November Ballot Proposal for Laguna Niguel : Panel to Take Up Vote on Community Services District

The Orange County Local Agency Formation Commission today will consider recommending whether Laguna Niguel residents should vote on becoming a community services district.

In the third public hearing it has held on the proposal, the commission may decide to recommend to the county Board of Supervisors that the issue go on the November ballot.

Laguna Niguel residents and Community Council officials agree that the crucial decision at the meeting involves whether the five-member agency will recommend a vote on one large or two smaller service districts.

The Local Agency Formation Commission has the authority to decide the boundaries of the districts that will be voted on, and many residents of coastal Laguna Niguel say they do not want to be a part of a single large district.

Those residents will present a petition requesting that their area be considered for a separate district because “they feel they would like to have a little more home rule,” Community Council member Ingrid Maguire said.

However, others argue that placing two service districts on the ballot would confuse residents and create obstacles if Laguna Niguel residents later decided to form a city.

“I would prefer a community services district uniting all of Laguna Niguel,” said Community Council Chairwoman Pat Bates. “I feel the (services district) boundaries are a steppingstone to city boundaries.”

Provides City-Type Services

A services district--sometimes called a “junior city” because it is a step toward incorporation--provides many, but not all, of the services of a city. It does not receive sales tax revenues or control land use as cities do but may levy fees to pay for specific services and does control use of its revenue. Also, Laguna Niguel will receive about $1 million in local tax money now used by the Board of Supervisors for countywide services if it forms a district.

Most of Laguna Niguel now belongs to one community service area, designated by the county primarily for local maintenance. However, some parts of Laguna Niguel--mainly the coastal areas--belong to a separate service area, and some residents in these sections have expressed opposition to being included in the proposed district. Those residents also helped delay including the community services district issue on the June ballot.

Paul Christiansen, a Community Council member who helped delay the vote, said he wants residents to be able to vote on “five or six” options in November. “The purpose of this would not be to confuse the voters but to give the voters a complete menu of the options available,” he said.

Those options include forming a coastal service district, forming an inland service district, bypassing a service district to try for incorporation right away, or maintaining the status quo, Christiansen said.

Although Maguire is officially neutral on whether Laguna Niguel should be split into two districts, she said she favors allowing residents to vote on that option.

Wants Single Option on Ballot

However, Bates is against placing more than one option on the ballot. She said that those who do not want one large district can simply vote against it in November if that is the only choice on the ballot.

“Voters wouldn’t know whether they were voting on the concept (of a services district) or the boundaries” if more than one district were on the ballot, she said.

One reason residents give for opposing a services district is the uncertain status of liability insurance for such districts. Mission Viejo has not found a liability insurance carrier since it formed a services district in November, although two companies are still considering providing coverage, said Mission Viejo Community Services District board member Victoria Jaffee.

But officials agree that the only way to determine what is best for Laguna Niguel is through a vote. “Bringing this before the voters is the best way,” Maguire said.

MP, Los Angeles Times