Board Favors Plan to End Revenue Sharing : Supervisors Vote Unanimously to Back Reagan Proposal; Danger From Federal Deficit Cited

Breaking with most city and county governments nationally, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to support President Reagan’s proposal to end federal revenue sharing.

The program, which funnels federal tax revenues back to cities and counties, has been used by some local governments to pay for items ranging from police salaries to new city halls.

The county is scheduled to receive $14 million in revenue-sharing funds this year. The money is used mostly for one-time storm-drain and road-improvement projects.

Groups in Opposition

The National Assn. of Counties (NACO), of which 1,973 of the nation’s 3,106 counties are members, has joined the National League of Cities and the California League of Cities in opposition to the President’s plan. Orange County is a NACO member.

“The participation and support, even the sacrifice of every agency in government throughout the United States, I believe, is needed in order to address what could be a national disaster (the federal deficit) if it is not already,” said Supervisor Harriett Wieder, who two weeks ago argued for retaining the revenue-sharing program.

Wieder said she had been influenced by her attendance at a NACO conference Monday in Washington, D.C. She said Reagan and U.S. Sen. Robert Dole urged NACO delegates to “respond to the challenge” and support the President.

Wieder introduced a resolution Tuesday that called on county officials to prepare a study of how the county can cope with the threatened loss of revenue-sharing dollars and a projected $2-million cut in federal assistance to county programs that serve about 80,000 Indochinese refugees.

Resolution Amended

But the resolution was neutral on the question of supporting President Reagan, which did not suit Supervisor Bruce Nestande, who was an aide to Reagan when Reagan was governor.

Nestande successfully inserted language in Wieder’s resolution that put the board on record as supporting Reagan’s position and calling for an end to revenue sharing.

Supervisors said they adopted Nestande’s language in part because Orange County has long anticipated the demise of revenue sharing and has phased out use of the funds for all but small capital projects, and because of the need to reduce the federal deficit.

However, the vote also involved political prestige for some supervisors who have personal ties to the White House through friendships and appointments they have received to presidential commissions.

‘Wouldn’t Seem Right’

“This is supposed to be Reagan Country,” said one supervisor who requested anonymity. “It wouldn’t seem right to me or a lot of people in this strongly Republican county to go against the President.”

“Once I put it on the floor out there,” Nestande said, “it would have been--I don’t know if I would use the word embarrassing--but if we had not adopted my language, it would have been. I would have immediately asked, ‘OK, if you’re not willing to cut revenue sharing, what are you willing to cut?’ I’m sick and tired of Orange County politicians campaigning on the rhetoric of cutting things but then they say, ‘Don’t cut my program.’ That’s hypocrisy.”

The county administrative office (CAO) had recommended that the supervisors seek continuation of revenue sharing. The CAO oversees county programs, including those affected by cutbacks in federal assistance.