Growth and the Quality of Life

In a March 13 Times article about a group calling itself “Orange County Tomorrow,” Tom Rogers, self-proclaimed community activist and former challenger to Orange County 5th District Supervisor Tom Riley, questioned the direction of Orange County’s “quality of life” under current county leadership. Additionally, the article implied that the builders of Orange County are also unconcerned with those elements that, in the aggregate, create the “good life.”

As a principal in an Orange County firm of environmental designers, planners and landscape architects, and as chair of the Community Involvement Committee of Orange County’s Building Industry Assn., I feel a responsibility to respond to Rogers and his cohorts. So, let’s really talk about Orange County’s quality of life . . . .

Because of builders, developers and a myriad of building-related companies, Orange County is finally getting its own world-class performing arts center. I would remind Mr. Rogers that a developer donated the land for this facility, a developer spearheaded the fund-raising effort for the center, and numerous builders and building industry affiliates have provided a large portion of the private monies for this public facility.

In the area of critical human services, I direct Mr. Rogers’ attention to Orangewood, the county’s new home for abused and dependent children. Replacing the overcrowded and obsolete Albert Sitton Home, this beautiful facility owes its existence to the vision of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and the leadership, commitment and generosity of many in the Orange County building community who recognized a crying need and dedicated their time, money and business acumen to solving the problem.

In addition to these two highly visible projects, there are countless other causes, groups and organizations to which many in the building industry give generously of their time, money and leadership.

In reply to Mr. Rogers’ reference to our public officials not planning for our quality of life, I might mention that at the March 9 presentation of the South County YWCA’s Women of Achievement Awards, Supervisor and Mrs. Tom Riley were awarded a special recognition for their distinguished service in the community.

A final word of caution to any who might be disposed to jump on the “pull-up-the-drawbridge, I’ve-got-mine” bandwagon: The building industry also includes planners, plumbers, painters, title companies, civil engineers, landscapers, interior designers and other businesses, industries and workers too numerous to mention here. The message is that the domino effect of “stopping the world” in Orange County would result in the loss of untold numbers of jobs--blue and white collar alike.

So, if you’re not opposed to a tragic loss of jobs in this county, if you’re not concerned about affordable and available housing for your children and grandchildren, and if you don’t object to an enormous reduction in private funding for human service and cultural needs in our county--in short, if you are not sincerely concerned with Orange County’s quality of life--then perhaps you should support Tom Rogers and his shortsighted friends.

You might, however, first want to ask Mr. Rogers what he’s done for Orange County lately.

JULIE

BRINKERHOFF-EDWARDS

Newport Beach

John Erskine overstates his case when he suggests that the words “employee housing” be emblazoned at the entrance to every city hall and the County Hall of Administration (Opinion, March 17). That slogan may be appropriate for the Building Industry Assn. which he heads, but most citizens would prefer the words “quality of life” for our civic centers.

Orange County’s population in 1950 was precisely 10% of the current figure. Rapid development has enabled a great many citizens to share the “good life” we enjoy, and for that achievement the building industry deserves credit. Unfortunately, the same feat of multiplication, if repeated, will prove disastrous for nearly everyone who is not a part of Erskine’s organization.

The time has come for Orange County’s leaders to stop viewing themselves as helpless victims of urbanization. Instead, we should make the great conceptual effort to ask ourselves what we would truly like Orange County to look like 50 years from now, then boldly take hold of our future and our destiny to make it happen.

JAMES R. TALEVICH

Mission Viejo