The NIMBYs in north Santa Ana successfully collected 16,000 signatures – when they only needed 11,000 to qualify their ballot referendum against the proposed luxury apartment project at 2525 N. Main St. for the ballot, according to an insider at City Hall.
The Santa Ana City Council will now determine when to hold this Special Election. It won’t be on the May ballot, when Santa Ana voters will consider the proposed recall of Santa Ana City Councilwoman Ceci Iglesias.
The City Council could opt to set a date for yet another Special Election, which will cost a small fortune but unfortunately the project developer will be forced to foot the bill.
The City Council could also do the right thing and put this on the November General Election ballot, which would cost less and would open the issue up to more voters.
The NIMBYs would benefit from having a single issue Special Election as turnout would be super low and they could prevail even though they make up less than 20% of the overall voters in Santa Ana.
Placing the referendum on the November ballot would actually make it easier to defeat but it could pose a challenge for Iglesias at that time as she will be on the ballot as a Mayoral challenger – and the NIMBYs are not happy with her as she voted to approve the apartment project.
The NIMBYs are of course totally ridiculous. Were the developer to put a new office project at 2525 N. Main St. that would generate a ton more traffic than a luxury apartment project!
The NIMBY’s are also working on another ballot referendum to recall the Ward 3 City Councilman, Jose Solorio, who like Iglesias is also a candidate for Mayor. That referendum however still is short on signatures.
It is highly unlikely that voters who don’t live in north Santa Ana will support the anti luxury apartment referendum. That project would generate millions of dollars in tax revenue and development fees for the City of Santa Ana. And it is unfair to foist tons of development on our neighbors in central and south Santa Ana while the north avoids any housing development.
It is also awkward for the mostly Republican NIMBYs to ask the mostly not Republican voters in other parts of the city to do them a solid…
