Save The Yard supporters file papers for second try at initiative
By Allen Payton
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, as the old saying goes. The proponents of what has become known as the Save The Yard effort, to create a park and event center on the former Antioch Lumber Company site in downtown, are following that advice.
According to Antioch City Manager’s Weekly Report, dated August 19th: On Monday, August 15th Joy Motts, the representative for the proponent, Jim Lanter, submitted a revised request for a “Title and Summary” for a revised Initiative Ordinance based on inconsistencies found by the City Attorney on Friday, August 12th. The proponent had been given the opportunity by the City Attorney and City Clerk/Elections Official to leave the initiative Ordinance as submitted on August 12th or to resubmit with corrections and that the City Clerk/Elections Official would waive a new Filing Fee. It was immediately sent to the City Attorney who has up to 15 days to prepare a “Title and Summary” and present it to the City Clerk/Elections Official for delivery to the proponent.
According to Motts, the proponents have 180 days to gather signatures from at least 10% of the registered voters in Antioch during the latest election. That figure is 46,677 as of June 25, 2016. If so, the initiative will be placed on the November, 2017 ballot. However, if they gather signatures of at last 15% of the registered voters, a special election can be called, which would occur sometime, next spring.
