Lead Opinion
Opinion
We granted review in this case to consider whether Government Code section 66484.3 (all further statutory references are to this code unless otherwise stated), which permits city councils in Orange County to impose development fees to fund construction of major thoroughfares, renders invalid a proposed initiative measure which would prohibit Irvine’s city council from imposing a new fee or tax to finance construction of any new transportation corridor, freeway, highway, or other road without first submitting the new fee or tax to a vote of the electorate. As we will explain, we have concluded that the initiative conflicts with section 66484.3. Because it addresses a matter of statewide concern, the statute prevails and the initiative is invalid. We will therefore affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
I. Facts and Procedural History
In the late 1970’s three new “transportation corridors” were proposed for construction in Orange County. Designated the San Joaquin Hills, Eastern,
In April 1984, the Orange County Board of Supervisors requested the Orange County Transportation Commission to serve as a facilitator in efforts to have 11 Orange County cities join in a partnership to build the corridors.
Proponents of the corridors then focused their attention on the other proposed funding plan—the imposition of fees on new development—which had been under study for at least two years. Section 66484, a provision of the Subdivision Map Act, authorizes cities and counties to impose fees as a condition of subdivision map approval or building permit issuance, with the fees to be used to defray the cost of constructing major thoroughfares and bridges to service the new development. In January 1984, legislation had been introduced (Assem. Bill No. 2431 (1983-1984 Reg. Sess.)) to clarify and amend section 66484 so it could be used to provide funding for the corridors. In particular, the legislation would have expressly permitted a city to impose a development fee for facilities shown on its general plan but located outside the city. The proposed amendments to section 66484 drew opposition and were replaced by a proposed new provision, section 66484.3, which would apply only to Orange County and cities located therein. The new provision was duly enacted as an urgency measure and became law. (Stats. 1984, ch. 708, § 1, p. 2619.)
Section 66484.3 authorizes both the County of Orange and the cities within the county to adopt major thoroughfare and bridge fee programs (hereafter MT&BF programs), and to enact ordinances imposing fees against new development in designated benefit areas in order to fund the construction of major highway projects in the county. (See also, § 50029.)
On October 3, 1984, the Orange County Board of Supervisors adopted a MT&BF program and established areas of benefit for the corridors in the unincorporated areas of the county. The county began collecting fees under its program in November 1984. The county also drafted joint powers agreements, under which construction of the corridors is to be administered by two joint powers agencies—the Foothill/Eastem Transportation Corridor Agency and the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency—consisting of those entities which have instituted fee programs. (See § 6500 et seq.) Each joint powers agency shall be formed when at least five public entities have adopted the fee program and have approved the agreement creating the agency.
Under the joint powers agreements, all fees collected under the MT&BF programs for the corridors are to be remitted to the joint powers agencies. The MT&BF programs have been designed to raise approximately 48 percent of the total cost of constructing the corridors, with the balance to be sought from existing state and federal programs.
The City of Irvine is a charter city within the County of Orange and was reportedly the fastest growing city in the state at the time of the litigation below. Each of the three corridors would pass through or be adjacent to Irvine, which is therefore eligible for membership in both joint powers agencies. Assuming that all eligible entities joined the agencies, it has been estimated that Irvine would contribute approximately 25 percent of the fees collected for the corridors (or roughly 12 percent of the total cost).
In September 1984, Irvine’s city council adopted several policy statements supporting imposition of development fees to finance construction of the corridors, and in February 1985 it conditionally approved Irvine’s participation in the MT&BF program. The mayor executed two memoranda of understanding stating that the corridors were “regional in nature and must be planned, financed, and constructed as a cooperative effort by cities, the County of Orange, [and] the state and federal governments . . . .”
On June 24, 1985, the initiative petition was filed with Irvine’s city clerk, who thereafter certified to the city council that the petition contained the verified signatures of 8,701 registered voters (19 percent of the total), thus qualifying for the ballot.
On July 26, 1985, an action for writ of mandate was commenced to prohibit Irvine’s city clerk and city council from placing the initiative on the ballot. (Munsell et al. v. City of Irvine (Super. Ct. Orange County, No. 46-47-20).) The petitioners in that action include two individuals who are residents and taxpayers of the City of Irvine. The other petitioners (all corporations with members who are companies and individuals paying taxes to and owning businesses in the City of Irvine) are the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Inc., Orange County Region; the Irvine Chamber of Commerce; the Industrial League of Orange County; and the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. These petitioners (hereafter collectively the initiative opponents or opponents) contend that the initiative is invalid and beyond the power of the electorate to enact because it would interfere with essential governmental functions by restricting the taxing and revenue-raising authority of the city, because it addresses a matter of statewide concern as to which the Legislature has delegated discretionary authority to the city council alone, because it attempts to be
In August 1985, the superior court granted the peremptory writ commanding Irvine’s city council and city clerk to refuse to adopt the initiative, to refuse to submit it to the voters of the city, and to refrain from expending any public funds or otherwise acting to implement or to place the initiative on the ballot.
The present action was commenced in October 1985 by the filing of a petition for writ of mandate in the Court of Appeal
While the case was pending before the Court of Appeal, Irvine’s city council gave first reading
The Court of Appeal denied COST’S application for a stay of any action by Irvine’s city council to enact a fee assessment ordinance or to otherwise
The Court of Appeal ultimately denied the petition for writ of mandate, thereby upholding the superior court’s ruling. The Court of Appeal concluded that the ordinance proposed by the initiative is invalid because it conflicts with section 66484.3 which has specifically entrusted a discretionary power over a matter of statewide concern to the board of supervisors and the city councils.
Briefs on the merits have been filed in this court by COST and by the initiative opponents. Amicus curiae briefs in support of the position of the opponents have been filed by the County of Orange, the Orange County Transportation Commission, the California Building Industry Association, the Foothill/Eastem Transportation Corridor Agency, the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency, and two members of Irvine’s city council. The other three members of Irvine’s city council have filed a brief in support of COST.
II. The Initiative Conflicts with Section 66484.3
The Court of Appeal held that the initiative is invalid because it conflicts with state law on a matter of statewide concern. COST concedes the validity of the principle—i.e., “legislation in an area of statewide concern preempts conflicting regulation by a charter city” (The Pines v. City of Santa Monica (1981)
A. The Statutory Language.
Section 66484.3 conflicts with the initiative if, as the Court of Appeal concluded, it confers authority to enact MT&BF programs exclusively on the Orange County Board of Supervisors and the city councils of
Our primary aim in construing any law is to determine the legislative intent. (Metromedia, Inc. v. City of San Diego (1982)
As originally enacted,
Over the years this court has struggled with the question whether a statutory reference to action by a local legislative body indicates a legislative intent to preclude action on the same subject by the electorate. A review of these decisions supports the conclusion that while such references are generally not conclusive as to legislative intent, they do support an inference that the intent was to preclude action by initiative or referendum. Review of the case law further suggests that the strength of the inference varies according to the precise language used in the statute, a reference using generic language such as “governing body” or “legislative body” supporting a weaker inference than a specific reference to boards of supervisors and city councils. A third conclusion to be drawn is that an intent to exclude ballot measures is more readily inferred if the statute addresses a matter of statewide concern rather than a purely municipal affair.
Our review of the decisions of this court begins with Riedman v. Brison (1933)
In Simpson v. Hite (1950)
In Blotter v. Farrell (1954)
Three years later, in Geiger v. Board of Supervisors (1957)
Blotter and Geiger are not irreconcilable. In Blotter the statute at issue dealt with alteration of councilmanic district boundaries, a municipal affair, and the statute used only a generic reference to the “legislative body.” Moreover, the legislative scheme required a vote of the electorate to establish a district system, thus reflecting a legislative determination that direct voter participation in such matters was appropriate. In Geiger, on the other hand, the Legislature had used the more specific reference to the “board of supervisors.” While the statute at issue in Geiger also dealt with a purely local matter, the inference that the Legislature intended to exclude voter participation was supported by the provisions of our state Constitution (former art. IV, § 1; see now, art. II, § 9) barring the referendum on “tax levies or appropriations for the usual current expenses of the State.” (See Hunt v. Mayor & Council of Riverside (1948)
Most recently, in Building Industry Assn. v. City of Camarillo (1986)
Concluding that Evidence Code section 669.5 applied to ordinances enacted by initiative after the effective date of that section, we noted that one of the versions considered by the Legislature before the section’s enactment referred to an ordinance “enacted by the governing body . . . except ... an initiative measure . . . .” As we observed, “the wording of this version indicates that the Legislature must have assumed that measures enacted by a ‘governing body’ included initiatives adopted by the electorate, since initiatives were exempted from the reach of the statute within the same sentence.” (Building Industry Assn., supra, 41 Cal.3d at pp. 819-820, original italics; see also, Lee v. City of Monterey Park (1985)
We have also reviewed Court of Appeal decisions but have found none in which statutory use of specific references to a “city council” or “board of supervisors” was considered. When construing statutes containing generic references, such as “legislative body” or “governing body,” the Courts of Appeal have generally permitted exercise of the initiative and referendum when the subject matter was of purely local concern (e.g., Atlas Hotels, Inc. v. Acker (1964)
As COST observes, many powers conferred by statute on the “legislative body” of a local entity have been held to be subject to initiative and referendum. For example, ballot measures may be used to enact or amend zoning ordinances despite the language of sections 65850-65858 conferring zoning powers on the “legislative body.” (Arnel Development Co. v. City of Costa Mesa (1980)
Our review of the relevant case law leads us to conclude that the Legislature’s use of the terms “board of supervisors” and “city council” in section 66484.3 gives rise to a strong inference that the Legislature intended to preclude exercise of the statutory authority by the electorate.
B. Municipal Affairs and Statewide Concerns.
Because, as we have seen, this is an important factor in ascertaining legislative intent, we consider next whether section 66484.3 deals with matters of statewide concern rather than strictly municipal affairs. As used in this discussion, “statewide” refers to all matters of more than local concern and thus includes matters the impact of which is primarily regional rather than truly statewide.
A charter city such as Irvine is authorized by the state Constitution to “make and enforce all ordinances and regulations in respect to municipal affairs.” (Cal. Const., art. XI, § 5, subd. (a).) Under this provision, ordinances enacted in a charter city relating to matters which are purely municipal affairs prevail over state laws covering the same subject. (Baggett v. Gates (1982)
We have recognized that no exact definition of the term “municipal affairs” can be formulated, and that what constitutes a municipal affair or matter of statewide concern may change over time in response to changing conditions in society. (Bishop v. City of San Jose, supra,
The statewide importance of section 66484.3 becomes apparent upon examination of its relation to highway construction and the development of regional transportation systems. While street work has long been regarded as a matter of local concern (see City of Walnut Creek v. Silveira (1957)
Section 66484.3 was designed specifically for the funding of “major thoroughfares whose primary purpose is to carry through traffic and provide a network connecting to or which is part of the state highway system . . . (§ 66484.3, subd. (b)(1).) In other words, the contemplated transportation facilities are to be used primarily for travel between cities rather than within cities. This intent is shown further by the provision authorizing use of the fees collected to construct facilities shown on the city’s general plan “whether the facilities are situated within or outside the boundaries of the city . . . .” (§ 66484.3, subd. (i).) The construction of roads located outside a city’s boundaries cannot be a strictly municipal affair.
While the statute does not itself establish a regional mechanism for planning and constructing major highways, such as the formation of joint powers agencies, the use of such mechanisms is necessarily implied from the nature of the facilities themselves, since it would be practically impossible for any one or more cities acting independently to plan and build efficient additions to a regional highway system. (See City of Santa Clara v. Von Raesfeld (1970)
COST argues that construction of the corridors cannot truly be a matter of statewide concern because the Legislature has not required but
We conclude that section 66484.3 deals with matters of statewide concern rather than strictly municipal affairs.
C. Other Indicia of Legislative Intent.
The construction of the statute as a delegation of authority to city councils is supported not only by the language of section 66484.3, which refers specifically to city council action, but also by a comparison with section 66484, the provision on which section 66484.3 was modeled. The parallel language of section 66484 reads: “A local ordinance may require the payment of a fee . . . for purposes of defraying the actual or estimated cost of . . . constructing major thoroughfares.” Under the principle of statutory construction that a material change in the language of a legislative enactment is ordinarily viewed as showing an intent on the part of the Legislature to change the meaning of the statute (Twin Lock, Inc. v. Superior Court (1959)
COST argues that the available legislative history rebuts the inference that the Legislature attached significance to the specific references to the board of supervisors and the city councils. These references were not present when the legislation was first introduced in the form of an amendment
While legislative committee reports are legitimate and valuable aids in determining legislative intent (Curtis v. County of Los Angeles (1985)
Finally, COST argues that we should not infer a legislative intent to exclude action by the electorate because the Legislature could have no legitimate reason for imposing this restriction. As stated, the purpose of the legislation was to facilitate action at the local level to deal with an urgent regional transportation problem. Permitting operation of the initiative and referendum powers would make enactment of the contemplated local legislation more difficult and time-consuming. (See Hunt v. Mayor & Council of Riverside, supra,
Having reviewed the language, subject matter, and history of the statute, and other pertinent matters suggested by the parties, we conclude that in enacting section 66484.3 the Legislature intended to delegate authority to enact ordinances establishing MT&BF programs exclusively to the Orange County Board of Supervisors and the city councils of cities within Orange County. By requiring voter approval to enact such ordinances, the initiative conflicts with section 66484.3.
III. Section 66484.3 Does not Violate the Home Rule or Initiative Provisions of the State Constitution
COST contends that section 66484.3, if interpreted to preclude local action by initiative and referendum, will violate the provisions of our state Constitution guaranteeing home rule to charter cities (art. XI, § 5) and reserving to local electorates the powers of initiative and referendum (art. II, § 11).
As already noted, the home rule powers of charter cities extend only to municipal affairs and we have concluded that section 66484.3 relates to
Implicit in this argument is the assertion that state legislation on matters of statewide concern may prevail over local enactments only to the extent the state law does not invade the sphere of municipal affairs. We have repeatedly rejected this proposition: “If a state statute affects a municipal affair only incidentally in the accomplishment of a proper objective of state-wide concern, then the state law applies to charter cities.” (Wilson v. Walters (1941)
Next COST contends that section 66484.3, to the extent it precludes exercise of the initiative and referendum, conflicts with article II, section 11 of the state Constitution providing that “Initiative and referendum powers may be exercised by the electors of each city or county . . . .” COST maintains that “the precise issue” it raises here was decided in its favor in Associated Home Builders etc., Inc. v. City of Livermore, supra,
In Associated Home Builders we held that the notice and hearing provisions prescribed by state law for enactment of municipal zoning and land use ordinances in general law cities “govern only ordinances enacted by city council action and do not limit the power of municipal electors, reserved to them by the state Constitution, to enact legislation by initiative.” (Associated Home Builders, supra,
COST relies primarily on the following language: “The 1911 constitutional amendment, in reserving the right of initiative on behalf of municipal voters, stated that ‘This section is self-executing, but legislation may be enacted to facilitate its operation, but in no way limiting or restricting either the provisions of this section or the powers herein reserved.' (Former Cal.
The subject matter at issue in Associated Home Builders—municipal zoning and land use regulations—was a municipal affair and our comments in that case must be read in that context. In matters of statewide concern, the state may if it chooses preempt the entire field to the exclusion of all local control. If the state chooses instead to grant some measure of local control and autonomy, it has authority to impose procedural restrictions on the exercise of the power granted, including the authority to bar the exercise of the initiative and referendum. (See Riedman v. Brison, supra,
In explaining why the Legislature may bar local initiatives in matters of statewide concern, courts have sometimes resorted to an awkward and confusing characterization of the delegated power as “administrative.” Thus it has been said that when a local legislative body acts pursuant to a power delegated to it by state law, “the action receives an ‘administrative’ characterization, hence is outside the scope of the initiative and referendum.” (Hughes v. City of Lincoln (1965)
This use of an administrative characterization for delegated powers is an unnecessary fiction. The state’s plenary power over matters of statewide
COST makes a related argument, based on a footnote in Associated Home Builders, supra,
Relying on this language, COST argues that the initiative is barred as to matters of statewide concern only when the state has preempted the field in question by enacting a pervasive system of regulation. We conclude that COST has misread the language in question.
The existence of a pervasive system of regulation is significant as evidence of a legislative intent to delegate exclusively to a local legislative body and as evidence that the matter is indeed one of statewide concern but it is not a prerequisite to the validity of the exclusive delegation. Where the legislative intent to delegate exclusively is otherwise clear, and the legislation addresses a matter of statewide concern, the absence of a pervasive system of regulation is of no consequence.
We conclude, accordingly, that section 66484.3 violates neither the home rule nor the municipal initiative provisions of the state Constitution.
IV. Conclusion
In enacting section 66484.3 the state has enabled and encouraged local governments in Orange County to engage in the funding and construction of major highways, a matter of statewide importance. We have concluded that the Legislature intended that the authority thus delegated be exercised by the local legislative bodies specifically and exclusively, thereby precluding use of the initiative and referendum in this limited area. We have also concluded that section 66484.3 does not violate the home rule or municipal initiative provisions of the state Constitution. These conclusions make it unnecessary to consider other contentions urged by the initiative opponents.
The judgment of the Court of Appeal denying the petition for writ of mandate is affirmed.
Notes
The San Joaquin Hills corridor had been added to the transportation element of Orange County’s general plan in 1976; the Foothill and Eastern corridors were added to the county’s general plan in 1981. The corridors have also figured in the general plans of several cities, including the City of Irvine.
The organization’s name apparently refers to the number of signatures needed to qualify an initiative petition for the ballot in the City of Irvine.
Initiative procedures in the City of Irvine are governed by Elections Code sections 4001-4020. Under Elections Code section 4010, once the city clerk has certified to the city council that the initiative petition has been signed by at least 15 percent of the city’s registered voters, the city council must either adopt the ordinance or submit it to the voters.
An appeal was taken from the superior court judgment granting the writ petition but no challenge is raised to the conclusion of the Court of Appeal that in this instance the remedy by appeal was inadequate and that the present writ proceeding was properly instituted.
The Court of Appeal issued an alternative writ addressed solely to the superior court and in its subsequent opinion the City of Irvine, the city council, and the city clerk were designated real parties in interest rather than respondents.
The procedure for enacting ordinances in Irvine is governed by section 407 of the Irvine City Charter. With a few exceptions, not here pertinent, the city council must follow a two-step process in which it first votes to introduce an ordinance (first reading) and then, at a second meeting at least five days later, it votes to adopt the ordinance (second reading and enactment).
Section 66484.3 has subsequently been amended but the amendments do not affect the issues considered in this case.
Under the legislative scheme examined in Blotter, an ordinance to create a district system for city council elections was required to be submitted to the voters. (§ 34871.) While section 35322 provided specifically for redistricting following annexation, there was no express provision for redistricting following population shifts. Blotter concluded, first, that the power to enact a district system included by necessary implication a power to amend or repeal the enacting legislation and, second, that such legislation could be proposed by initiative petition. (See now, § 34873.)
COST’s argument that the references to the board of supervisors and city councils were merely a convenient method of stating the provision’s geographical limitations is unpersuasive because these references could be deleted and the geographical limitation would still be clear without any additional language—i.e., “fjj 44414 41 44441114414 41 '•h® County of Orange and pjj jiff} jjjjjjf jf any city in that county may, by ordinance, require....’’
The Senate report lists the following changes: “1. Expands the authorized uses of fees collected to include paying for a network which is part of the state highway system and widening existing major thoroughfares, [fl] 2. Provides that bridges which are an integral part of a major thoroughfare for which fees are proposed, need not be shown specifically on the general plan. [H] 3. Allows the project costs and method of fee apportionment to be modified to reflect cost estimates or actual costs and changes in apportionment due to changes in land use or other factors. Fees may be periodically adjusted automatically to reflect the Consumer Price Index or some other indicator not under the governing body’s control. [K] 4) Allows a single fund, into which fees are deposited, to be created for all of the bridge or thoroughfare projects in a single area of benefit. [1f] 5) Allows a city to establish a fee program for facilities shown on its or the county’s general plan, whether or not the facilities are within the city limits. The property assessed must be in an area of benefit within the city’s boundaries. [U] 6) Allows a county to spend fee money for facilities or portions of facilities located within cities. [1[] 7) Allows affected property owners’ written majority protest of the fee program to be overruled by a four-fifths vote of the legislative body. [U] 8. Prohibits the contesting of the fee unless the action or proceeding is commenced within 60 days after recordation of the fee resolution. This limitation also applies to fee modifications.” (Sen. Housing and Urban Affairs Com., Rep. on Assem. Bill No. 2431 (1983-1984 Reg. Sess.) June 14, 1984. Emphasis in original.)
The Assembly report lists the same eight changes in slightly different form. (Assem. Local Gov. Com., Rep. on Assem. Bill No. 2431 (as amended Apr. 11, 1984) May 9, 1984.)
Dissenting Opinion
I dissent.
“ ‘[I]t has long been our judicial policy to apply a liberal construction to [the initiative] power wherever it is challenged in order that the right be not improperly annulled. If doubts can reasonably be resolved in favor of the use of this reserve power, courts will preserve it.’ ” (Associated Home Builders etc., Inc. v. City of Livermore (1976)
The majority’s analytical methods are in error. Instead of applying the well-established tests for determining the validity of a proposed local initiative (see, e.g., Yost v. Thomas (1984)
Article II, section 11, of the California Constitution provides for the initiative and referendum powers not as a right granted to the people, but as a power reserved by them. (Associated Home Builders, supra,
However, we have long recognized that “the efficiency necessary to the successful administration of the business affairs of a city” (Hopping v. Council of City of Richmond (1915)
When, as here, a local proposal deals with a subject affected by state law, the test is simple: an act is administrative if it “deals with a subject which is ‘one of statewide concern in which the Legislature has delegated decision-making power, not to the local electors, but to the local council or board as the state's designated agent for local implementation of state policy.’ ” (Merriman v. Board of Supervisors (1983)
When, on the other hand, the act in question “is an exercise of the police power constitutionally delegated to counties and cities (Cal. Const., art. XI, § 7), it is likely to constitute an act of legislation rather than administration.” (Merriman v. Board of Supervisors, supra,
Thus the true “first point to be determined” here is whether section 66484.3 (1) establishes a “basic state policy” that the city councils are bound to carry out—in which case their decisions are “administrative” and beyond the reach of the electorate’s initiative power, or (2) merely authorizes the city councils to exercise their constitutionally delegated police powers in a particular manner if they so choose—in which case their decisions are “legislative” and subject to the initiative. Section 66484.3 obviously invokes the latter.
The only “basic state policy” evident in section 66484.3 is no policy. The Legislature has explicitly given each individual city in Orange County complete and total discretion as to whether it will or will not enact a develop
Further, to find a “basic state policy” here would be to hold that virtually any local discretionary decision made under color of a special “authorizing” state statute is immune from the initiative power. The law is otherwise (Hughes v. City of Lincoln, supra,
The majority, in their failure to protect the initiative power, appear willing to risk such abrogation. After correctly observing that the state may preempt the entire field in matters of statewide concern, they boldly assert that “[i]f the state chooses instead to grant some measure of local control and autonomy, it has authority ... to bar the exercise of the initiative and referendum.” (Ante, p. 511.) Thus the majority apply a hitherto unknown standard: as long as the Legislature could have preempted the field, it can bar the electorate from exercising its reserved initiative and referendum powers. As I will explain, this conclusion does more than simply misstate California law; it violates the California Constitution.
Furthermore, in two of the three cases the initiative was barred because the Legislature did preempt the field. (See Ferrini v. City of San Luis Obispo, supra,
Even more untenable than this citation of nonauthority, however, is the majority’s reliance on it to avoid the constitutional implications of their holding. The 1911 amendment to the California Constitution, which provided for the initiative and referendum, stated: “This section is self-executing, but legislation may be enacted to facilitate its operation, but in no way limiting or restricting either the provisions of this section or the powers herein reserved.” (Former Cal. Const., art. IV, § 1.) In Associated Home Builders, this court interpreted that language to mean that “legislation which permits council action but effectively bars initiative action may run afoul of the 1911 amendment.” (
It is illuminating to compare Irvine’s discretion under section 66484.3 with that of the City of Santa Barbara under the California Coastal Act (Pub. Resources Code, § 30000 et seq.). That act, among other things: (1) explicitly enumerates “the basic goals of the state” for the entire California “coastal zone” (id., § 30001.5); (2) requires each local government within the coastal zone to prepare and submit a land use plan to the California Coastal Commission (id., § 30500, subd. (a)); and (3) sets forth specific policies establishing standards by which the adequacy of the local coastal programs is determined (id., §§ 30200-30264).
In Yost v. Thomas, we considered whether this statutory scheme precluded the local electorate’s exercise of the referendum power with regard to the city council’s actions under a land use plan already approved by the commission. (
If wide discretion in determining how to comply with mandatory state regulations is sufficient to render local acts legislative, is not complete discretion under a statute merely authorizing local actions sufficient to do the same?