O.C. IN BANKRUPTCY: THE GRAND JURY’S CHARGES : Things Are Far From Over, Officials Fear : Scene: Brusque D.A. investigators inform politicians of legal moves with little fanfare. As aide says, it continues image that woes are ‘never-ending.’

The day finally came Wednesday, a little more than a year after Orange County plunged into bankruptcy--the grand jury’s civil accusations against two county supervisors and the auditor-controller, and a criminal indictment against the former budget director.

But the day’s events seemed to stir only quiet emotions in the tired halls of county government.

Beneath the buzz of business as usual, there was sadness and a nagging dread that the legal moves merely open a new chapter in the tortured story of the county’s fiscal collapse.

“Everyone’s been waiting for this day for so long,” said Dave Kiff, executive assistant to Supervisor Marian Bergeson and formerly a chief aide to retired Supervisor Thomas F. Riley. “The most troublesome thing is the public will continue to get the impression that the county is still in turmoil when its operations are not.”

The accusations only mark “a new phase” in the bankruptcy, bringing neither relief, nor anger, nor a sense of closure, Kiff said. “Now we’ll have the trial, and the continued image set forth before the public that this thing in essence is never-ending,” he said.

After a month of rumors that the accusations were coming any day, the moment passed with little fanfare as a troop of district attorney’s investigators marched to the Hall of Administration.

Investigators brusquely handed over a sheaf of papers in the fifth floor offices of Board Chairman Roger R. Stanton and Supervisor William G. Steiner--accusations of “willful misconduct” that could lead to their removal from office.

Followed by news cameras, the investigators then crossed the Civic Center courtyard to do the same at the office of Auditor-Controller Steve E. Lewis.

Steiner took the accusations and cloistered himself in his office for more than 30 minutes, reviewing the papers with his attorney.

“They shook his hand, introduced themselves, handed him the paper and then shook his hand again,” said Steiner aide James Campbell. “I said, ‘Great day, huh,’ and they didn’t even say anything.”

Steiner’s attorney, Allan H. Stokke, said his client was “disappointed” that he was accused of wrongdoing and vowed to clear his name.

“He’s certainly sad that the system does not protect against an injustice of this kind,” Stokke said. “It’s going to divert a lot of his time away from his constituents. He’s now going to spend a lot of time in defense of this case, and that is sad.”

Stanton was away from his office and could not be reached for comment. His staff declined to comment. Lewis was also unavailable for comment.

Other Steiner staffers said they were worried about the toll the accusations might take.

“We’re just concerned about our friend and our boss,” said Bob Tunstall, a part-time staffer for Steiner who handled office calls alone midday Wednesday while Steiner kept a prior engagement to play Santa Claus for mentally ill adults at a local hospital.

“I think he’s doing quite well, but when you’re talking about somebody’s integrity and character--any time you impugn that, it’s going to upset the living daylights out of someone,” he said. “We just want him to get a square deal and a fair shake. We just don’t like what’s going on.”

In the third floor offices of County Chief Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier, many staffers said that although they were unaware of the exact nature of the accusations, they had been anticipating them for the past month.

“Up until this point, people have been wondering what it’s going to be, and who and when,” said Lynne Fishel, spokeswoman for the CEO. “But it’s been pretty much business as usual today. I’m not sure everyone on our floor knows.”