Commentary : Survey Points to County Problems

Traffic-clogged roadways and unaffordable housing have once again been ranked as Orange County’s top problems.

These concerns, stated repeatedly in the last few years, most recently were voiced in a countywide study of the public’s needs sponsored by United Way of Orange County and several corporations and foundations.

Little surprise that transportation is seen as the biggest problem in this county, with more than a quarter of the streets and roads believed in need of major repair. And little surprise that housing is second, with the median price of a new home here now nearly quadruple the median household income.

But beneath the obvious ones, the United Way/Orange County Needs Assessment has found new, more hidden problems, which signal a change afoot in the county.

Education ranked sixth and race relations ranked seventh in the combined concerns of civic leaders and the general public. While these concerns came behind children’s issues (such as child care and child abuse), drug/alcohol abuse and crime, which were rated third, fourth and fifth, they nonetheless point out areas that merit public attention.

The study found a widespread public perception that the quality of education has declined since Proposition 13. Employers interviewed said today’s high school graduates don’t match up to those in the past.

Racial problems, meanwhile, are “bubbling beneath the surface and ready to boil over,” one community leader told researchers. Hispanics, Indochinese and blacks pointed to the growing socioeconomic disparities in the county; many complained of widespread racial prejudice and bemoaned the lack of forums for dialogue between the various racial and ethnic groups.

The Hispanics interviewed were especially conscious of prejudice and discrimination in employment, education, housing, local government, police relations and the overall attitudes of Anglos towards minorities. New immigrants and refugees, meanwhile, spoke of the tremendous culture clash with their new environs and the shattering conflict within families whose younger members assimilate faster than the elders.

With minority population growth now far outstripping that of Anglos in the county, these problems can only become more acute in the future.

Concern about the quality of leadership and local officials also surfaced as a significant secondary issue. While the study found an overall satisfaction with local government, many of those interviewed expressed dissatisfaction with specific officials and a perception that local agencies either caused, or failed to address, county problems.

Underlying these shortcomings, some said, is the structure of government within Orange County: the divisions between the county government and the 26 autonomous municipalities stymie cooperation between cities and planning for the county as a whole. They question just who is responsible for addressing countywide problems.

Concern over growth continues as a major issue. Many people felt that current problems, such as transportation and housing, stem from poor planning and expressed concern that the situation will only worsen if unplanned growth continues. The county could lose its draw as a place for corporations to locate, business leaders said. Several indicated this has already begun to happen.

While continued growth is inevitable, and even vital for the county’s economy, it is also an underlying factor in the emergence of the new, hidden problems. As the county grows, it is maturing into a metropolitan entity whose diversifying population has developed more special needs and complex problems than those of the county’s suburban past.

And perhaps at the root of all these problems is what several people identified as the perception of an overall negative response among Orange County residents to civic responsibility.

In Orange County, it is much easier to raise money for the arts than for needy people, many pointed out. The isolationist attitudes of communities here preclude interest in other neighborhoods and cities, let alone in the county as a whole, others maintained. It used to be easy in beautiful Orange County to avoid facing problems and focus only on the “good life.” It is getting harder to do so today. In fact, the situation demands that we turn our talent and attention toward improving the quality of life here for all of our residents.

I have faith that as our county matures, so will our interest in meeting the serious human service needs that progress and prosperity have brought.

The United Way Needs Assessment offers many challenges to the community and our leaders. The task now is to establish forums that will seek the answers to the problems the survey identified.