ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Supervisor Roth, Please Go

It is increasingly becoming clear that Orange County Supervisor Don R. Roth no longer belongs in office. Public confidence in Roth--who is under investigation by the FBI, the Orange County district attorney’s office and the state Fair Political Practices Commission--has been undermined by a growing list of revelations that suggest he has used his position for his own benefit.

This week, The Times reported that Roth received thousands of dollars in free or undervalued additions on a home in Anaheim Hills he purchased in 1990 with his wife, Jackie, before their divorce. The builder, Presley Co. of Southern California, says it is being questioned by the district attorney’s office regarding the house. The investigation is important because if Roth accepted extras, he should have refrained from voting on four matters involving Presley that later came before the Board of Supervisors.

Roth is also under investigation by the district attorney to determine if he violated the state’s Political Reform Act of 1974 on several matters. Among the allegations are that Roth accepted an interest-free loan from the Doughers, an Orange family that owns several mobile home parks; charged campaign funds for a 1990 trip to Europe to explore high-speed rail technology--a trip already paid for by a high-speed rail commission on which he served; violated a state ban on accepting free passes or discounts on airlines, and accepted a $2,500 honorarium from a New York City investment firm for a speech that he does not seem to have ever given.

The investigations are not yet complete, and Roth has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing. But, taken together, they provide a picture of a politician who regards his office as a means of enhancing his own lifestyle.

Orange County deserves better. Enough, already. Roth should resign.