There's
little doubt 2016 could be Yorba Linda's most politically contentious
year yet, perhaps surpassing the controversy about becoming a city in
the 1960s and the ensuing debates about residential densities.
In fact,
a “perfect storm” of opposition might be brewing, with disparate
groups unhappy with decision-making by the City Council and Yorba
Linda Water District joining to support a slate of challengers
certain to emerge for five open council and water board positions.
Factor
in the automatic anti-incumbent vote that predictably includes from
13 to 17 percent of the electorate, and council and water board
office-holders could face tough re-election battles in November.
Sign-ups for the positions begin mid-July.
Gene
Hernandez and Craig Young are running to return to council seats they
won in 2012.
A third
slot is held by Mark Schwing, who's not expected to seek a sixth
term. Mike Beverage and Ric Collett hold water board seats they first
won in 1992 and 2004, respectively.
Protect
Our Homes and Hills is a grass-roots citizens organization that's
been fighting the 340-home Esperanza Hills and 112-home Cielo Vista
developments, both on county land northeast of the city's current
boundaries.
The
group has filed a lawsuit challenging the adequacy of an
environmental impact report and has held two training sessions – a
third is slated Sunday – on collecting signatures to overturn
council's anticipated action to approve a pre-annexation pact for
Esperanza Hills.
The
agreement could be on council's Jan. 5 agenda. If adopted then or
later, petitioners have 30 days to collect at least 1,939 signatures
to either force council to rescind the agreement or schedule an
election on the matter.
While
the Protect Our Homes and Hills group is not set up to support or
endorse candidates, leaders and individual members, who've shown
formidable fund-raising prowess, almost certainly would favor
challengers for both council and water board seats.
The
Yorba Linda Taxpayers Association currently is focusing on
overturning a $25 monthly hike in water district fees, but the
committee's registration document says it will support or oppose “a
variety of candidates in multiple elections.”
Co-founder
Jeff Decker lost in the 2014 October recall and November general
elections, so expect the group to oppose incumbents this year, with
help from leaders of the once-active Yorba Linda Residents for
Responsible Representation.
Also
possible is an attempt to recall from one to three of the water
directors not on the ballot this year, since the taxpayers group
hopes a new board majority will review the fee increase.
And
expect the county Republican Party to play a big role in supporting
Hernandez and Young, as it has in past years, and likely supporting a
third candidate and the water directors. Of the city's 40,687
voters and the water district's 47,543 voters, 55 percent are
Republicans.