Countywide : Stanton Presses on for 5-Day Office Schedules

County Supervisor Roger R. Stanton on Friday continued to gather information and solicit support from department heads to bolster his campaign to reopen county offices every Friday.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi, Transportation Authority Chief Executive Officer Stan Oftelie and Clerk Gary L. Granville said they are opposed to implementing any plan that would close their departments to the public every other Friday.

“It’s our public responsibility to be accessible to the people we serve for all normal working hours,” said Granville, who does not follow the work plan. “It behooves us to be open Fridays. . . . I’m kind of passionate about it.”

Under the plan, nearly three dozen county facilities, offering services such as welfare assistance, health care, building permits and tax collection, are closed at least 26 Fridays a year. Next year, Stanton said there will be 31 weeks in which the county is open four days or fewer.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to continue the plan.

“There’s no need to close your doors,” Stanton said. “I think there is a manifestation of basic common sense coming forward now.”

Capizzi and Oftelie have some employees that work flexible work schedules but keep their offices open five days a week. Both said they have explored the possibility of opening some offices on Saturday.

Oftelie said he is supportive of flexible work schedules that give employees a weekday off as long as there is enough staff to keep the offices open five days a week.

“It actually makes us more accessible to the public,” he said.

Stanton said he is also a supportive of that type of flexible work plan.

Stanton’s pursuit of the issue has made him the target of attacks from some county officials, most notably Board Chairman Thomas F. Riley, who questioned Stanton’s work habits, suggesting that he is often away from the office during business hours.

Stanton defended his work ethic, saying he is frequently at functions and meetings with residents during the week. He pointed out that he and his staff were in the office Friday, like they are every Friday, while his colleagues and most county employees had the day off.

The supervisor said he received a letter Friday from the South Coast Air Quality Management District disputing the county staff’s report on possible cost savings from ride-sharing programs. Also, he contended that the county’s recent debacle over the expiration of assessment appeals might have been avoided if the county’s appeals boards conducted hearings every Friday.