Below are a dozen picked results from June 3 local ballot measures affecting land use. Links are included here to more detailed county results pages. [Update 6/22/14: adding Measure AA on open space in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties and clarifying that the Lake County measure did not receive its required 2/3 vote.]
A community plan near the shipyards in San Diego was defeated while a proposed waterfront height limit passed in San Francisco. South Lake Tahoe defeated paid parking kiosks, Half Moon Bay picked the go-slow option for a bridge repair, Monterey Park narrowly approved a small development project, Marin County approved a farmer's market structure near the Frank Lloyd Wright civic center, and Lake County approved a sales tax for lake cleanup. Watsonville voted in a strict rule that puts future place-naming choices to a public vote.
California's statewide electorate passed ballot measures on veterans' housing and local government transparency. Statewide results are at http://vote.sos.ca.gov/. The Secretary of State's directory of county election offices is at http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_d.htm.
June 3 Election Results Tally
El Dorado County -- City of South Lake Tahoe |
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Measure P: End a kiosk-based parking fee program in busy tourist areas. See http://www.cityofslt.us/index.aspx?NID=743 and http://www.smartvoter.org/2014/06/03/ca/ed/meas/P/ Lake Tahoe News endorsement against: http://www.laketahoenews.net/2014/05/editorial-vote-measure-p/ Op-ed in Tahoe Daily Tribune in favor: http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/southshore/11300378-113/parking-measure-vote-meters Follow results at: http://elections.edcgov.us/results.fwx |
Yes: 68.41% No: 31.59% Percent Reporting: 6 of 6 precincts |
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Measure L: Increase sales tax in the county by a half-cent for 10 years to pay for the eradication of weeds, algae and invasive mussels from Clear Lake, the restoration of wetlands in the county and the improvement of water quality. Because it's a tax, a two-thirds vote is required. http://ballotpedia.org/Lake_County_%22Healthy_Lake_Tax%22_Sales_Tax,_Measure_L_(June_2014) Proponents' site: http://savethelake.info/ Critical semi-endorsement from Record-Bee outdoors columnist Terry Knight: http://www.record-bee.com/outdoors/ci_25805517/measure-l-beats-doing-nothing Follow results at: http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/ROV.htm http://acm.co.lake.ca.us/elections/results/result26.htm#c9909 |
Yes: 63.9% No: 36.1% Percent Reporting: 70 of 70 precincts Note: The measure did not receive its required 2/3 vote. |
Los Angeles County -- City of Monterey Park |
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Measure A: Approve a general plan amendment and a rezoning of commercial land to permit the Olson Co. to construct an 80-unit residential development on an undeveloped 9-acre parcel of land on Potrero Grande Drive near Resurrection Cemetery, just off the 60 freeway. The vote is required by a 1982 city ballot measure that requires voter approval for a change in land use designation. Olson is a Seal Beach-based developer specializing in townhome and small-lot-single-family infill projects. More information in the following City Council staff report: http://www.ci.monterey-park.ca.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/02192014-569 Follow results at: http://rrccmain.co.la.ca.us/14062043/2043_CITIES_Frame.htm |
Yes: 52.45% No: 47.55% Percent Reporting: 24 of 24 precincts |
Los Angeles County -- City of Signal Hill |
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Measure U: Require a 2/3 vote for all "taxes, assessments and fees" and sunset them after 10 years. See http://bit.ly/1wf6H1h. Measure U is supported by a group called Signal Hill Community First (http://www.signalhillfirst.org/) The Long Beach Press Telegram reports supporters lost a challenge to the way the city presented the measure on the ballot: http://bit.ly/1nkMTnX. Just a few days before the election, disagreement continued on the measure's scope, including whether it would apply to impact fees and other fees developed as part of the land-use process: http://bit.ly/1rIexkb. The city claims it will lose 13% of local tax revenue as a result of the measure. Follow results at: http://rrccmain.co.la.ca.us/14062043/2043_CITIES_Frame.htm |
Yes: 34.30% No: 65.70% Percent Reporting: 6 of 6 precincts |
Marin County |
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Measure B: Create permanent structures for a farmers' market at Frank Lloyd Wright's historic Marin Civic Center building. The Marin IJ supports the measure and recounts some history of the prior referendum that led to strict voter-approval requirements for changes around the Marin Civic Center building, at http://bit.ly/1ns5gLk. See also http://www.smartvoter.org/2014/06/03/ca/mrn/meas/B/and a snarkier appraisal of the plan (with some cinematic history of the Civic Center complex) at http://www.northbaybiz.com/Columnists/Only_in_Marin/Organically_Grown.php. Follow results at: http://www.marincounty.org/depts/rv/election-info/election-results |
Yes: 81.14% No: 18.86% Percent Reporting: 157 of 157 precincts |
Monterey County -- Monterey Peninsula Water Management District |
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Measure O: Establish a policy preference in favor of a publicly owned water district. Opposed by Californian American Water. A court ruled the ballot description couldn't say Measure O would guarantee public ownership and save money. See http://www.cp-dr.com/articles/node-3467 on that issue. The county Supervisors voted to oppose it: http://bit.ly/1oSKYKT Cal American has reportedly outspent proponents by 24 to 1: http://bit.ly/1n9DUGH Follow results at: http://www.montereycountyelections.us/Election%20Result.htm |
Yes: 43.61% No: 56.39% Percent Reporting: 55 of 55 precincts |
Riverside County -- City of Desert Hot Springs |
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Proposition F: Raise parcel tax on vacant land within the city from $29.80 to $372.68 per acre, to be spent only on public safety services. Not strictly a land use measure but of interest as a municipal finance move because city officials placed it on the ballot to avoid a second municipal bankruptcy. See http://www.pe.com/articles/city-695413-measure-council.html and http://www.cityofdhs.org/Elections. Follow results at: http://www.voteinfo.net/Elections/20140603/eresults/Election%20Result.htm |
Yes: 62.92% No: 37.08% Percent Reporting: 7 of 7 precincts |
San Diego County -- City of San Diego |
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Propositions B and C: Approve the City Council's approval of the Barrio Logan Community Plan and associated changes in the zoning code. Industrial landowners placed the measures on the ballot after failing to reach a compromise with community-based organizations in the old neighborhood adjacent to the San Diego shipyards, where residential and industrial uses are intermixed. The issue is discussed at http://www.cp-dr.com/articles/node-3473. Recent debate has centered on whether the city-approved plan would actually make air quality worse: http://voiceofsandiego.org/2014/05/19/fact-check-clearing-the-air-in-barrio-logan/ LA Times report of June 2: http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-barrio-logan-20140602-story.html Follow results at: http://www.sdvote.com/voters/results/results.shtml -- |
Measure B: Yes: 41.53% No: 58.47% Measure C: Yes: 39.50% No: 60.50% Percent Reporting: 697 of 697 precincts |
City and County of San Francisco |
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Measure B: require a vote for all future height limit variances on the waterfront. The measure lost some of its point when the Warriors basketball team management gave up their contested effort to build an arena on Piers 30-32 near the Golden Gate Bridge, and instead picked an arena site farther south in Mission Bay near Third and 16th Streets. Considerable future development plans are still at stake, however, notably for the old Union Iron Works property at Pier 70. For Measure B see http://www.sfgov2.org/index.aspx?page=4279 and http://www.cp-dr.com/articles/node-3443. On the Warriors see http://bit.ly/Q9kLbg. On Pier 70, which for years was a backwater of warehouses, studios and car impound storage, see developer Forest City's plans at http://pier70sf.com/ and artist Wendy MacNaughton's impressions at http://pier70community.com/. Measure B proponents' page: http://www.nowallonthewaterfront.com/news An opponent's argument: http://urbanlifesigns.blogspot.com/2014/06/no-sea-of-parking-on-waterfront.html Follow results at: http://www.sfelections.org/results/20140603/ |
Yes: 59.42% No: 40.58% Percent Reporting: 597 of 597 precincts |
San Mateo County -- Half Moon Bay |
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Measure E: Allow the city to demolish the Main Street bridge and build a new, wider bridge that would include accessible walkways. Backed by the City Council. Measure F: Conduct more modest renovations of the bridge and require any future attempt to demolish the bridge to be approved by voters. The measure would also make preservation of the "historical, visual, and physical integrity (including appearance and character)" of the bridge the official policy of the city of Half Moon Bay. Caltrans recently gave the bridge a sufficiency rating of 24 out of 100. SMCounty Daily Journal pre-election coverage: http://bit.ly/1qSd7mU Comment pro-F: http://bit.ly/1kue3Jd Comment anti-F: http://bit.ly/1p4ZFrJ Fierce local chat page argument: http://talkaboutwidget.hmbreview.com/topic.php?t=9611&c=4 Follow results at: https://www.shapethefuture.org/elections/2014/june/ |
Measure E: Yes: 38.25% No: 61.75% Measure F: Yes: 64.41% No: 35.59% Percent Reporting: 8 of 8 precincts |
San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties |
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Measure AA: Issue $300 million in bonds, to be paid off over 20 to 30 years, for habitat preservation, trails and visitor amenities in the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Required a two-thirds overall vote. Supporters at http://www.openspace.org/news/bond_measure.asp say the final result across the three counties voting was "over 67%." The vote was taken in parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties and a small area of Santa Cruz County. San Mateo County results: https://www.shapethefuture.org/elections/2014/june/ Yes: 66.28% Santa Clara County results: Yes: 68.81% No: 31.19% Santa Cruz County results: http://www.votescount.com/jun14/results.htm Yes: 50% No: 50% |
Supporters claimed a favorable vote of over 67% across three counties. Precints reporting: San Mateo Co.: 200 of 200 Santa Clara Co.: 296 of 296 Santa Cruz Co.: 1 of 1
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Santa Clara County -- City of Los Gatos |
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Measure A: The "Albright Way Initiative" would authorize the appropriate changes in zoning and construction code regulations to allow a development project to go forward, creating two 65-foot tall buildings, two 50-foot tall buildings and a 35-foot tall parking garage at 90-160 Albright Way and 14600 Winchester Boulevard. The project is envisioned in part as an office for Netflix. Currently, the town's General Plan limits construction in this area to only 35 feet in height. Opponents and proponents of the measure settled the essential disputes over the property's future in March, making the initiative itself superfluous, but by then it was too late to withdraw the measure from the ballot. See http://www.mercurynews.com/los-gatos/ci_25284048/los-gatos-albright-way-lawsuit-settled-but-election and http://bit.ly/1puHMlP, and see http://www.cp-dr.com/articles/node-3443 on the dispute over signature gathering that preceded the measure's placement on the ballot. Follow results at: http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CA/Santa_Clara/51635/131405/Web01/en/summary.html |
Yes: 71.69% No: 28.31% Percent Reporting: 26 of 26 precincts |
Santa Cruz County -- City of Watsonville |
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Measure J: Require a citywide election to decide on the new names of any public places, such as parks, public buildings, bridges, plazas, courtyards and airports. The name selection process would allow each of the seven City Council members to propose a name for the public place in question. The names would all be put before voters at an election, and the name receiving the most votes would become official. The measure emerged from a 2010 plan to name Watsonville Plaza for Dolores Huerta of the United Farmworkers. See http://bit.ly/1nv8vPK. Follow results at: http://www.votescount.com/jun14/results.htm |
Yes: 64.55% No: 35.45% Percent Reporting: 17 of 17 precincts |
