ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : NOTEBOOK : Building Up Wieder Is Too Much for Some Rossmoor Residents

What’s in a name: Orange County Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder is expected to take a break from all that depressing talk about bankruptcy today to attend a modest ceremony in Rossmoor. A new building is being dedicated as the Harriett M. Wieder Community Center.

Wieder, who is retiring after 16 years in office, had pushed for two grants to develop the facility for the Community Services District, which arranges for trash pickup and other services.

The honor, however, isn’t sitting well with some Rossmoor residents fuming about the county’s financial collapse. Said 62-year-old stockbroker Paul Knight: “Can you believe it? This Board of Supervisors should be hung up to dry by their thumbs.”

District officials defended their decision to honor Wieder at the 3:30 p.m. ceremony.

“It’ll be a nice protocol-type thing,” said Bill Sheldon, general manager of the Rossmoor Community Services District.

“There may have been some problems here at the end, but that doesn’t change the fact that she showed particular concern for the district.”

Riverside relief: This week, 1,000 Orange County businesses received packets of Alka-Seltzer to ease stomach pains caused by Orange County’s financial collapse. Gifts from the Riverside County Economic Development Agency, the mailings carried this message: “Riverside County is just what the doctor ordered.”

The agency also purchased more than a dozen radio spots, which will run through January, that urge Orange County businesses to relocate to Riverside County.

No word on whether the Riverside effort includes wooing Orange County government officials too.

$2 billion? How many quarters is that? On Friday, Orange County officials revoked free parking privileges for the media at the parking lot at the Hall of Administration, the heart of county government.

“Effective immediately, validated parking for media representatives is to be discontinued,” said Auditor-Controller Frederick A. Branca in a written statement.

Officials couldn’t say how much the move will save the financially battered county, which charges the public 75 cents for each 30 minutes of parking.

Law on-line: Orange County’s financial woes are the topic of discussion on Lexis Counsel Connect, the largest on-line service exclusively for lawyers. A panel of experts began to talk electronically this week about the long-term effects of the bankruptcy. An estimated 17,000 attorneys, law professors and judges will have access to the dialogue.

It’s unclear who will get billed for the hours on-line.

Happy landings: After several air carriers and the Federal Aviation Administration expressed concerns that airport funds might be used to bail out the county, the Board of Supervisors has agreed to keep John Wayne Airport revenue separate from other county money and spend it only on the airport.

Instant karma: Is it a coincidence or the wrath of God? Some foes of Proposition 187 say the latter. Consider there are 187 cities, districts and other agencies who joined the county’s ill-fated investment pool.

All this in the financially troubled county that gave birth to the recently approved state initiative that denies education, welfare and non-emergency medical care to illegal immigrants.

Said anti-Proposition 187 activist Carolyn Henry from Anaheim: “This bankruptcy is the mark of Cain on Orange County. It’s like we fought God and He won!”

Credit where credit is due: Broadway Stores Inc. has offered to let all Orange County government workers, along with those in the county’s cities and school districts, defer their Broadway charge-card payments for 90 days on purchases through Christmas.

The company said it was taking this action because of recent news reports raising questions about whether some local government employees will receive paychecks after Christmas.

“These workers are our friends, neighbors and relatives, and if through this action the Broadway can help make this a better Christmas for these hard-working employees, I can think of no better gift we can give,” said Broadway Stores President and Chief Executive Officer David L. Dworkin.

Equal credit: Some of Orange County’s 67 credit unions are promising to help any of their 700,000 members who might find themselves without a job or without pay during the county’s fiscal crisis.

A few, for instance, are offering to defer interest on loans for those laid off, said Henry Kertman, a spokesman for the California Credit Union League.

Others are expected to provide plans similar to one announced earlier this week by the Orange County Teachers Federal Credit Union, which is offering members emergency payroll loans if their paychecks are delayed.

Wishful thinking: Merrill Lynch officials in Santa Ana politely asked about 40 placard-carrying, slogan-chanting protesters from Teamsters Union Local 952 to kindly clear out of their office this week. And the Teamsters, who were there to accuse the investment firm of driving the county to financial ruin, politely refused.

So Merrill Lynch officials said they were calling the police. About 30 minutes later the police still hadn’t arrived, prompting one teamster to say: “The cops aren’t coming. They’ve been laid off.”

Not true. Officers finally came and promptly dispersed the protesters.

Compiled by staff writer Martin Miller, with contributions from staff reports.