Despite early concerns regarding voter confusion, the Lompoc City Council voted 3-2 (with councilmembers Jeremy Ball and Dirk Starbuck dissenting) during its July 16 meeting to leave two measures on the November general election ballot that would discontinue public use of 82 acres of city-owned land that includes Ken Adam Park.
“I think that when we look at the history of discussions on this particular item, the council over the years did their due diligence to discuss the item, negotiate, and bring forth the information as best they could to the public,” Councilmember Gilda Aiello (formerly Gilda Cordova) said during the meeting. “When the council had to vote to put the ballot measure on, the council did that as well.”
The Lompoc City Council has been in discussions with Pale Blue Dot Ventures—a Delaware-based C corporation—to develop a space-themed venue for space camps and exploration attractions on 82 acres of city-owned land, including Ken Adam Park, since 2019.
On May 21, the City Council approved a development agreement—with a lease period up to 55 years—for Pale Blue Dot to convert the land into a space education center. As part of this process, the city also approved a ballot measure for the voters to decide whether they want the public park and open space to be converted to private use for Pale Blue Dot.
Prior to the city’s vote, a petition circulated among Lompoc voters in April to add a different measure to the ballot that would also request to discontinue the land’s public use for private use and development of a potential space-themed educational center. However, the citizen-initiated measure doesn’t include language regarding Pale Blue Dot or its operation.
The petition received 2,017 signatures, which is more than 10 percent of Lompoc’s registered voter population—requiring the city to add it to the ballot by law.
“In view of the fact we know have two very similar proposals for voters to consider, and in order to prevent any voter confusion, we request that the city measure … be withdrawn and the Citizen Initiated measure take precedence,” Pale Blue Dot Founder and CEO Steve Franck wrote in a letter to the City Council.
While Councilmember Dirk Starkbuck motioned to discontinue the city’s measure, Aiello brought forth her own motion to leave both measures on the ballot. With Aiello’s second motion on the table, the city voted on hers first. With it passing 3-2, Starbuck’s initial motion failed.
“Pale Blue Dot or Steve Franck, they had already started their initiative, maybe there was a sense of insecurity: If the council doesn’t vote in our favor then at least let the public speak,” Aiello said. “The consideration that the council did do the job, it did vote to go to the public, there was an opportunity for them to not need to continue with their ballot measure … In fairness and transparency, this council should consider leaving its measure on the ballot.”
Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne told the Sun in an emailed statement that she voted to leave both on the ballot because the city measure defines Pale Blue Dot as the potential buyer, while the citizen-initiated measure “provides any other buyer a shortcut in the future,” she said. To reduce confusion, the city council plans on providing arguments for and against the measures for voters to read in the voter information guide, which is sent out to all registered voters before election season.
“Citizens currently own the park and I believe residents should always be able to vote on future ownership, whether it’s in five years or 30 years. Leaving both initiatives on the ballot provides voters with as much information as possible on Ken Adam Park potentially transitioning from publicly owned to privately owned land,” Osborne said.
