Taubman Centers

In California, statewide initiatives have been slow to hit the streets. So where are our signature gatherers? A few are in other states. But judging by my sources, an army of gatherers seems to have convened in the eastside city of Walnut Creek.

Why? Money, of course. There's a huge fight between two mall owners -- one a company, Taubman Centers, that owns a mall in nearby Concord, and the mall giant Macerich, which supports establishing a Neiman Marcus in Walnut Creek's downtown Broadway Plaza. And each side has multiple measures working. The group opposing Neiman Marcus has circulated two referenda to reverse actions of the city council supporting the project. The pro-Neiman Marcus side has an initiative that could trump the referenda. Such fights between economic interests have become more and more common in California and other states, as disputes that once were fought in city councils and planning commissions spill onto the ballot.

What does this mean for petition circulators? A windfall. Gatherers in Walnut Creek say they are being paid $4 for each signature they collect outside retail establishments -- and $10 (yes, you read that right) a signature for door-to-door work. Those are among the highest payments for work on a local petition that I've ever seen in California. In the East Bay, it's Christmas in July.