Developer Michael Harrah has some influential allies in his bid to get voters behind his proposed 37-story office tower in Santa Ana.
But momentum is on the side of his opponents, according to Mike Stockstill, an Irvine consultant who has worked on special elections here.
Opponents of the tower,which would dramatically loom over the city and crown Harrah’s years of rebuilding in Santa Ana,gathered 12,700 signatures to force the April 5 special election. And they’ve prevailed in two court challenges to the election by Harrah.
So far, the battle for voters has been low-key. The dynamics aren’t. The campaign pits the burly Harrah and revitalization proponents against preservationists who like what Harrah has done for the city but fear the tower goes too far.
Opponents include those who’ve fought Harrah in the past over the fate of historic buildings. Many in Santa Ana’s most affluent neighborhoods near the tower site also fear the impact on them.
In Harrah’s corner: the City Council, which approved the tower last year, the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce and possibly labor.
The tower’s fate could rest with everyday residents, most of them Hispanics, and whether they show up for a special election in April.
|
|
||
|
One Broadway Plaza rendering: 37-story office tower would be county’s biggest |
Stockstill gives Harrah, who heads Santa Ana-based Caribou Industries Inc., a 50-50 chance.
So far, Harrah’s strategy has been to line up prominent backers. He’s also taken out ads in local papers touting the tower.
Opponents, such as the Citizens for Responsible Planning, have held rallies and garnered press coverage.
Harrah’s allies include Mayor Miguel Pulido. Harrah also is talking to labor unions about the jobs his project is set to create, sources said.
Harrah, a part-time helicopter stuntman, has a lot riding on the referendum, dubbed Measure A. He’s invested in the planning and drawings of his tower and has given nearly $200,000 to the campaign that backs the tower.
In 2003, Harrah had to come to terms with preservations on relocating two historic buildings at the tower site.
Harrah is set to give a lot more money to the effort as the vote nears, said a source close to the campaign.
More than money is involved for Harrah. If approved, the tower would become the key part of his efforts to rejuvenate Santa Ana’s core. While others had abandoned the downtown in the 1990s, Harrah scooped up empty buildings, spruced them up and packed them with government and other tenants.
Harrah envisions the tower, dubbed One Broadway Plaza, with two restaurants at its apex and Fortune 500 companies and big name law firms below.
It would be the county’s tallest building, far outstripping the 21-story Center Tower near South Coast Plaza.
Now Harrah must sell his vision to undecided voters. His message is job creation and economic benefit, according to Michael Metzler, chief executive of the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce and a co-chair of the Santa Ana Citizens for Economic Growth, which supports the tower.
“Clearly, this is an issue about economic progress and physical improvement of the downtown,” Metzler said.
The jobs message is ringing true with the city’s Hispanic population say tower backers. His-
panics account for about 75% of Santa Ana’s 350,000 residents.
It’s not as clear what percentage of Santa Ana’s 90,000 registered voters are Hispanic. According to one estimate they make up about 40,000 registered voters. According to the Census, Santa Ana counts about 40,000 residents who call themselves non-Hispanic whites.
How Hispanics see the tower, and whether they show up to the polls in big numbers could swing the election. Some big name Hispanic politicians have endorsed the tower, including the mayor and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez.
“Hispanic voters are probably our biggest supporters,” Harrah said.
He said many come from poor countries and value economic growth.
But no polling has been done among Hispanic voters. Consultants who declined to go on the record said they weren’t sure which way Hispanic voters would go.
Harrah contended hundreds of locals, especially business owners, are coming out of the woodwork to back his tower. He said they’ve praised his investment in the downtown and the Civic Center and see the tower as the next big step.
Special elections present unique obstacles. Low voter turnout is likely. It’s not clear who would benefit from low turnout.
Harrah must make potential supporters aware that there is an election and then encourage them to vote, they said.
Absentee ballots are key, consultant Stockstill said. Harrah’s campaign is mailing out glossy brochures to rally supporters.
To date, some 14,000 voters have requested absentee ballots, or about 15% of all registered voters. By comparison, about 30% of countywide voters requested absentee ballots in the Nov. 2 election, when the White House was up for grabs.
Tower opponents decry the potential traffic impact of a tall new building and promote the quaint historic feel of the downtown. They also lament the shadow that the tower will cast across the city,and their homes.
Harrah, who owns some 3 million square feet of Santa Ana office space, has invested millions renovating some of the city’s prominent historical buildings. He took an abandoned Masonic temple and made it a theater; he turned a shuttered 1924 auto dealership into Original Mike’s restaurant.
In any case, Harrah has been pushing the tower since 1999. He’s had to go before the Planning Commission several times and finally won City Council approval in summer. To get that far, he agreed to scale back his proposal and pay for traffic improvements.
