Republican signature-gathering juggernaut Arno Political Consultants sub-contracted out signature gathering work to the another group with strong GOP ties, the Discovery Petition Management Company — both out of the Sacramento area. The conservative ties are surprising considering the initiative is aimed at limiting a major residential development, as slow-growth initiatives are more commonly pushed by environmental and other left-wing groups.

Arno and Discovery have worked together before, sending West Coast signature gatherers to Ohio in 2004 in an initiative effort to ban gay marriage in that state.

Arno has come under fire recently from California Democratic officials, including State Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres, who on Nov. 1 called on the state Attorney General’s office to investigate Arno for alleged “bait-and-switch” tactics. Torres said petition signers had been misled into signing a petition for an initiative that would split California’s 58 electoral votes for president among the top vote-getters.

California, like most states, has a winner-take-all system, one that tends to favor Democrats in this liberal-leaning state. While conservatives have pushed the initiative as an election reform, liberals have said it is designed to weaken the Democratic Party here and that the reform should be imposed nationwide, if at all.

Mike Arno, CEO of Arno Political Consultants, has said publicly he will fight Torres’ claims his firm did anything wrong.

Target: Napa Pipe

According to Discovery Petition Management’s Web site, signature gatherers are paid between 50 cents and $8 per signature, depending on the initiative.

The Responsible Growth Initiative seeks to take a current county ordinance that restricts growth at 1 percent and turn it into a voter-approved measure. The change would bar the Napa County Board of Supervisors from voting to overturn the 1 percent cap, a move that is now within the board’s authority and one that might be needed for the 3,200 proposed townhomes at Napa Pipe to be built in a timely fashion.

The initiative also would limit the height of any new buildings to three stories, while the owners of the Napa Pipe property have proposed seven-story townhome buildings.

Keith Rogal, a representative of Napa Pipe developers Napa Redevelopment Partners, said he would remain silent on the issue until the initiative is placed on the June ballot.

Napa attorney James Marshall and political strategist Victor Ajlouny were hired by so-far unidentified proponents to push the Responsible Growth Initiative.

Press reports show Ajlouny, a resident of Omaha, Neb., has worked to fight growth boundaries in Milpitas and has represented Home Depot in exploring possible sites for new stores in California. He also worked on Napa County Supervisor Harold Moskowite’s 2004 campaign.

As for who is behind the Responsible Growth Initiative, Marshall has said only that the group is “a grassroots collection of friends and associates.”

The measure apparently would have no impact on another proposed residential development, the 1,000 homes tentatively planned on Ghisletta family land, between Foster Road and Highway 29 on the west side of town.

The Ghisletta family has not unveiled specific plans for the property, and the Napa County Local Agency Formation Commission has yet to vote on the city of Napa’s request for formal annexation of the land.

If the Ghisletta land is annexed into the city, the development would not have to comply with the Responsible Growth Initiative, which only affects lands in the unincorporated part of the county.