Embittered O.C. Ready to Reshape Government : Opinion: Residents favor reduced role for county supervisors after bankruptcy, UC Irvine survey finds.

Still seething with bitterness, Orange County residents appear poised to dramatically reshape county government in the wake of the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, according to a major public opinion survey released Monday.

Overarching worries about the county’s fiscal debacle knocked off crime and immigration as the top concerns among residents, according to the Orange County Annual Survey. Twenty-six percent of county adults identified the financial crisis as the top public policy problem in Orange County--and roughly the same number said they have been personally affected by the bankruptcy.

As a result of the bankruptcy, a majority of Orange County residents appear ready to back a litany of governmental downsizing measures that include a part-time Board of Supervisors, a stronger county chief executive officer and increased privatization of county services, according to the 14th annual survey conducted for UC Irvine’s School of Social Ecology.

The survey’s release coincides with a vote today in which county supervisors are expected to consider placing a proposed county charter, dealing with these same issues, on the March ballot.

“Residents are angry and frustrated by the county government,” said UCI Prof. Mark Baldassare, who conducted the poll. “Before this, we didn’t really know the extent to which residents were willing to support a restructuring of local government.”

The 14th annual survey, which was conducted during telephone interviews between August 18-27 with 1,001 adult residents, tracks shifts in attitudes and population characteristics of county residents. It also studies their perceptions about economic, social and political issues. The margin of error is plus or minus 3%.

The survey demonstrated the bankruptcy’s demoralizing effect on consumer confidence and trust in local government. The survey revealed more than two-thirds of the respondents said they feared the Dec. 6 bankruptcy would bear negatively on their financial health.

Baldassare said the bankruptcy appeared to stymie a growing optimism among residents who only last year gave the highest rating of satisfaction with the quality of life in Orange County county since 1990.

“The survey indicated that fears about the crisis may be derailing some of the progress the county has made since the recession,” said Baldassare. “It really amounts to a missed opportunity for a strong recovery.”

Meanwhile, faith in local government hardly fared better. Forty-one percent of respondents said the current system of city and county governments sharing power is effective, compared to 56% in 1985.

To improve local government, those surveyed supported: part-time supervisors and allowing a CEO to run day-to-day affairs (59%); term limits for supervisors (83%); and, authorizing county government to contract with private companies (68%).

Economically, the bankruptcy appears to have held down the Orange County’s consumer confidence index to 90, which is unchanged from last year and below the national figure of 94, according to Baldassare. The index is based on five questions measuring attitudes about personal finance and the economy now and in the future.

On the heels of a regionwide economic downturn, the bankruptcy appears to have further dampened enthusiasm for buying a house in the county, with 50% of homeowners and 41% of renters saying this would be an excellent or good investment. Two years ago, 53% of renters said that buying an Orange County home was an excellent or good investment, while 59% of homeowners felt the same way.

Also, perceptions of the current economy were fairly gloomy, according to the survey. Local economic assessments reverted back to levels recorded during the recession in the early 90s. Only 19% said the county is in excellent or good shape, 50% called it fair and 30% deemed it poor, according to the survey.

Nevertheless, residents expressed optimism about the county’s economic future with 46% believing the economy will pick up in two years, 32% expecting no change and 19% anticipating it will get worse.

In spite of the rancor toward local government, one in three residents believed the county will be a better place to live in the future.

“Many residents seem to believe the county will emerge from the bankruptcy stronger than it was before,” said Cheryl Katz, a survey research associate.

Charitable donations and volunteerism, however, suffered because of the county’s bond crisis, said the survey.

The median donation was $177, down $47 from 1994. Those surveyed said they performed less volunteer work. Forty-four percent said they did volunteer work, compared to 55% the previous year.

“That’s certainly discouraging in terms of people rising to the occasion,” Baldassare said.

Though the county’s financial crisis was listed as the top concern, crime ranked second as the county’s most pressing problem, with 43% calling crime a “big problem” and 47% describing themselves as “very or somewhat fearful” of becoming a victim.

On a brighter note, approval of the freeways is at a decade high, with 23% calling the current system satisfactory. The number who are satisfied is up 14 points from 1990, according to the survey, which is supported by donations from 34 Orange County corporations, public agencies and foundations.

While there have been no new freeways built in the county, there have been a number of road improvements in the past few years on roadways such as the Santa Ana Freeway and the Costa Mesa Freeway.

But even those encouraging figures may also ultimately fall victim to the bankruptcy, Baldassare said. Recovery plans for Orange County currently call for transferring sales tax money previously earmarked for transportation improvements into an account to pay off bond debt.

“That shift could halt the progress in transportation, which had been steadily improving,” Baldassare said.

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Remaking Government

Orange County government would get a major face-lift if residents had their way.

Do you favor or oppose the following proposed measures:

Appoint a chief executive officer to run Orange County government and change the Board of Supervisors from full-time to part-time positions:

Favor: 59%

Oppose: 33%

No opinion: 8%

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Set term limits for members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors:

Favor: 83%

Oppose: 13%

No opinion: 4%

Source: Orange County Annual Surveys, UC Irvine

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Change Has Limits

The majority of residents surveyed would be willing to contract out county services, appoint a chief executive officer to run day-to-day operations and set term limits for supervisors. But they are not willing to relinquish their right to elect such officials as the treasurer, auditor and clerk. And while they may not believe the current system is very efficient, residents don’t want city and county governments merged into a single entity.

A number of measures that would change the structure of Orange County government are now being discussed. Please tell me whether you favor or oppose the following proposed measures:

Authorize Orange County government to “contract out” with private companies to provide county services:

Favor: 68%

Oppose: 26%

No opinion: 6%

****

Change the Orange County treasurer, clerk and auditor from elected positions to appointed positions in the Orange County government:

Favor: 41%

Oppose: 53%

No opinion: 6%

****

Increase the number of supervisors on the current five-member Orange County Board of Supervisors:

Favor: 23%

Oppose: 71%

No opinion: 6%

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Do you think the current system of county government and city governments sharing responsibility for solving problems in Orange County is effective or not?

Effective: 41%

Not effective: 51%

Don’t know: 8%

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In general, would you favor or oppose the merger of county government and city governments into one large countywide government?

Favor: 26%

Oppose: 68%

No opinion: 6%

****

Compared to the way it is now, would you prefer to have the county government have more responsibility or the city government have more responsibility in your community?

County: 22%

City: 66%

Same: 7%

Don’t know: 5%

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Bankruptcy Is Center Stage

Orange County’s bankruptcy and resulting financial crisis is the No. 1 public policy problem, and seven residents in 10 think it is one of major dimensions.

Considering all the public policy issues in Orange County, which of these do you think is the most serious problem?

Financial crisis/bankruptcy: 26%

Crime and public safety: 21%

Foreign immigration: 13%

Jobs and the economy: 12%

Quality of public schools: 10%

Transportation/traffic congestion: 8%

Population growth/development: 6%

Housing cost and availability: 4%

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In your opinion, how much of a problem in Orange County today is the loss of $1.7 billion from the Orange County government investment fund?

Big problem: 71%

Somewhat of a problem: 20%

Small problem: 5%

Not a problem at all: 2%

Don’t know: 2%

****

In general, how would you rate the economy in Orange County today?

*--*

1995 1994 Excellent 1% 2% Good 18% 26% Fair 50% 54% Poor 30% 17% Don’t know 1% 1%

*--*

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In general, how fearful are you that you will be affected--such as financially or in cuts in local services or schools--as a result of the Orange County government investment fund losses?

Very fearful: 28%

Somewhat fearful: 41%

Not too fearful: 18%

Not at all fearful: 12%

Don’t know: 1%

Source: Orange County Annual Surveys, UCI