5,028 / 84.24% Yes votes ...... 941 / 15.76% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

• Full Text

Background. California cities regulate land use via a General Plan, which is a long-range planning document; specific plans, which generally apply to sub-areas of a city; and a zoning ordinance, which is a detailed set of land use rules. Calabasas’ General Plan establishes districts for various land uses, such as commercial, residential, open space, and public facilities. The open space planning districts are Open Space-Recreation (OS-R) and Open Space-Resource Protection (OS-RP). Land permanently dedicated by owners to open space use is included in these districts. City parks are in the Public Facilities – Recreation (PF-R) district, one of two public facilities districts. The City Council may amend the General Plan without a vote of the people. California laws protects parks by requiring, in general, that parkland can be used for non-park uses only if it is replaced with other land on an acre-for-acre basis or after a 2/3-vote of the City Council and a vote of the people. The California Legislature can change these laws.

The Measure. Measure D would prevent the City from amending the General Plan or any specific plan to redesignate land in the City in the OS – R or OS – RP districts for non-open space use without the approval of 2/3 of the City’s voters voting on the question. Such amendments would be evaluated by the City under the California Environmental Quality Act and other laws and then submitted for voter approval.

Measure D would prevent the City from amending the General Plan or any specific plan to redesignate parkland in the PF-R planning district without complying with the parkland protection laws. If California laws protecting parks are amended to reduce or eliminate requirements for a supermajority Council vote or a vote of people, then the super-majority Council vote and / or popular vote will still be required by this Measure.

Measure D does not apply to: redesignation of land required by law; reorganization, renumbering or updating the General Plan if the amount of land in the OS-R, OS-PR, and PF-R districts is not reduced; amendments which facilitate uses permitted in the PF district, utility facilities, and open-space-supporting uses like bus stops, parking, and comfort stations; or to two applications to redesignate open space land pending when the City Council placed this measure on the ballot. Because the measure applies to General Plan and specific plan amendments, it does not prevent zoning ordinance amendments, but that ordinance cannot be amended so as to be inconsistent with the General Plan.

The Measure cannot be amended or repealed without a vote of the people and expires in 25 years unless the voters extend it.

City of Calabasas

The Acorn

Ballot measure will give voters say on open space

7/28/05

The initiative will operate prospectively to require two:-thirds voter approval before any land in the City designated as open space in the General Plan can be redesignated for other uses. There are several limited exceptions, both to ensure the City's ability to comply with future legal requirements, and to continue accessory or supportive uses of open space territory:

While growth is inevitable in Southern California, it should be balanced .with an ability to guard against unchecked development. Indeed, the desire to exercise local control over land use issues was one of the primary motivating factors for the incorporation of Calabasas in 1991. And it ranks high among the many reasons why we choose to live here today.

Passage of the Open Space Initiative will reflect our City's strong commitment to protect the natural resources which enhance our quality of life in Calabasas. This vote will confirm that retaining the City’s unique ambience remains one of our top priorities,

Under current law, it only takes a simple majority of the City Council to re-zone open space to permit urban development. The Open Space Initiative will invest in the people the power to make important decisions regarding future growth.

Agoura Hills voters approved a nearly identical measure in 1999 by a .margin of 86% to 14%. On November 8th, please join all five Calabasas City Councilmembers in voting "yes" on the Open Space Initiative.

BARRY GROVEMAN
Mayor

DENNIS S. WASHBURN ! Mayor Pro Tern

JAMES R. BOZAJIAN
Calabasas City Councilmember

MARY SUE MAURER
Calabasas City Councilmember

JONATHON WOLFSON
Calabasas City Councilmember

(No arguments against Measure D were submitted)