Steiner Gets Notice of Recall Drive, Vows Fight : Government: Anti-tax group objects to supervisor’s role in the bankruptcy crisis. He says the people in his district still back him and he expects the effort to fail, as a similar move against Stanton did.

Orange County Supervisor William G. Steiner was served with recall papers Thursday by an anti-tax group upset over his role in the county’s bankruptcy crisis.

“We are starting this recall to stop business as usual at the county hall,” said Stuart Stitch, a political consultant and member of the Orange County Recalls Committee, the group responsible for the recall drive.

Steiner, one of two remaining supervisors who were on the board when the county declared bankruptcy, vowed to fight the campaign to oust him.

“I think the recall probably ends any thoughts I had of leaving the board early and has strengthened my resolve to see the crisis through,” Steiner said. “I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere.”

Steiner is the third supervisor to receive a recall notice since the Dec. 6 bankruptcy. A similar notice was served on Supervisor Roger R. Stanton but failed because of a lack of community support. Another recall petition against former Board Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez was abandoned after he publicly announced his resignation from office.

Stitch, who handed the recall papers to Steiner before an Orange County Transportation Authority meeting at the Hall of Administration, said he believes there is enough anger in the supervisor’s 4th District to support the recall.

But even as Stitch announced the recall effort to reporters Thursday morning he was verbally attacked by another community activist for starting such a campaign in a district where he doesn’t live.

“You’re a carpetbagger,” shouted Carole Walters, a member of the Committees of Correspondence, another anti-tax organization. “You should butt out.”

Walters said her group has decided to work with the supervisors to solve the bankruptcy instead of wasting taxpayer money on a recall, which could cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Stitch, who appeared flustered by Walters’ comments, acknowledged that he doesn’t live in Steiner’s district but said his group had received a number of calls from residents in the 4th District asking for help in organizing the recall. The Orange County Recalls Committee, which was responsible for the recall campaign against Vasquez, is 2 months old and says it has 500 members.

Stitch, of Fullerton, said there were several reasons for targeting Steiner for recall, including his lack of oversight during former Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron’s involvement in risky investments that ultimately led to the county’s nearly $1.7-billion loss and bankruptcy declaration, his support of placing a half-cent sales tax increase on the June ballot and his refusal to consider diverting certain transportation funds as a way of solving the county’s financial mess.

“The current tax-and-spend philosophy is the majority view with the supervisors including Steiner,” Stitch said. “It should change to cut and reform.”

Steiner said he has a strong record of opposing tax increases. He added that he will refute all the group’s charges when he files an answer to the recall notice with the registrar of voters within the next seven days.

Steiner added that he does not believe the group has much support in his district.

“I think this recall group is driven by people with narrow interests who are out to punish anyone who disagrees with them,” Steiner said, adding that he has already received assurances from activists in his district that they will not participate in gathering signatures for the recall.

In order to get the recall on the ballot, Stitch and his followers will have to collect signatures from about 20,000 registered voters in Steiner’s district within the next 160 days. The group collected 39 signatures to support the recall notice--which is the first step in the process.

Steiner, formerly director of Orangewood Children’s Home for abused and neglected children, was appointed to the Board of Supervisors in March, 1993, by Gov. Pete Wilson. He replaced Don R. Roth, who resigned from the board before pleading guilty to seven misdemeanors for violating state political ethics laws.

Steiner was reelected in June, 1994, with nearly 70% of the vote in his district. Steiner, whose term expires in December, 1998, said he believes he still has the support of his constituents.

“I’m counting on all the goodwill and support that I’ve earned as the director of Orangewood and my work with abused kids to balance out the negatives of the bankruptcy,” Steiner said. “I know I’ve got my detractors, but I’m still warmly received in my district. . . . I don’t think they are going to turn their backs on me despite their anger over the bankruptcy.”