Citizens for a Fully Informed Vote (CFIV), opponents of
the Padres' Friends of the Ballpark Petition (FBP) drive,
are contending that the team and its political consultant
"are trying to hire every petition-gatherer" in the city,
and thus "prevent" CFIV "from collecting enough names to
float their own referendum" against the ballpark project,
according to Sheila Muto of WALL STREET JOURNAL INTERACTIVE.
CFIV has decided to try to "launch a referendum to force"
the San Diego City Council to either repeal the ballpark
ordinance or put the ballpark financing plan up for another
vote (see THE DAILY, 1/12). CFIV, which began paying
professional signature-gatherers $1 for each person they
signed up, has until March 1 to collect 40,000 signatures
(or 30,000 valid names) from registered city voters. FBP is
offering signature-gatherers $2 for each signature from
adults living in San Diego and $3 for signatures from adults
living outside the city, but within the county. But, "as a
condition" of working for the Padres, petition-circulators
"must pledge not to do anything that might harm the ballpark
project" (WALL STREET JOURNAL INTERACTIVE, 2/16).
HE SAID, SHE SAID, FROM S.D.: Discovery Petition
Management Co. Owner Eileen Ray, whose company is "not
connected" with either group's effort, called the Padres'
tactic "legal, but not ethical." Padres President Larry
Lucchino, on whether FBP is "aimed at derailing" the CFIV
petition: "They are going to succeed or fail depending on
their own efforts. We're simply trying to maintain support
for this [ballpark] project." Bobby Glaser, an attorney and
President of the La Jolla Group, a San Diego political-
consulting firm hired by the Padres to gather signatures for
its petition, said he raised signature-gathering prices for
the club "simply because the opposition was paying more."
Glaser: "That's the nature of the business. You compete for
circulators, and circulators are motivated by profit." CFIV
began last week "matching the Padres' bounty," offering $2
per signature (WALL STREET JOURNAL INTERACTIVE, 2/16).
