BOND TICKER : City Councils Ready Votes on Measure R

With six weeks to go before voters decide the fate of Measure R, several cities including Anaheim and Orange are considering resolutions in opposition to the proposed half-cent sales tax increase.

At least four city councils are expected to vote on anti-Measure R statements within the next few weeks. Already, elected officials in Mission Viejo and Garden Grove have gone on record as opposing the tax hike, which will appear on a special June 27 ballot.

Several county officials including Supervisor William G. Steiner have urged other elected leaders to support the ballot measure. Steiner has said he will support Measure R only if city and school officials embrace it.

County Chief Executive Officer William J. Popejoy and other Measure R supporters said the tax is needed so that the county can make upcoming debt payments and recover from its bankruptcy.

But some city leaders disagree, insisting the tax hike would hurt the local economy and prevent a radical reform of county government.

“I have yet to see a tax increase that solved a financial matter,” Orange Councilman Mark Murphy said. “I feel it’s important for the city to take a positive step.”

Murphy and the rest of the Orange council criticized Measure R on Tuesday, promising to approve a resolution opposing the tax at its next meeting.

In Anaheim, two council members on Tuesday spoke out against Measure R and asked that the full council take a vote on the issue.

“I think we were elected to lead and to take public positions,” Councilman Bob Zemel said. “The county has certainly not explored all options available as far as tapping into its assets.”

But Mayor Tom Daly and other council members said they were reluctant to consider a resolution, at least until they discuss the tax issue with county officials.

“We owe them that courtesy,” Daly said.

Leaders in Tustin and Laguna Niguel are expected to consider Measure R resolutions over the next few weeks.

Panel to Consider Raising Landfill Fee

The county’s Waste Commission will consider a proposal to increase the landfill disposal fee at a meeting today in Santa Ana.

The Integrated Waste Management Department has proposed raising the fee from $22.75 to $35 per ton of trash. The new rate would add about $2 a month to a household’s trash bill.

Officials said the fee hike is needed to prevent the county’s three landfills from operating at a deficit. The landfills have had declining revenue and increased regulatory costs in recent years.

But officials said the disposal fee could be reduced to $30 a day if the county is successful in importing as much as 6,000 tons of garbage a day from outside Orange County.

The Waste Commission meeting will take place at 2 p.m. at 320 N. Flower St. in Santa Ana. The County Board of Supervisors will take a final vote on the fee increase on May 23. If approved, the new rate will take effect in July.

‘Hour of Prayer’ for Recovery Today

Supervisors Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez and Treasurer-Tax Collector John M.W. Moorlach are expected at a nondenominational noon “hour of prayer” today outside the County Hall of Administration in Santa Ana to lend support to those who have been hurt by the county’s fiscal crisis and those who are trying to lead the way to recovery.

“Our hope is that people will unite and look to God for the answers,” said Bart Barlett, a staff analyst in the county’s Human Resources Department. “I don’t know that the answers can be found through mere mortals.”

Compiled by Shelby Grad with contributions from Rene Lynch, Lesley Wright and Greg Hernandez.