In my view, this approach reflects the reality that voters would never approve more than $50 million in debt for a police station/jail in Civic Center Park.

More recently, the city relied on technical reasons to reject three citizen initiatives, despite petitions that appear to have gathered sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot. These measures would increase transparency by limiting the use of “Ad Hoc Committees,” strengthen term limits and provide for district elections. These are important issues that voters deserve the opportunity to decide.

Our city is being run by a political machine, and they are working overtime to keep the voters from holding them accountable. The election in November is about protecting your right to vote from those who would take it away. Let’s remember the spirit of Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann and say loud and clear that our right to vote will not be undermined by this majority bloc.

- Dr. Andy Gerken

Candidate, District 6, Newport Beach City Council

SOURCE: Stu News Newport