Yorba Lindans often give opinions at the polls
A suggestion by Councilman John Anderson at the most recent City Council meeting to allow Yorba Linda residents a say on as many as three different issues in the November general election follows a longstanding city tradition.
Yorba Lindans have voted on council or citizen-made proposals 11 times in 41 years—that’s half of 22 elections held for council members during the same period—so asking for voter input on municipal matters isn’t rare.
Anderson wants the council to place initiatives regarding ethics, eminent domain and city manager pay on the Nov. 4 ballot before an Aug. 8 deadline passes.
Voters could consider an ethics policy tougher than two recently adopted plans, a ban on using eminent domain for private development and a cap pegging city manager salary at two and one-half times the city’s median household income.
If the city can prohibit taking private property for private development—once approved as a “tool in the tool belt” during the 2005-06 Town Center redevelopment process—by ordinance, Anderson would drop his ballot proposal.
Added election cost would be about $5,000 per measure for translation into Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese, City Clerk Kathie Mendoza estimated.
The city’s first ballot measure was in 1967, when residents approved incorporation 1,963 to 638. The increasing vote totals for most of the next 10 measures reflect Yorba Linda’s steady population growth.
The first referendum vote came in 1970, when voters nixed a 13-acre apartment zone just behind what is now Henry’s Market, 1,302 to 887. The first citywide low-density General Plan was approved 2,317 to 1,902 in 1972.
Two advisory votes were held in 1978: a proposed bond election to purchase Nixon Park property lost 4,927 to 3,216, while a plan for an election to choose council members from districts won 4,192 to 3,807, although the election was never scheduled.
Another advisory measure to ban “safe and sane” fireworks was approved 8,651 to 4,207 in 1986, with the council quickly adopting the prohibition. But in 1992 a 17,604 to 4,817 advisory vote for a two-term limit on council service was ignored.
Voters favored two measures in 1996, but a three-term council limit became law, since the 15,087 to 6,906 “yes” vote was higher than the two-term limit 13,008 to 8,517 tally.
Finally, a 1998 citizens’ initiative to halt Imperial Highway widening failed with 7,337 “yes” to 12,596 “no” votes, and a 2006 citizens’ initiative requiring elections on major zoning and General Plan changes won 6,921 to 6,622.
A FINAL NOTE
The above ballot measure list doesn’t include elections in which Fairlynn and Country Club county territory residents opposed merging with the city or the street lighting and landscaping ballots, which are cast by property owners only.
In the former, the most recent election was in 2004, when the areas opposed joining the city 681 “no” to 304 “yes.” In the latter, landowners approved assessments in 1997 but defeated increases this year, both overwhelmingly.
Yorba Lindans have voted on council or citizen-made proposals 11 times in 41 years—that’s half of 22 elections held for council members during the same period—so asking for voter input on municipal matters isn’t rare.
Anderson wants the council to place initiatives regarding ethics, eminent domain and city manager pay on the Nov. 4 ballot before an Aug. 8 deadline passes.
Voters could consider an ethics policy tougher than two recently adopted plans, a ban on using eminent domain for private development and a cap pegging city manager salary at two and one-half times the city’s median household income.
If the city can prohibit taking private property for private development—once approved as a “tool in the tool belt” during the 2005-06 Town Center redevelopment process—by ordinance, Anderson would drop his ballot proposal.
Added election cost would be about $5,000 per measure for translation into Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese, City Clerk Kathie Mendoza estimated.
The city’s first ballot measure was in 1967, when residents approved incorporation 1,963 to 638. The increasing vote totals for most of the next 10 measures reflect Yorba Linda’s steady population growth.
The first referendum vote came in 1970, when voters nixed a 13-acre apartment zone just behind what is now Henry’s Market, 1,302 to 887. The first citywide low-density General Plan was approved 2,317 to 1,902 in 1972.
Two advisory votes were held in 1978: a proposed bond election to purchase Nixon Park property lost 4,927 to 3,216, while a plan for an election to choose council members from districts won 4,192 to 3,807, although the election was never scheduled.
Another advisory measure to ban “safe and sane” fireworks was approved 8,651 to 4,207 in 1986, with the council quickly adopting the prohibition. But in 1992 a 17,604 to 4,817 advisory vote for a two-term limit on council service was ignored.
Voters favored two measures in 1996, but a three-term council limit became law, since the 15,087 to 6,906 “yes” vote was higher than the two-term limit 13,008 to 8,517 tally.
Finally, a 1998 citizens’ initiative to halt Imperial Highway widening failed with 7,337 “yes” to 12,596 “no” votes, and a 2006 citizens’ initiative requiring elections on major zoning and General Plan changes won 6,921 to 6,622.
A FINAL NOTE
The above ballot measure list doesn’t include elections in which Fairlynn and Country Club county territory residents opposed merging with the city or the street lighting and landscaping ballots, which are cast by property owners only.
In the former, the most recent election was in 2004, when the areas opposed joining the city 681 “no” to 304 “yes.” In the latter, landowners approved assessments in 1997 but defeated increases this year, both overwhelmingly.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 PM
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