COUNTYWIDE : Riley, Wieder Offer Conflicting Plans
Supervisors Harriett M. Wieder and Thomas F. Riley will present alternative approaches to strengthening Orange County’s voice in regional affairs today as each vies for votes from skeptical colleagues.
Riley opened the debate last week when he sent a letter to the other supervisors urging them to back creation of a new county “regional issues working group.” In addition, Riley wants the county to consider rejoining the influential Southern California Assn. of Governments (SCAG) and a regional airport group after Jan. 1.
Both Riley and Wieder want the county to expand its participation in regional planning organizations. But they disagree on the pace of change and the forum for guiding it. Their split is magnified, some said, by Wieder’s concern that Riley is trying to claim credit for leading a regional planning issue that has long been a major concern of hers.
While the two board members may disagree on approach, their rival proposals share much in common. Many local officials believe Orange County’s decision to leave SCAG--which controls huge sums of grant money and helps parcel out federal highway funds--has hurt the local government’s ability to influence regional decision-making.
Moreover, many fear that groups like SCAG will soon get new power from the state, which could make Orange County even more vulnerable if it does not rejoin. The county withdrew from SCAG in 1989 after a difference with the group regarding growth projections and longstanding arguments about whether Orange County’s views were being taken into account in planning for regional growth and air and water quality issues.
But where Riley wanted his colleagues to move cautiously toward rejoining SCAG and the airport authority, Wieder advocates a speedier approach and one that concentrates on working through existing organizations rather than forming a new group.
The two supervisors will present their plans during today’s session, and board members are expected to sign off on at least one of them.
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