What Do Jerry Brown, Tom Hayden And The Yorba Linda Town Center Have In Common?

2006 promises to be a year of political combat for laid back Yorba Linda. A majority on the City Council is backing a redevelopment effort called the Town Center. It's one of those schemes that backers claim will supply a civic core that is supposedly missing from Yorba Linda, plus  more sales tax revenue (or so the city hopes).

The city has given exclusive development rights to an entity called Old Town Yorba Linda Partners, which is controlled by a developer named Michael Dieden. Dieden is principal of Creative Housing Associates, a Los Angeles-based in-fill developer.

Contrary to the stereotype of developer as a corporate Republican sort, Dieden is a bona fide left-liberal who cut his teeth as a campaign aide on Jerry Brown's 1974 gubernatorial campaign and as campaign manager of Ton Hayden's first run for the Assembly in 1982. Judging by that pedigree, using government power and money to steamroller local property owners in the sake of a utopian vision comes naturally -- especially when you can make a boatload of money in the process.

Town Center opponents, organized as Yorba Linda Residents for Responsible Redevelopment, are gathering signatures for a referendum to over turn the City Council's Dec. 20 action permitting the building of 501 homes and 560,012 square feet of shops and restaurants in Yorba Linda's downtown. The city reprehensibly blindsided a large number of local property owners by adding them to the plan at the last minute, preventing them from mounting any meaningful protest.

Dieden has hired political consultant Dennis Desnoo to build political support for his redevelopment project. Desnoo has been running local non-partisan races in Orange County for years. Although a Democrat, Desnoo's clients come from both sides of the aisle. Most recently, he was the consultant for Mike Harrah's successful effort to win voter approval of the One Broadway Plaza project.

Dieden and Desnoo have put together their own residents group called Citizens and Taxpayers to Restore Old Town Yorba Linda.

I agree with the OC Register editorialist on this issue: I'm opposed to the YLRRR's June referendum requiring that major development projects be put to a popular vote, because it is an abridgment of property rights (the City Council is seeking its invalidation for less idealistic reasons). At the same time, I support their efforts to stop the City Council from riding roughshod over local property owners in an attempt to outflank the June referendum.

It will be an interesting campaign, and one I plan to follow closely.

Comments

[Michael Burns]

Actually, all Council members support the redevelopment project.

Councilwoman Keri Wilson voted against the zoning changes only because Site 19, the Station Shopping Center, was added at the last minute. She has repeatedly stated that she supports the project.

Councilman Mike Duvall cannot vote on anything related to the project because he owns property in the project area. However, he also has stated on several occasions that he is supportive of the project.