ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : He Has an Attitude Problem

It should be clear by now that Orange County Planning Commissioner C. Douglas Leavenworth either doesn’t understand his role as a trustee for the public or he is very cynical and arrogant about it. Supervisor Don R. Roth, who appointed him, was right to tell him to clean up his act. But from what Leavenworth has done so far, Roth should not be optimistic about a change of heart, and he should at least begin thinking about replacement possibilities.

In 1987 alone, Leavenworth accepted $365 worth of golf privileges, meals, theater and sports tickets from the Mission Viejo Co., according to county records. In 1988, he voted eight times on matters involving the firm that designed and built Mission Viejo and nearby Aliso Viejo, a clear violation of state law. The law prohibits elected or appointed officials from participating in decisions affecting any individual or firm from which the official has received gifts worth $250 or more.

The value of the gifts in question does not constitute an excessive amount over the limit, and some note of regret about exceeding it through inattention might be enough to affirm public confidence in Leavenworth. But the commissioner has added fuel to the fire by appearing insensitive to worries about his behavior. He has been positively defiant, saying there’s nothing wrong with taking gifts from developers.

One thing Roth has asked Leavenworth to do is determine whether his votes helped the development company--and the answer to that seems pretty clear. During the period in question, Leavenworth voted uniformly in favor of positions urged by the Mission Viejo Co.

But his attitude is the big problem. He keeps talking about how, in business, you need to “keep the good feelings going.” And when asked about a possible violation, he said, “It’s really an insult to suggest that people are buying our influence by providing our lunch.”

Leavenworth had better come up with some better answers than these, or Roth should replace him.