Backers of petition drive to stop Home Depot shoot for November’s ballot
By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

An Agoura Hills citizens’ group plans to begin collecting signatures for a petition drive against the proposed Home Depot store on Agoura Road.

If successful, the petition would place a measure on the November ballot asking voters to decide whether they’re for or against the 140,000 square-foot store.

The Home Depot would be built just south of the 101 Freeway between Kanan and Reyes Adobe roads. An application to build the "big box" store and other shops and restaurants in the vicinity is currently under review by the city’s planning commission.

About 250 people attended a rally last week at Agoura High School sponsored by Citizens for Responsible Growth, a grassroots organization trying to drum up opposition to the big retailer. The meeting discussed the ballot measure and heard concerns about Home Depot’s impact on traffic and the environment.

"We felt there was a lot of good energy and a lot of passion there," said Al Abrams, a San Fernando Valley consultant in charge of the group. "We were very pleased not only with the physical turnout, but the amount of commitment the community is making to this effort."

Abrams said petitioners will be appearing at local malls and other places as soon as possible. The petition needs 1,252 signatures or 10 percent of the city’s registered voters. Abrams said he wants to collect 1,800 names in case some of the signatures are ruled invalid. Frequently, nonresidents sign such petition drives, unaware that their signatures do not count.

First, the citizens’ group must file with the city clerk a notice of intent to circulate the petition. After review by the city attorney, the petition would be advertised in a newspaper and then circulated among the public. The names must be approved by city officials and verified by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office by Aug. 10.

"There’s a series of very time-consuming things that have to happen," said Craig Steele, city attorney. "I would say it’s real tight at this point."

By placing the initiative on the Nov. 6 Agoura Hills City Council ballot, the citizens’ group would avoid having to fund a special election. The cost for such an election could be $25,000, said city clerk Carol Tubelis.

Home Depot is part of a 255,300 square-foot shopping center proposal called Ladyface Village Center. It’s been in the planning stages for more than a year by Westlake Village developer Dan Selleck.

Residents of Agoura Hills have voted on eight ballot measures since the city incorporated in 1982. The only initiative brought by citizens came in 1993 when residents put a measure on the ballot asking that existing pole signs in the city be allowed to remain. That measure failed.

The city introduced Measure B in 1999, an open space initiative that passed overwhelmingly. Measure D, a city proposal calling for a 3 percent utility tax on businesses, failed in 1997.

Agoura Hills resident Jess Thomas, president of the Las Virgenes Homeowners’ Federation, said during last week’s meeting the city shouldn’t rely on Home Depot’s sales tax revenue and he advocated a utility tax.

"If we want to have a low impact, low traffic, rural-looking city, we’re going to have to pay for it somehow," Thomas said.

Even though the utility tax failed four years ago, he thinks now’s the time to reintroduce it.

"If the business community comes forward and adequately describes what the goal is, the people might vote for it," Thomas said.