Bushey

*37 Appellant Morgan Hill Hotel Coalition (Coalition) appeals from the superior court's order granting a mandate petition brought by respondent City of Morgan Hill (City) and removing from the June 2016 ballot Coalition's referendum challenging City's ordinance changing the zoning for a parcel owned by respondent River Park Hospitality (River Park). Although *278 Coalition's referendum had properly qualified for placement on the ballot, City claimed that the referendum was invalid because, if the electorate rejected the ordinance, it would create an inconsistency between the zoning for the parcel and the general plan's land use designation for the parcel. On appeal, Coalition contends that a referendum that seeks to prevent a zoning change from taking effect does not create an inconsistency with a general plan's land use designation but merely maintains the preexisting status quo. The superior court relied on deBottari v. City Council (1985) 171 Cal.App.3d 1204 , 217 Cal.Rptr. 790 ( deBottari ) in rejecting Coalition's position. We disagree with deBottari and hold that a referendum petition challenging an ordinance that attempts to make the zoning for a parcel consistent with the…