COUNTYWIDE : Supervisors to Vote on Giving Up Land

Orange County supervisors are scheduled to vote today on a staff recommendation that they relinquish the public’s right to a chunk of open space where a developer has built 21 homes.

County planning officials and representatives of the William Lyon Co., developer of the Robinson Ranch community, have said that the supervisors’ action is needed to resolve what they have described as a mistake.

They have attributed the mistake to errors by a title company and an engineering firm, which failed to note the open space when final plans for the 3.35-acre tract were processed in 1989.

“We view this as simply an administrative error,” said Richard M. Sherman, senior vice president and general counsel for the William Lyon Co.

Sherman said his company did not learn of the open-space designation until informed about three months ago by its engineer, Hunsaker & Associates of Irvine. By then, many of the 21 homes had been sold.

Records show that the Lyon Co., Hunsaker and two title companies involved have been steady contributors to the campaigns of the five county supervisors. A Times analysis found that those companies and their employees have given $45,588 to those five and other supervisors who have served during the past 14 years. The Lyon Co. and its employees gave by far the most, $34,364.

“I think the political contributions that this company makes, out of its civic-mindedness, are irrelevant to this issue,” Sherman said.

The county Environmental Management Agency is recommending that the supervisors solve the open-space problem affecting the 21 homes today by relinquishing any title to the land encompassing parts of Porter Ranch Road and Shadow Rock Lane.

Agency officials have said that the Lyon Co. has provided 500 acres of open space at Robinson Ranch, 5% more than required, and that a preliminary 1985 plan for the area provided for future, unspecified “modifications to urban and open space boundaries.”

Records show that the top recipient of campaign money from the companies with a stake in today’s vote is Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder, who has received $10,836 since 1978 directly or indirectly from people employed by the Lyon Co., Hunsaker, Ticor Title and its successor, Chicago Title.

The other recipients have been: Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, $6,675 since 1977; Supervisor Don R. Roth, $6,175 since 1987; Supervisor Roger R. Stanton, $4,478 since 1981; and Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez, $1,350 since 1987.

In addition to the $34,364 given by the Lyon Co., $6,150 came from Ticor Title, $5,749 from Hunsaker & Associates and $925 from Chicago Title. The money came from the firms and their employees.

Vernon Evans, area manager for Chicago Title, who contributed $375 of his company’s total, said he was not prepared to comment on the donations.

“First thing that we knew about it (the open-space problem) was in the paper on Friday,” said Evans, referring to a Times article.

Kenneth H. Bruner, top aide to Supervisor Riley, said the total of $45,538, given over 14 years, “is not very much money. To be involved in the political process at that contribution rate is not surprising.”