The El Corazon Parkland Initiative would designate 544 acres of city land for a public park. Council members, based on a petition signed by 17,000 residents, last week were going to schedule a special May election.
But a city study released Friday says a state law may allow the council to delay the measure until the Nov. 5 election.
The City Attorney's office says it will make a final recommendation Wednesday after consulting with a research specialist hired by the city and the California secretary of state.
A new section of the California election code says that if a special election falls between the statewide primary election in March and the general election in November, it can be postponed until the general election so voters won't have to go to the polls three times in one year.
Officials for Save El Corazon say the city's interpretation of the code is wrong. They say attorneys for initiative proponents also are studying the code.
City officials say delays could hurt the chance for development of a resort hotel and championship golf course on the El Corazon property. But Manchester's plans may not be an issue if the state Coastal Commission does not approve the developer's proposal for a companion resort on the Oceanside beachfront.
Manchester plans the El Corazon hotel and golf course to complement the larger beach complex.
The initiative would allow 20% of the property to be sold to private enterprise, allowing Manchester his hotel. It would force the golf course to be publicly owned and operated.
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