ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Voices:

“We face a crisis of epic proportions that has the potential to scar the quality of services that Orange Countians have come to rely on at the city school district and county level. . . . It is a menace that threatens the very essence of who we are as a county, and who and what we will be in the future. Our options are few and the potential consequences of not acting are many.”

--Board of Supervisors Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez

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“We’ve got a gun to our head. I think (state government) is not going to help us. They would move in with a trustee and put a tax on the ballot anyway.”

--Supervisor William G. Steiner

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“I think it’s time that we put much of this behind us. . . . I think, honestly and sincerely, we are all trying to do the right thing. . . . We all want to see the very best for the county.”

--Supervisor Marian Bergeson

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“Is this sidestepping or is this backpedaling? No. It’s exactly what it says, that is the people can make up their mind on this. That doesn’t mean the board has to push it.”

--Supervisor Roger R. Stanton

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“I do not support the tax, but I do support the taxpayers in having a right to express their opinions.”

--Supervisor Jim Silva