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Metlox initiative qualifies for ballot
by John Tawa
The city of Manhattan Beach learned last Wednesday that the Metlox public use initiative has qualified for a special election. The election probably will be scheduled for June 6 or 13.
In January, a citizen's group calling itself Residents for a Quality City submitted a petition containing 8,508 signatures asking for a vote whether the Metlox site downtown should be re-zoned for public use only. Only 3,602 valid signatures were required to force the city council to call a special election to decide the issue.
Last Wednesday, the city told the County Registrar Recorder's Office to stop studying the signatures after 3840 of the 5231 signatures analyzed to date had been validated, more than enough for the election.
Residents for a Quality City spokesperson Bill Eisen said he wasn't surprised that the measure qualified. "We submitted more than enough signatures to qualify," he said.
Manhattan Beach Mayor Linda Wilson also was not surprised that the measure qualified for a special election. "I am surprised, however, at the number of signatures not found to be registered voters," she added.
Indeed, of the 5231 signatures studied, 1391 -- more than one in every four -- was found to be invalid. Another 352 were duplicative. Applying those percentages to the total number of signatures claimed, a reasonable estimate of the number of Manhattan Beach residents who actually signed the petition was 4,647, or 19 percent of the city's registered voters. That's still a large number, but much smaller than the 8,508 people the measure's proponents claimed.
Wilson stated that the number should be discounted further based on residents who were not fully informed about the its ramifications when they signed the petition. Members of the city council have stated that the Metlox site was purchased with small-scale commercial development in mind, that it should generate revenue and that a zoning change to public use only would more than likely cause it to remain a fenced hole in the ground for years to come.
"I've spoken to a lot of people who did sign who really weren't aware of the issues," she said. "Without exception, once they became aware of the ramifications, they all said, 'If I'd known that, I wouldn't have signed the petition.'"
There also are people who signed the petition simply to place it on the ballot, Wilson contended. Wilson herself does not subscribe to ballot box zoning.
"Those of us elected make ourselves knowledgeable on all subjects affecting the city," she explained. "It's very difficult for ordinary residents to take the time to inform themselves on all the issues."
Informing residents of the issues is what Residents for a Quality City are planning, Eisen said. Once the city sets the election, their fundraising efforts will begin in earnest. Yard signs, bumper and window stickers and direct mail are planned to get their message out.
"We have enough commercial downtown," he said. "Any more would bring in more cars, more traffic, more noise, you name it."
Eisen stressed that his group is not supporting a particular use such as a park on the site.
"We're just saying a park is one of the options," he explained. "Our community does need community space down there."
Eisen predicted that the measure would pass easily.
"I think we'll be able to prevail quite substantially," he said. "The community overwhelmingly favors non-commercial use of the site."
Wilson disagreed.
"I think the initiative will be defeated," she said. "I'm very encouraged by the number of people who, unsolicited, say they're really glad there's an anti-re-zoning effort going on. I think there are enough people in town who don't want to re-zone the site, who don't want to be burdened by a public use project downtown."
"As long as we present the repercussions of each scenario to the residents of Manhattan Beach," she added, "I believe the best project for the city will happen." ER