Taking a Town-Gown Dispute to the Voters

Marymount College in California, like many colleges, is frustrated by delays in getting local approval for building and expansion plans. The college's unusual response? It is taking its proposal directly to its local voters, by placing a referendum on the fall ballot to bypass normal reviews, the Los Angeles Times reported. College officials say that after 10 years of delays, they have no choice if they want to move ahead with ambitious campus growth plans, but some residents see a danger that any developers who face opposition to their plans may now try for their own ballot measures.