SAN MARCOS -- Two of Escondido's elected officials on Thursday injected themselves into the debate over a local slow-growth initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot, speaking out against the measure during a press conference at San Marcos City Hall.

Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler and Escondido City Councilman Dick Daniels joined San Marcos Mayor Jim Desmond at the conference, where the three said that, if approved, the initiative could drive away developers with projects that otherwise would pave the way for new roads and other infrastructure.

Pfeiler said that has happened "a couple of dozen times" since Escondido residents passed a slow-growth initiative, Proposition S, in 1998.

"I think it's appropriate that one city can learn from another's experience," Pfeiler said. "Quite often, we will have developers come in and propose a project. When we tell them, 'Well, you're going to have to go through (an election),' they literally get up and walk out of the office and we never hear from them again."

Escondido planning chief Jon Brindle later cited New Urban West as an example of one development company that prefers not to do projects in the city because of the potentially lengthy, expensive and uncertain process of a ballot measure.

New Urban West officials could not be reached Thursday.

San Marcos chiropractor Cynthia Skovgard, who led the drive to get Prop. O on the ballot, said Thursday that any developments Escondido lost as a result of that city's slow-growth initiative were almost certainly inappropriate or too big anyway.

"They're obviously not quality enough to pass the voters," Skovgard said. "It's the same (reason) why we're doing it in San Marcos. We want the best quality projects we can get in town."

Also known as the San Marcos Growth Management and Neighborhood Protection Act, Prop. O would require voters to approve any development that would necessitate an amendment in the city's general plan.

Adopted 30 years ago, the plan is a blueprint for growth and development in the city.

Prop. O's proponents have said the initiative is needed to keep San Marcos officials from approving developments that are too big for or don't fit the character of the areas for which they are proposed.

Supporters often cite the Palomar Station development, which the San Marcos City Council approved last year. The project will add a mix of condominiums, offices, shops and restaurants to an industrial area near Palomar College.

Prop. O opponents, meanwhile, have said the initiative would force San Marcos residents to pay for unnecessary special elections and wade through complex development proposals they may not understand or have the time or inclination to read.

On Thursday, Desmond noted that Prop. O supporters have argued that other cities with slow-growth measures have continued to attract development. The San Marcos initiative is different, the mayor said, because it "blankets" the city and covers every type of land use.

That contrasts with Prop. S, which excludes Escondido's downtown area.

"In San Marcos, we would love to see a Trader Joe's, a Whole Foods, a bookstore," Desmond said. "And if we tell them they're going to have to wait for the next election, they're just not going to stick around."

The Escondido Chamber of Citizens was the driving force behind Prop. S. Group President Lisa Prazeau said the measure returned power to residents who were tired of seeing their wishes being ignored when it came to development in the city.

"What it boils down to is, (city officials) want to do what they want to do," she said. "And they don't want any of the citizens to have any input."

Contact staff writer Andrea Moss at (760) 739-6654 or amoss@nctimes.com.

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