VOICES : O.C. IN BANKRUPTCY: THE MEASURE R ELECTION

“It was absolutely the height of folly to expect people to tax themselves and turn it over to the same people who caused the problem.”

--Tom Rogers, a leader of the No on Measure R campaign

*

“Government here is like IBM: a once-great giant falling to its knees. . . . It is a joke, and I think voting in favor of [Measure R] is the wrong reward for the system.”

--Voter David Datin of Newport Beach

*

“Never give too much money to the politicians, that’s my philosophy.”

--Voter Eli Kohn, an Irvine car salesman

*

“As a taxpayer and someone who voted for the supervisors, I have to take some responsibility for it. Paying a little bit of tax helps spread out the responsibility for it, so it won’t hurt me that much.”

--Voter Laura Robinson, an Irvine teacher

*

“I am an angry voter and all I have is my vote to send them a message. I don’t trust the county. I have no confidence that they would give us the tax increase back after 10 years, and we won’t know where that money will really go if they get it. We clearly have an inefficient form of government, and I’m not going to support it.”

--Voter Shirley Hintzman, a Dana Point retiree

*

“By voting no, we’re saying that we want substantial changes in how the county is run. We want to see some action taken into reorganizing county government.”

--Voter Robert Ronstadt, a Dana Point doctor

*

“I believe the election is a lot closer than people thought it would be. Maybe if we had a little more time to talk to people and get out the facts, who knows what would have happened.”

--Sheriff Brad Gates, a Measure R supporter

*

“What happens next is already underway. It’s not something we would wait until the last second and say, ‘Gee, what do we do now?’ We have fallback plans. We always have had them; they just haven’t been viable. Now that the election is upon us, we have to sharpen our pencils.”

--County Chief Executive Officer William J. Popejoy

*

“Tomorrow? What happens the day after a nuclear war?”

--Christopher Varelas, a county financial adviser