September 08, 2006

Oakland throws out referendum signatures

"A referendum to block Oakland's largest housing development in decades should be invalidated because organizers failed to provide accurate information when they approached potential voters, Oakland City Attorney John Russo said Wednesday.

Russo said the signature gatherers -- among them members of the Oakland Heritage Alliance, the League of Women Voters of Oakland and the Sierra Club -- failed to present to voters with the final ordinance approving the 3,100-unit Oak-to-Ninth project, which was adopted by the City Council on July 18.

They also did not include attachments delineating public access to some 30 acres of open space associated with the 64-acre project along Oakland's estuary. Petition gatherers said they opposed the project as approved by the council for, among other reasons, a lack of open space.

The referendum committee submitted 25,000 signatures Aug. 17 seeking to either have the council overturn its approval of the project or put Oak-to-Ninth before voters.

Russo directed Oakland's city clerk to toss out the referendum once the Alameda County registrar of voters finishes validating signatures later this month.

"Under state law, it was not done properly," Russo said. "I don't know whether it was their intent or by inadvertence. It doesn't matter."

The article is here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at September 8, 2006 11:07 AM