Yorba Linda : Petition Drive May Force Vote on Auto Mall Plan

A homeowners’ group opposed to building a 40-acre auto mall in Yorba Linda presented a referendum petition to the city clerk Thursday.

Ron Taylor, chairman of Aware Concerned Citizens Organized for Responsible Development, said his group had gathered 4,332 signatures on the petition.

“The City Council now has two options open to it,” Taylor said. “It can either repeal the zone change (that allowed auto mall construction) or put the matter before the voters at a special election.”

Yorba Linda City Clerk Carolyn Wallace said she had 30 days in which to verify that at least 2,120 of the signatures on the petition were those of registered voters. If the signatures are certified, she said, the council could rescind its vote approving construction of the mall or call a referendum. A referendum would cost about $20,000, she said.