A Very Nice Book, but Beware of Page 6

It was County Archives Week last week, so the county filled its Hall of Administration lobby with historical exhibits and on Thursday threw a small coffee-and-cookies reception.

Normally, these receptions are dreadfully boring. What made this one only kind of boring was the news (it was news to me, at least) that the county has published and is selling a small, soft-cover book listing some of the historical places in Orange County.

I bought one ($5), and I have it here in front of me. It’s titled “Visiting Orange County’s Past,” and it’s really very nice. Now that you’re here, we can go through it together.

Let’s see, Page 1. This first item hooks you right away. Did you know that Santa Ana was first located in Orange? It was near the Santa Ana River a little east of the Costa Mesa Freeway and a little north of Lincoln Avenue. That’s where the Yorbas and Peraltas built their adobes, the first settlement after the mission, and called the place Santa Ana. It was later renamed Olive.

If the whole book’s like this, it’s going to be great.

Page 2--where to see one of the last operating citrus packinghouses. Page 3--an 1890 photograph of the Orange Plaza. Page 5--a photo of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Santa Ana, which has been there for almost a century.

Page 6--hey, what’s this? A full-page photograph of county Supervisor Roger Stanton sitting on a banister. What’s that doing there?

Wait a minute! The Board of Supervisors is all over this book! Ralph Clark is on Page 30, leaning against a banister. Bruce Nestande is holding a ribbon at a dedication. Harriett Wieder is leaning against a chain-link fence. Tom Riley is just standing there smiling.

They’ve got their names on the frontispiece. Isn’t that enough? Can’t they curb their egos just once and not try to elbow their way into a history book? They’re supposed to earn their way in.

There’s not another photograph of a politician in here. Is Roger Stanton such a historic Orange County figure that our grandchildren must see him sitting on a banister?

Relax, Steve. This is your reason speaking. You’re getting excited over a trifle.

Yeah? Well, look here in the preface. See, it says it’s a book of historic landmarks. And here it says: “Due to space limitations, this commemorative publication includes only a selected sampling of the sites and events that chronicle our history.” I can show them very quickly how to expand this book by five pages--six if they take the supervisors’ names out, too.

I don’t understand why you’re so upset about this .

I’ll tell you. It’s nothing but baldfaced ego gratification, and it’s offensive. You can’t go to a county building without seeing their faces. Their pictures are plastered everywhere, as if it’s really important that we see them. And the one who’s chairman has got to have his picture an inch or two higher than the rest.

And a picture’s not enough. They put their names on it, too. There’s not a county building without the names of five county supervisors tattooed on it somewhere. You can’t find out why there’s still a chuckhole in front of your house, but you can always find out who voted to build this edifice. The plaque will last longer than the foundation.

A person is supposed to be embarrassed to be that boastful. Even if you are that egocentric, you’re supposed to hide it.

Steve, it’s possible the supervisors didn’t ask to have their photos in the book.

OK, we’ll call the book’s editor--let’s see, Elizabeth Schultz of the county Historical Commission.

Mrs. Schultz, why are the pictures of the supervisors in your book?

“Well, I don’t know if actually, well, I think that in every county publication there is a photograph of the supervisors. So when we started doing this, it came from one of our members that it would be nice if we’d have a photograph of the supervisors taken at a spot in their districts. That’s why. It’s a little bit unusual.”

A matter of protocol then?

“I would say that’s it.”

It’s a case of having to keep the person happy who’s signing the checks?

“I can tell you’re smart about these things.”

OK, Mr. Reason, there you have it.

Steve, we make them act this way. If people paid close attention to what supervisors did, then to get reelected all they’d have to do is do good. They could afford to be modest. But in real life, these supervisors have to sell, sell, sell all through their terms.

But this isn’t a report on the glories of their past administration or even a mailer back to the voters at home. This is a history book. Can’t they draw the line there?

OK, do you feel better now?

All right, all right.

Except for six pages, this is an interesting and useful book, and you should have one. You can get one by mailing $5.63 to Orange County Public Information Office, 10 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, Calif. 92701. It’s $5 if you pick it up in person.

Last week they were selling copies autographed by all the county supervisors. If there are any left and you want one, demand a discount.