O.C. Cities Balk at Costs of U.S., State Mandates

City officials from Anaheim to Irvine say they don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea: They are all in favor of clean water, clean air, crossing guards and helping save endangered animals.

But local government leaders complain that federal and state governments continue to pass new laws--then pass the tab on to the cities.

And, with another season of budget-cutting ahead, city officials across Orange County again this week cried “ouch.” Just back from a trip to Washington, Anaheim city officials complained Friday that they are stuck with more than $20 million in expenditures to comply with federal laws and nearly $3 million to meet state mandates.

Huntington Beach, Irvine, Santa Ana and other municipalities all have similar tales of woe. “It’s a sneaky way for legislators to take our money,” said Santa Ana Senior Management Assistant Jill Arthur. “It’s hard to quantify the costs of an unfunded mandate, so it’s hard for the citizenry to see ‘they stole this much.’

“There’s been a lot of visibility on the issue lately, but the state is broke and the feds are broke. We’re going to an empty turnip truck” for help.

State and county officials say they don’t like passing the buck, but say local governments need to bear some of the costs of programs enjoyed by their residents. Mandates generally require cities to spend money to comply with various regulatory acts and laws or to pay for special-interest programs.

The Orange County chapter of the League of California Cities recently passed a resolution calling for the end of such mandates. A local state assemblyman has introduced a state constitutional amendment aimed at properly reimbursing local governments for paying for state mandates.

Each year, local cities spend millions of dollars to help pay for the Endangered Species Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Lead Base Paint Removal plan, Americans With Disabilities Act and other programs.

The Clean Water Act alone costs Anaheim about $14 million a year, city officials said.

Those are just the federal government’s demands.

On the state level, cities are required to pay for crossing guards, state air and water quality programs and dozens of others mandates. And Orange County has its hand out too, billing the cities for services such as jail booking and landfill gate fees.

The financial toll has city leaders grumbling.

“It’s a real, real big problem,” said Kristine Thalman, Anaheim’s intergovernmental relations officer.

She said the federal government requires cities to pay for projects with no intention of ever reimbursing them. If a city refuses, federal officials can withhold other money from the city or impose hefty fines.

“It’s like the carrot and stick with no carrot,” said Thalman, who went to Washington with other city officials two weeks ago and complained to Orange County’s congressional delegation about the unfunded mandates.

Thalman added that the state, in theory, is required to reimburse cities for some expenditures. But because of California’s financial woes over the past several years, cities are lucky if they recoup even a portion of the money.

“Some cities have had to cut staff and then hire a recycling coordinator just to meet a mandate,” said Daryl K. Halls, legislation and policy development manager for the League of California Cities.

“You can’t argue with the programs, they’re good ideas, but it’s a question of who is going to pay and it always ends up to be the local governments,” he said. “It’s a burden.”

Last month, Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) introduced a constitutional amendment to end the practice of passing mandates with no financial backing. He wants money for mandates to be set aside up front so cities will be able to seek total reimbursement. Similar legislative efforts have failed in previous years.

“It’s a matter of principle,” said Shawn Kent, a legislative aide to Pringle. “The people who want a program should have the responsibility for funding that program.”

Many city officials say the mandates, coupled with the state’s withholding of revenue previously earmarked for cities, are sapping local resources.

“On the one hand they’re taking away our property tax dollars by the millions, and on the other hand they’re asking us to do more and more. We’re getting hit from both sides,” said Santa Ana’s Arthur.

Often, she said, the complexity of mandated programs makes it difficult for taxpayers to understand their city’s predicament.

Eighteen months ago, Irvine city officials compiled their first list outlining the costs of unfunded mandates from the county to the federal level, said City Manager Paul Brady Jr.

The purpose: to explain to council members just how many costs the city had no control over, Brady said. Now, a revamped list compiled in December has been passed on to state and federal officials in a plea for help.

“They’re talking about doing something in Sacramento. Whether it’s just talk or will be followed by action, I don’t know, but I think it helps show that there’s a united concern,” Brady said.

The projected costs of federal, regional and state mandated programs to Irvine for this 1993-94 budget year is $3.8 million, Brady said.

“I think there has to be continued pressure on state and federal governments to stop passing on their costs to cities,” Huntington Beach Deputy City Administrator Bob Franz said.

His city tallied $6.8 million in mandates during the 1992-93 fiscal year, including obligations passed on by the county and special districts.

“If you don’t keep the information in front of the public and the legislative representatives,” Franz said, “it only gets worse.”