Former Laguna Niguel council member Paul Merritt signaled his intent Tuesday to seek sufficient signatures to force a referendum on the Laguna Beach City Council's 3-2 approval in June of a parking structure and park at the village entrance.
But the city attorney for Laguna Beach said he thought Merritt's effort could be futile.
"Not every action taken by a City Council is subject to referendum," City Attorney Philip Kohn said. "One of my concerns after just perusing the submitted materials is that I don't believe that there was any action taken by the City Council at the June 11 meeting that is subject to a referendum."
Merritt, a onetime Laguna Beach City Council candidate also known as Paul Merritt Christiansen, was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
He was among the 12 opponents of the parking structure who spoke against the project at Tuesday's council meeting.
LetLagunavote.com spokeswoman Rita Conn said Wednesday that City Council members have been informed that the group does not support Merritt's petition, which is titled Let Laguna Vote.