Countywide : Watchdog Group Plans Meetings

A Huntington Beach man has formed a watchdog group to monitor what it considers excessive or unnecessary government spending.

It is called Committees of Correspondence, named after Samuel Adams’ Revolutionary War citizens’ groups, founder Bill Mello said.

“Our objectives are the same as Samuel Adams’. Their objective was to communicate with all the other colonies, and they wanted to unite and have a common front against King George III of Britain,” Mello said. “We’re trying to fight oppressive taxes and acts of tyranny by the government.”

The 1994 Committees of Correspondence consists of residents of 17 Orange County cities, Mello said.

The group formed in April, after Mello spoke at a City Council meeting and complained about the controversial issue of city employees inflating their pensions.

Mello said others shared his views, and today the group has 120 members who plan to investigate other issues affecting taxpayers, he said.

The Committees of Correspondence will meet Thursday at the Orange City Council chambers, 300 E. Chapman Ave. The public is invited to attend the 7 p.m. meeting.

Speakers will include Mello and representatives from like-minded groups.

Mello said the goal is “to communicate with the different communities to let them know what is happening in our local government and the methods they can use to combat excessive taxes and abuses by city government.”

Mello said that representatives of the groups involved will meet monthly to discuss issues and strategies.

Steve White, vice president of Anaheim HOME, a citizens group formed in 1987 with a membership of about 1,600, said the groups “could be a mutual benefit to each other” in building a countywide coalition.

His group’s major concern today, he said, is Disneyland’s plans to expand the theme park.

Carole Walters, president of the 381-member Orange Taxpayers Assn., formed in 1986 to monitor city spending, support property rights and fight taxes, also agreed that uniting groups is a good idea.

“When you get together with different groups, you hear about what’s going on in their city, and it gives you ideas on what to watch for in your city,” Walters said. “We can help each other, and we can get information.”