California IN BRIEF : CARMEL : Rezoning Backed by Eastwood Approved

A ballot measure backed by actor Clint Eastwood to rezone part of the commercial district and allow more tourist-oriented businesses was approved by just 10 votes, Monterey County election officials said. The June 8 vote was so close that election officials took days counting absentee ballots before declaring that the measure had passed, 1,099 to 1,089. Opponents of the rezoning, who forced it onto the ballot as a referendum, argued that it will further commercialize the quaint seaside town. Eastwood, a former mayor of Carmel, spent nearly $42,000 to promote the measure. The owner of a modest commercial building affected by the rezoning, Eastwood argued it was a matter of fairness to property owners and was needed to help raise revenues for the town.