Cheers erupted outside the Carlsbad City Council chambers Thursday as a citizens group trying to force a public vote on a proposed shopping center and preservation project near the Agua Hedionda Lagoon announced it had collected 9,000 signatures supporting the drive.

The number appears to be well above the minimum of 6,523 signatures needed to put a referendum on the ballot that could overturn the council’s unanimous Aug. 25 approval of Los Angeles-based developer Caruso Affiliated’s so-called 85/15 plan. That plan would create an upscale retail and entertainment destination lined by open-space and agricultural areas on 203 acres on the south shore of the lagoon.

In launching their referendum drive, the nonprofit Citizens for North County had argued that the project was controversial enough that city voters should decide its fate.

“Today we give voice to the people of Carlsbad,” said Bridget Wright, a team leader with the group. “We were promised the right to vote.”


A preliminary count was under way Thursday evening by the Carlsbad City Clerk’s Office to verify the raw total, city officials said, and the signed petitions will be taken to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters Office today. The registrar will have 30 days to verify that the minimum number of registered Carlsbad voters was reached.

Rick Caruso, founder and CEO of Caruso Affiliated. said in a written news release Thursday evening that “an overwhelming number of Carlsbad residents” continue to support the plan.

“We will wait to see the outcome of the Registrar’s count of the petition signatures, but whatever the outcome of the tally we continue to be 100 percent committed to the Carlsbad community and to making the 85/15 Plan a reality whatever path it takes,” Caruso said.

The volunteer-led referendum campaign, waged over 27 days on a shoestring budget of about $9,000 in donations, was in sharp contrast to Caruso’s efforts, which began more than three years ago and were led by professionals and paid solicitors.


Caruso launched a citizens initiative in May in support of the 85/15 plan and collected more than 20,000 signatures. When presented with imitative, the City Council had two options: approve it outright or hold a costly special election.

Mayor Matt Hall said Thursday the council’s approval was based on a thorough analysis of the project that showed it would have many benefits for the environment and Carlsbad residents.

“When we take a stand we are pretty versed on the issues,” Hall said. “I hope people will take time to study the issue and make a decision based on that.”

Documents show Caruso spent more than $2.5 million between Jan. 1 and June 30 on a campaign that emphasized the open space that would be protected on 179 acres of the 203-acre site, east of Interstate 5 between the lagoon and Cannon Road.


A portion of that space was already protected by Proposition D, passed by Carlsbad voters in 2006, but the Caruso project would increase the amount of open space and pay for public trails on land now private.

Many people have said they thought the initiative campaign was misleading because it emphasized the preservation of agriculture and open space, not construction of the 27-acre shopping center. Others said they believed there would still be a special election to decide the proposal.

According to the state elections code, if the county registrar validates the required number of signatures on the referendum submitted Thursday, the Carlsbad City Council must place it on the agenda for its next regular meeting. At that time, the council could either vote to undo its Aug. 25 decision, or place the referendum on a ballot.

If the measure moves to the ballot, it could either be scheduled for a special election or the next regular election, which is in November 2016, the code states. A special election could not be less than 88 days after the council’s decision to call an election.


philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com