Irvine’s Threatened Child-Care System

On Feb. 12, the Irvine City Council majority--which campaigned on a promise to “heal Irvine”--cut off yet another avenue of free speech and citizen participation in Irvine by deleting all five at-large delegates from the city’s Child Care Committee, a committee which, under its previous structure, brought Irvine an award-winning child-care system that Working Mother ranked second in the United States for two consecutive years.

At-large delegates to the committee have traditionally been selected through an application and interview process stressing expertise and experience in child care. The point was to find highly qualified members of the community who were committed to bringing Irvine the best possible child-care services.

This year, for the first time ever, candidates interviewing for at-large positions were asked for whom they had voted in the past City Council election and whether they were comfortable with the current council majority. Even so, the four candidates submitted for approval to the City Council were rejected by the council majority, clearly for political reasons.

Then, over the vigorous objections of Councilwoman Paula Werner and the Child Care Committee itself, the council majority simply eliminated at-large representation to the committee. The five at-large committee members are to be replaced by delegates personally screened and selected by--you guessed it--the City Council members themselves.

The council majority’s determination to repress dissent, even if it requires sacrificing the outstanding city services we have heretofore enjoyed, is nothing new. Since its election, this group has distinguished itself by its utter contempt for citizen participation in the processes of local government. Its latest attack on Irvine’s city services and on grass-roots political participation should not be ignored or forgotten. Voters, are you taking notes?

BETTY GUTHRIE, Irvine