Charities Not Likely to Feel O.C. Crisis

Don’t look for Orange County’s bankruptcy to have a major impact on the charity scene, say local social leaders.

Heavy losses by Orange County’s investment pool resulted last week in the county filing for bankruptcy protection in the biggest municipal finance debacle in history.

“We’re all in shock, of course, but we’ll get over it,” says real estate developer George Argyros, a big supporter of the arts, Chapman University in Orange and the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda.

Uncertainty and confusion about how the bankruptcy will affect individuals may cause donors to tighten their money belts, “but not for long,” Argyros says.

“We know Orange County has always been a place where we have leadership and vision and the guts to make tough decisions.

“I believe that positive things will come out of this--hopefully in the way we govern ourselves. We need to have more qualified people, more expertise,” he says. “In Orange County, the government system was designed when we were an agrarian society. Now we’re a suburban society, and we haven’t changed our form of government to keep pace with our demands.”

Billur Wallerich, community relations director of South Coast Plaza (owned by the Segerstrom family)--a major player on Orange County’s charity landscape--says news of the bankruptcy has not made any negative waves at the Costa Mesa retail center.

“People are shopping away,” she says. And the shopping mecca’s commitment to participate in charity events will proceed as planned.

“Orange County has had its ups and downs--fires, earthquakes, mudslides--and always come through. It’s who we are .”

According to Catherine Thyen, who chaired Sunday’s Candlelight Concert on behalf of the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, news of the bankruptcy has caused an “enormous concern for everyone.”

“But I don’t think it will have a major impact on arts funding,” says Thyen, who also raises funds on behalf of South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa.

“The arts is not dependent on government funding, though a ripple effect might be felt. We don’t know the full extent of the impact and probably won’t for a long time to come.

“But if any community could survive something like this, we could. The spirit of the county seems to survive all sorts of devastation. We put it behind us and rebound. It’s our history.”

Tom Tomlinson, executive director of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, says he is confident that donors will continue to support the center and its fund-raising social events.

“We are a well-managed, fiscally prudent organization--a safe place to invest philanthropically,” he says. “The center is not a government institution, nor does it accept any funding from the government.”

Says Louis Spisto, executive director of the Pacific Symphony: “We are confident our supporters will continue to stand by us. The only concern I have about the bankruptcy is that there would be further cutbacks in school music programs and arts programs. That would impact us.”

*

Meanwhile, close friends of Robert L. Citron, Orange County’s resigned treasurer-tax collector, are standing by the man hailed in social circles as one of USC’s most ardent fans.

“He’s a good friend; I like him very much,” says Paul Salata, a retired investor who lives on Linda Isle in Newport Beach.

“He’s beyond reproach--has always been a good, hard-working guy who I think is terrific.”

When Citron was on the social scene, he got teased a lot, Salata says. “People were always asking things like, ‘Can we get a break on our tax bill?’

“And he would say, ‘It should be increased !’ People were always confusing him with the assessor, who decides how much. We’d make certain that the jokes were about collecting to say something funny.”

Salata has always enjoyed his visits to Citron’s Santa Ana home. Citron is such an avid booster of USC that even his bathroom is decorated in cardinal and gold, he says. “The towels, the toilet seat, the mirrors--there’s no mistake.”

Citron also has a penchant for colorful clothes when he attends USC sporting events. “He’s the guy in the red pants and the gold shirt,” Salata says. “He is totally Trojan.”

Jerry Kobrin of Newport Beach also counts Citron among his best pals. “I’ve known him for nearly 20 years,” says Kobrin, who writes a people column for the Daily Pilot.

“He’s just about as open, frank and engaging as any man I’ve ever met--great fun to be with.”