Activists Have the Real Power in Elections

“The world belongs to the activists.”

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is fond of saying that whenever we talk politics.

Whether we were discussing a recall campaign or fighting the half-cent sales tax the county supervisors put on the ballot to pay for the county bankruptcy, it was always clear to Dana that the activists usually won in the end.

No matter how good the idea or candidate, in America, the most votes win. It may not be a perfect system, but it beats the heck out of all the others.

It took the residents of South County three elections and a supervisorial race to stop the airport at El Toro.

When you count the final tallies for votes, money and passion, they were clearly more active than the rest of the county. They put the final nail in the coffin by getting an anti-airport supervisor elected in North County, thereby flipping the 3-2 majority in their favor and forever ending the debate.

Elections have consequences. That activism put us in the horrible situation we have now at John Wayne. Since that vote in 2002, passenger travel is up 28% to 8.4 million. At this rate it will pass the 10.8 million cap before 2011.

Activism is not always at the ballot box. Most times it is just people in the community who are concerned about local issues.

The fact is, most people are not active in their community and, therefore, they give control over to the people that are. Sometimes for the better; sometimes not. It is amazing how small of a group, even two or three people, can change the outcome for everyone.

Here in Costa Mesa last week, we saw how much of an effect activist citizens had by speaking up at a council meeting. Right or wrong, they had a tremendous effect on the city’s future direction regarding park land, skate parks and even model trains.

Speaking of parks, Costa Mesa’s Eastside residents should keep their eyes on Brentwood Park. Brentwood is a small pocket park just west of Santa Ana Avenue on Monte Vista.

Costa Mesa recently paid $3.5 million to buy a 1.2-acre closed preschool to increase the size of the park. The Eastside has been short on park land since it was subdivided in 1906 by Stephen Townsend of the La Habra Land and Water Company.

That area has less park land per resident than almost any other area in the city. The city wants neighborhood input and will soon put out a request for interested citizens to get involved in the planning of the enlarged park.

The park already has a tot lot but no other amenities like a basketball or tennis court that would be of any recreational use to anyone over the age of eight. If history and human nature follow its normal course, the only people that will be interested enough to show up will be the neighbors.

Nothing wrong with having next-door neighbors give input, but if other Eastside residents don’t show up, I expect the neighbors will win by default, making the additional land into unusable open space for the benefit of them. I can’t blame them, but I do not think the city paid $3.5 million to expand a green belt around a dozen homes.

Getting involved is good for you and your community. Remember, “The world belongs to the activists.”