|
||
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
San Jose Mercury News Opponents of Cisco Systems' proposed campus in Coyote Valley say they will submit enough signatures today to qualify a ballot referendum
on the $1.3 billion project. Foes of the Cisco plan organized as People for Livable and Affordable Neighborhoods, or PLAN, need at least 30,684 signatures of registered city voters for a referendum to qualify for the
ballot. They said they won't know how many they have until today because they still were collecting signatures Monday. To ensure enough valid signatures by today's deadline, they have estimated they would need from 40,000
to 50,000 people to sign. "We expect to have the minimum number, and probably well over the minimum number," said PLAN spokesman Brian Grayson. "We expect to be successful in getting on the ballot."
But officials at Cisco, the giant networking firm, plan to announce today that they've gathered more than 110,000 signatures from city voters in support of the 688-acre campus in the rural valley. "We're very excited
about the overwhelming positive public response to the campus," said Eric Morley, spokesman for Coyote Valley Research Park, a development partnership that includes Cisco. San Jose has 383,000 registered voters. It
may not be known until next month whether voters will be asked to overturn the city's approval of the Cisco campus. After the PLAN petition is submitted, the city will turn it over to the county registrar of voters if
there appears to be enough signatures, said City Clerk Pat O'Hearn. The registrar's office then has 30 days to verify signatures, she said. If the referendum qualifies, the city council would have to schedule an election
88 days later, O'Hearn said. It is unlikely the referendum could qualify in time to make the March 6 special election to fill Councilman Manny Diaz's seat, or even an April 17 runoff that may be needed to determine the winner of
that race, O'Hearn said. Diaz was elected last month to the state Assembly. That means the city may have to pay for another special election just for the referendum, O'Hearn said, adding that "it's impossible to say" what
that would cost. The city will have to pay $13,000 to the county to have the signatures checked, she said. Cisco's foes contend the campus for 20,000 workers will worsen traffic and housing. They had 30 days to gather the
signatures before today's deadline. They accused Cisco of trying to sabotage their effort by offering their petition circulators more money to instead collect signatures supporting the campus. But a judge last week
rejected for lack of merit PLAN's request to block Cisco. Page last updated November 4, 2001. |
|
|
|
||||
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|||
