Time of Change Lies in Store for O.C. Board

The appointment Wednesday of William G. Steiner as an Orange County supervisor marks more than the rise of a single politician. More significantly, it signals the beginning of the quickest changing of the guard in county government in more than a dozen years.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for change,” said political consultant Dan Wooldridge. “Staring down at the certainty of three new faces coming up (on the Board of Supervisors), with the possibility of four or even five, makes for exciting politics.”

Although primary elections for three of the five supervisors’ seats are not until next June, the events of recent days have already set off a flurry of speculation in political circles, all aimed at determining what philosophical bents may shape county government into the 21st Century. Consider that:

* The race to succeed Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, the elder statesman and “the General” of the board, was thrown wide open on Tuesday by state Sen. Marian Bergeson’s nomination as head of the state school system. She was the presumptive successor to Riley, so favored that some other possible contenders hadn’t considered a run before this.

Now, such powerful local figures as Sheriff Brad Gates are being talked about as serious candidates.

* Harriett M. Wieder, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, disclosed in an interview that she has higher hopes for her new appointee to the County Planning Commission--a relatively unknown Huntington Beach businesswoman named Haydee V. Tillotson.

Wieder said she thinks Tillotson, 54, would make a good pick to succeed her as supervisor when she retires next year, even though many far better known politicians in the Huntington Beach area are already jockeying for position.

* Supervisor Don R. Roth, who resigned amid allegations of influence peddling, will be succeeded by Steiner, an Orange councilman, on March 15.

Adding to the political uncertainties is the fact that the remaining supervisors--Roger R. Stanton and Gaddi H. Vasquez--are the two most often mentioned as possible candidates for higher office.

Counting the $82,000 annual salary, generous health benefits and county car, few positions in local government are more attractive than supervisor. It is a system, one local consultant said, that breeds “sedentary” politicians whose grasps on their offices become tighter by the year.

Election after election passes without any change in the composition of the five-member board. Before Roth resigned, the panel of supervisors had all been in place for nearly six years, dating back to the appointment of Vasquez in April, 1987.

But few can remember a time before this when three new faces were to emerge on the scene in a period of months, opening the door for widespread political tumult in county government.

Four new supervisors took office from 1978 to 1981, but their arrivals spanned a longer time period than the changes that loom now for the county.

“Certainly not in my tenure on the board have I seen this much possibility for change,” Stanton said Wednesday. “It is a total and complete break with the board roots of the ‘70s. The administration of government was comfortable back then, but the cushion is gone, and it’s not comfortable any more.”

More important, Stanton and others say, the possibility for this extraordinary executive-level turnover coincides with a critical juncture for government operations.

Once defined and made wealthy by a steady stream of developers’ fees and property tax revenues, Orange County--like all of California--finds itself still struggling in the midst of an economic downturn and facing an unprecedented shortfall of $93 million.

New social problems, crowned by the need for more accessible health care for the county’s growing poor population; persistent jail overcrowding and transportation gridlock threaten as well to overwhelm available resources.

And with Roth’s resignation driven by a criminal investigation into allegations of influence peddling, there is much discussion that government ethics will become a growing focus of attention.

“Ethics is clearly an issue, and it definitely will be a heightened issue given this latest round of publicity,” said Wooldridge, who was an aide to Roth until last year. “It’s going to be an important issue long after people have forgotten about Don Roth.”

Larry Agran, the former Irvine mayor who made a run for president last year, said a rush of new faces can only help.

“I welcome the changes. We need a breath of fresh air,” he said. “The hope would be that a Bill Steiner, or anybody new for that matter, would be attentive to the rapidly mounting social problems in the county--poverty, homelessness, health care. It would be nice if someone on the Board of Supervisors paid some attention to these problems, rather than running off to the next fund-raiser hosted by some developer. I think it’s disgraceful, frankly.”

Orange activist Bob Bennyhoff, who has tangled with the board over many jail issues, said he hopes that the change will mean a more open county government.

“What I would look for if I could find ‘em would be some independent people, willing to speak their minds. . . I don’t think it’s healthy to have the board always acting unanimously,” he said, noting that the board now almost always makes its decisions without public debate or even discussion.

But Tom Rogers, a leader of the county’s slow-growth movement of the late 1980s and a frequent foe of the board, remains skeptical.

“We’re always hopeful, but our hopes have been dashed periodically through the years when even the breezes of change appear,” Rogers said. “The members just fall into line.”

And as Wieder is already demonstrating, there will be intense pressure from the old guard to exert its influence in determining who takes over leadership of the county.

Vasquez said he believes that the county can successfully continue the path of fiscal and management reform begun in past years, even with new members aboard. “The transition of at least three new faces on the Board of Supervisors can be a smooth one,” he said.

Indeed, many of the names already being floated by local politicos are people clearly entrenched in local government already, even though the primary election for the seats is not until next June. A runoff will be held in November if no one gets 50% of the vote.

The informal candidate roster is heavy with familiar names:

In District 2, Wieder’s home, the possibilities include Santa Ana Mayor Daniel H. Young, Huntington Beach City Council members Linda Moulton-Patterson and Jim Silva, and Assemblywoman Doris Allen.

In District 4, Anaheim Mayor Tom Daly, former County Clerk Gary Granville and developer Jim Beam are seen as possible challengers to Steiner.

Among those interested in District 5 are state Assemblyman Gil Ferguson, Christine Diemer, executive director of the Building Industry Assn., and her ex-husband, attorney Dana W. Reed, who is representing Roth against criminal allegations.

But the name regarded with perhaps the most curiosity by local politicians for Riley’s sprawling, South County 5th District is Sheriff Gates, long frustrated by the supervisors’ inability to build a new jail.

Said Reed: “Gates would be a very strong candidate and would in my mind be unbeatable. . . . If Brad Gates wants the seat, I’ll step aside.”

Gates could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but a source who asked not to be named said that a major consideration for Gates would be whether a 5th District race would also attract the sheriff’s friend Gary L. Hausdorfer. “I don’t think the two of them would butt heads,” the source said.

The shuffling for seats on the Board of Supervisors next year could have a more immediate impact if the Legislature confirms state Sen. Bergeson as California’s new superintendent of schools.

Bergeson’s Senate district overlaps significantly with the supervisorial seats now held by Riley and Wieder. As a result, any candidate with the clout to succeed Bergeson would also be likely to consider a bid for the supervisor’s job.

The county and state offices are similar in prestige and salary. And for some, the county post has the advantage of not requiring a regular long-distance commute or limiting the terms an officeholder can serve.

“I think the supervisorial contests affect the whole situation from a number of directions,” said Thomas A. Fuentes, chairman of the county Republican Party. “These supervisorial openings could lessen the competitiveness of the state Senate race.”

Both Ferguson and Allen said Wednesday that they are considering a run for Bergeson’s Senate seat, if it becomes available.

“Politics is really a matter of opportunity, being in the right place at the right time,” Ferguson said. “I’m going to consider all three things seriously.”

Times staff writer Dave Lesher contributed to this story.

Changing of the Board

Wednesday’s appointment of William G. Steiner to fill Orange County Supervisor Don R. Roth’s post, coupled with the anticipated retirements of board Chairman Harriett M. Wieder and Supervisor Thomas F. Riley next year, will bring extraordinary change to the Board of Supervisors.

The current lineup:

District 1: Roger R. Stanton

District 2: Harriett M. Wieder

District 3: Gaddi H. Vasquez

District 4: William G. Steiner*

District 5: Thomas F. Riley

* Steiner will be sworn in March 15