ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Education Official Begins Effort to Oust Stanton

The first recall effort sparked by the county’s financial crisis was launched Tuesday when a county education official filed a petition against Supervisor Roger R. Stanton, alleging “malfeasance and nonfeasance in office.”

Felix Rocha Jr., a member of the Orange County Department of Education Board of Trustees, contends that Stanton and the other supervisors share the responsibility for the failed county investment fund.

Rocha, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, has said the crisis threatens the future of the schools countywide.

In a statement contained in the recall notice, Rocha criticized Stanton for “malfeasance and nonfeasance in office by failing to audit the nature of the aggressive investment strategy . . . and for failing to determine if that strategy was colored by financial or personal relationships” between county officials and financial advisers.

Rocha, 49, personally served Stanton with the recall papers at the county Hall of Administration Tuesday afternoon, Stanton said. Rocha lives in Fountain Valley, which is part of Stanton’s 1st District.

Stanton said it was Rocha’s right to seek a recall, but the supervisor added that he would fight any such effort. According to state law, Stanton has seven days to file a written response to Rocha’s recall papers.

“I’m going to reply to the recall as (spelled) out in the law and continue my efforts to make sure we maximize the value of this investment portfolio and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Stanton, a county supervisor for the past 13 years. “I invited Mr. Rocha to join me in that effort, but he felt this action was more appropriate.”

Stanton took his own shot at Rocha, whose board borrowed money to invest in the county investment pool. Rocha seconded the motion that enabled the Orange County Department of Education to borrow $42.5 million to invest in the pool, Stanton said.

“I relied on the same information from the experts who were in place as Mr. Rocha did when he voted to borrow $42.5 million to invest in Mr. Citron’s pool,” Stanton said. “I asked him if he could understand that we are all victims in this, but he didn’t answer.”

Rocha had said in an interview Monday that he wasn’t sure if he approved the plan to borrow the money. “I’ll take whatever heat there is,” he said. “Maybe I should have paid attention. Maybe I should be critical of myself.”

When news spread of Rocha’s efforts, other county educators quickly came to Stanton’s defense.

Elizabeth Parker, a colleague of Rocha’s on the five-member board of trustees, described the recall attempt as a political ploy aimed at calling attention to Rocha. She said Rocha was acting only as an individual and his recall efforts did not reflect the feelings of the board and other county educators.

“I’m very disappointed (Rocha) has chosen his personal ambitions over doing a governance job and working for the kids,” said Parker, 34, a Costa Mesa resident and 12-year member of the board. “I believe very strongly that the education community should work together as a team . . . to deal with the crisis. As far as blaming anyone, that comes later, once all the information comes out.”

Audrey Yamagata-Noji, current president and seven-year member of the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education, said Stanton has been part of the solution to the crisis.

“We have always found Roger Stanton to be very accessible to us, and right now he seems to be leading the charge to find a solution to this mess,” she said. “We have great confidence in his leadership.”

But an activist cheered the recall effort.

“It’s the best thing. (Stanton) should be out. He’s been there so long,” said Carol Walters, president of the Orange Taxpayers Assn. “I’m always happy when any resident goes out and fights.”

Walters said Stanton deserves a share of the blame for the county’s financial woes. “He was playing games with the taxpayers’ money,” she said.

Stanton said he would like to see the structure of the county changed so that the county treasurer is no longer publicly elected. He prefers the treasurer serve as a department head directly under the Board of Supervisors’ control.

“Independently elected department heads are not a good idea,” he said. “They are accountable directly to the voters. . . . I think there is a responsibility on the part of the board, but we have to give the elected representatives the power to directly give orders to their department heads, not have them hanging out there on a limb,” as in the case of Citron.

A spokeswoman for the county registrar of voters office said Rocha submitted a notice of intent to recall Stanton about 3 p.m. To make the recall valid, Rocha must now file the proposed wording of the recall petition next month.

Once the wording is approved, Rocha will have 160 days to collect the signatures of 10% of the registered voters in Stanton’s district, or about 15,000 signatures. If the petition is certified, a recall election would be held within 125 days.