ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : O.C. Supervisors Alone in Bus-Funds Vote : Politics: Stanton, Bergeson and Vasquez are the only transportation authority board members to oppose a resolution calling for Wilson to veto a plan to divert transit tax money.

Three Orange County supervisors were the only transportation authority board members who voted Wednesday to oppose a resolution calling for Gov. Pete Wilson to veto a controversial bill that diverts $1 billion in transportation tax funds to the county’s general fund.

Wilson’s office announced a few hours later that the governor had decided to veto the legislation.

But the 8-3 vote by the Orange County Transportation Authority board offered a clear picture of the sharp differences that exist between the Board of Supervisors and the OCTA board over how to pay for the county’s bankruptcy.

Supervisors Roger R. Stanton, Marian Bergeson and Gaddi H. Vasquez, who were on the losing end of the vote, favor grabbing millions in state and local transit tax funds controlled by the OCTA to pay for the county’s financial crisis.

By voting against the resolution, the three were in fact supporting a proposal that would allow Orange County to raid at least $1 billion in state transportation tax money allocated to the OCTA over the next 15 years. The money goes to pay for bus service throughout the county.

The other OCTA board members and transportation authority officials also have resisted calls by supervisors and other politicians to dip into Measure M funds, which are earmarked for local transit projects, such as freeway construction, light rail and street improvements, to pay creditors affected by the county’s $1.7-billion loss.

The OCTA is suppose to receive about $73 million in transportation tax funds from the state sales tax this fiscal year in addition to about $147 million in Measure M revenue from a county transit tax.

The bill that Wilson vowed to veto would divert the state transportation tax money to the county general fund and recommended, but did not require, that the OCTA replace the lost revenue with Measure M money.

Supervisor William G. Steiner broke ranks with his colleagues and voted in favor of the resolution. He said that if the bill became law it would cripple the OCTA financially and bring the agency “to its knees.

“The essence of [the legislation passed in Sacramento] is that it’s a win for the county but a loss for OCTA,” Steiner said.

Bergeson conceded that “there are problems with the bill” but added that supporting the resolution would send the wrong message to Sacramento, suggesting that Orange County is not serious about finding a solution to the bankruptcy.

“These problems can be addressed in subsequent legislation,” Bergeson said.

Critics of the legislation complained that it requires the county to take $70 million annually from property tax revenue for 15 years and put the funds in a special account to pay creditors. While the county would be required to set aside only $1.05 billion in that time, the bill did not include a cap on the amount it could receive from the state in transportation tax money.

OCTA Chief Executive Officer Stan Oftelie said his agency would lose $1.9 billion under the terms of the legislation, which would provide nearly a $1 billion windfall for the county.

The fifth supervisor, Jim Silva, is also an OCTA board member but was absent from the meeting. His place was taken by Vasquez, who is normally a non-voting alternate member of the board.

Wednesday’s meeting was attended by an overflow crowd of bus riders, including a large number of disabled people, who made impassioned pleas to the board to urge Wilson to veto the bill because it would kill the bus program in Orange County.

OCTA officials said that as many as 66 of 74 bus routes throughout the county would have to be eliminated if the state transportation tax funds were diverted to the county general fund.

“If you take the city bus away from us, how in God’s name will I get to work? How will I get to church?” asked Annie Wilshek, who is disabled. “I want you to think of that.”

Shannon McArdrey, who is visually impaired, said that the proposal “in effect locks us up in our homes.”

Stanton countered that “it’s misleading to think [the legislation] would kill bus service.”