Leaders Take Steps Toward More Unity for County

How can Orange County effectively build a major road running through several cities when at each border the project is completely re-evaluated by a different set of planners and politicians?

And how can Orange County’s mayors and supervisors prevent state and federal officials from deciding what developments should or should not be built, all in the name of air quality?

And what about such issues as fireworks, which have been banned by most municipalities in Orange County even though the effect is significantly compromised because several cities still allow sales?

These are some of the mega-issues shared by every local government in Orange County--all 28 cities, their more than 200 elected officials and the five county supervisors. Orange County is a patchwork of municipal fiefdoms, but many of its problems saturate the area without regard to municipal borders.

To address these issues, city and county leaders are talking, in a surprisingly quiet way, about an unprecedented move that could rewrite the political science books on local government and represent a historic step toward Orange County’s future.

The officials have tentatively agreed to create a new organization--called the Orange County Assn. of Governments--that would bridge jurisdictions inside the county and present a stronger, more united Orange County voice when dealing with Sacramento and Washington. The idea has a two-fold purpose, one internal and one external.

The association--which would be led by a board of 10 mayors and the five supervisors--has already been approved by the county’s League of Cities. The supervisors endorsed the idea last week. The bills that would create the association, now pending in the Legislature, were authored by state Sen. Marian Bergeson, R-Newport Beach.

“More and more we are recognizing that Orange County is a very influential and political power in the state, and we have a need to do good planning that . . . doesn’t treat Orange County as a suburb of Los Angeles,” said Ronald Bates, a vice president of the Orange County League of Cities and a councilman in Los Alamitos. “The real benefit . . . is the potential for coordinated countywide planning.”

Norm Grossman, a slow-growth leader and co-author of the county’s growth management plan, said: “In my mind, it’s a kind of new form of government, and it is an experiment. I think it’s clear that the area is developing quickly and it is too large to worry about city by city.”

Solve Biggest Problems

Throughout the county, politicians and planners have seen how the Assn. of Governments could help solve some of their biggest problems. But the idea is clearly still in an embryonic stage, and some elected officials worry that they may be creating a political Frankenstein.

The most sensitive question is whether individual cities or the county might lose some sovereignty to the new body. And at the county level, there are concerns that someday this organization could even replace the county government.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Thomas F. Riley said at a recent meeting--only half in jest--”This is an emotional decision because we might be voting ourselves out of a job.” Later, he said he had overstated his true opinion.

But Grossman said, “I don’t think there’s any question it would” replace the county government. “The Board of Supervisors will be out of the land-use business in 10 years. With the (association) taking over transportation, that doesn’t leave the board with much to do. I think the supervisors have good reason to be concerned.”

With the supervisors in a minority on the board of directors, for example, would the association be able to overrule a county government decision? Or could it even influence a supervisors vote by applying political pressure?

Giving Some Concern

“I think that’s what’s giving some of us concern,” said Supervisor Roger R. Stanton, who voted for the concept last week. “I’m not sure what the final form should be, but I’m pretty convinced we need something that represents our region.”

Asked if he was concerned about the association’s powers, Supervisor Don R. Roth, who voted for the idea last week, said: “Sure I’m concerned about it. I think we are trying to improve the efficiency, but we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

Proponents of the idea have emphasized that the organization will not have any statutory powers that could usurp the authority of a city or county government. They describe it as a forum for countywide discussions on important issues and an organization that could provide research, statistical information and planning for the county.

It could issue recommendations about how regional problems should be solved, they say, which local governments could then use as a reference in making their own decisions. The association could also play a key role in dealing with several districts, agencies and regional authorities.

The whole idea began with a move by the county to combine the Orange County Transit District--which operates county buses--and the Orange County Transportation Commission--which plans new roads and mass transit solutions to traffic problems. The combination, it seemed, would make a more streamlined and effective agency.

County Involved in Feud

At the same time, the county has been in a feud with the Southern California Assn. of Governments--a regional agency that covers a six-county area--over its inattention to Orange County and its allegedly inaccurate statistical information about the area.

Bergeson has also introduced a bill that would allow Orange County to gather its own demographic research that would then be turned over to SCAG for inclusion in a regional plan. The proposal for an Orange County Assn. of Governments was born when the transportation merger and the SCAG proposal were combined.

Under Bergeson’s legislation, the Orange County Transportation Commission would be abolished and a subcommittee of the Assn. of Governments would operate the OCTD bus system.

In addition, the legislation says the new Assn. of Governments “would assist the cities and the county of Orange in addressing urban problems of a multi-jurisdictional nature such as--but not limited to--transportation, air quality, water, housing, waste management and growth management.”

Another significant role for the new association could be in distributing special tax money.

The county transportation commission is planning to ask voters for a half-cent sales tax to pay for more than $3 billion in road and highway improvements throughout the county over the next 20 years. If the measure is approved, the new association might be the organization to distribute the money to local governments throughout the county. Officials are discussing the possibility of using local agencies to distribute gas tax money, a duty that the association could perform.

Proponents said the association is not intended to have the power to coerce through any powers to distribute taxes. But, realistically, Grossman said, “if a city wants to go it alone, it can pay for it alone. The reality is, though, that it won’t be able to.”

Lever Against Interference

Tony Carstens, associate county administrative officer for monitoring and forecasting services, said, however, that the most important use of the government association would not be a force against Orange County cities, but as a lever against interference from outside governments.

Carstens said that under the proposed Air Quality Management Plan, for example, it is possible that state or federal officials could come into Orange County and prevent commercial or residential developments that they consider a threat to regional air quality.

Carstens said an organization of Orange County governments could adopt a countywide development plan that would satisfy the air quality concerns, keeping the decision-making closer to home.

“I think everybody wants to have minimal authority, but what authority there is, they want to keep it here, close to home,” Carstens said. “If authority is at risk now of being lost to the state, the (association) could head that off.”