COUNTYWIDE : Council Members Vie for Panel Seats

Several city council members said Monday that they are vying for spots on a newly activated commission that will decide whether to schedule a May 14 referendum on raising the county sales tax to pay for jails.

Irvine Mayor Sally Anne Sheridan, Brea Mayor Pro Tem Ron Isles and Fullerton Councilman Don Bankhead all said Monday that they are interested in serving on the commission, which will hold its first meeting Friday.

“I’ve put my hat in the ring,” Isles said. “I’m of the opinion that we need to do something about this issue, and we need to move expeditiously.”

Huntington Beach Councilman Jack Kelly was also said to be considering a run for one of the two open spots. He was unavailable for comment.

The selection of the two city representatives for the Orange County Regional Justice Facilities Commission could mark a turning point in the debate over how to resolve jail overcrowding. The city representatives, who will be elected by the selection committee of the League of California Cities, Orange County Division, will join Supervisors Roger R. Stanton and Harriett M. Wieder on the five-member panel.

The fifth member will be selected by the supervisors and their two city counterparts, once they are chosen.

As its first responsibility, the panel will debate whether to schedule a special election May 14 on the half-cent sales tax proposal, which has the strong backing of Sheriff Brad Gates.

To schedule a May vote, the commission has to act by the end of the business day Friday. To make that deadline, the cities will meet at 7:30 a.m. Friday, and the commission will hold its first session minutes later in the same room.

An agenda for the commission meeting, posted late Monday, indicates that the half-cent sales tax referendum will be the main item of business.

Stanton and Wieder have indicated that they support a referendum, and though both have been cautious about endorsing a particular day, they are expected to support the May 14 date.

It takes four of the five commission members to approve a tax referendum, however, so the remaining appointments will determine whether the measure will be considered then.

Isles and Sheridan both indicated that they would consider backing such a vote.

Bankhead, who unsuccessfully tried to unseat Sheriff Brad Gates last year, was more skeptical about a May vote. “There is an absolute need for a new jail,” he said. “But I don’t see where this has to be pushed this quickly.”