State Rejects Funds for Flood Control : Legislature: Assembly votes against reimbursing $76 million to county for Santa Ana River project. Federal backing, however, has not been threatened.

The Assembly overwhelmingly rejected a bill Monday that would have reimbursed $76 million to Orange County for a massive construction project to prevent flooding of the Santa Ana River.

A 16-43 vote was cast against the measure that was carried by Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) at the behest of the Orange County Flood Control District, which is striving to persuade the state Legislature to make good its promise to fund a share of the $1.3-billion Santa Ana River Flood Control Project.

“It is crucial to get the funding or the project will come to a halt within a year or so,” said Orange County Public Works Director Bill Zaun, who expressed disappointment with the Assembly’s action.

Zaun said the state’s withholding of funds would prevent the planned expansion of Prado Dam, which requires the purchase of 2,000 additional acres of land behind the dam to hold more water.

Completion of the flood control project, scheduled for about the year 2000, also may be delayed because of the county’s financially troubled investment pool, Zaun said. The Orange County Flood Control District had $112 million in the pool that was earmarked for the Santa Ana River project, and officials are uncertain how much will be salvaged in the county’s bankruptcy, he said.

Moreover, Zaun said, last summer the state, in a budget-tightening move, eliminated a state property tax fund for special districts that the Orange County Flood Control District was using to help finance the river project.

On the bright side, Zaun said, funding of the river project by the federal government, which is shouldering $778 million of the cost, is proceeding without a hitch. But, he said, he worries that the federal government could begin withholding money if the state does not shoulder its share.

Zaun said so far the state has reimbursed only $10 million of the $86 million it owes on the Santa Ana River project.

Opponents of Allen’s bill argued Monday in the Assembly that there are other flood control projects in the state that the Legislature has also failed to fund. They said Orange County should not get special treatment.

But Allen said in an interview after the vote that the Santa Ana River project is exceptional.

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“This is the most important flood control project west of the Mississippi, because the flood damage that would occur without it would be so severe,” she said.

Allen blamed the bill’s defeat on Republican infighting over the 35th state Senate District seat, for which she has declared her candidacy.

“I would say the loss had to do with my running for Senate against part of the Republican Assembly leadership,” she said.

Allen alleged that the Republican Assembly Caucus did not give a favorable analysis of the bill because the caucus chairman, Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove), supports Assemblyman Ross Johnson (R-Placentia) in the race to fill the Senate seat vacated by Supervisor Marian Bergeson.

While Johnson has not officially entered the state Senate race, he is thought to be a likely rival.

However, an aide to Pringle, Deborah Gonzalez, denied that Pringle did anything to oppose Allen’s bill or to influence the analysis by the caucus consultant.

“Curt voted for the bill,” as did the rest of the Orange County delegation, she noted.

Johnson reacted angrily to Allen’s contention that the bill’s defeat had anything to do with political infighting.

“I don’t see any reason in the world why I should be made a scapegoat for Ms. Allen’s ineffectiveness,” he said. He said that while the project funding was denied Monday, “I would think there would be further attempts” to obtain the funding.