Council of Cities a Worthy Effort

The relationship between localities and the larger region is as old as Orange County itself. It was after all, unhappiness with Los Angeles that led the county to strike out on its own.

Today, government entities serving the region and even within Orange County are mind-boggling in their complexity. The bankruptcy prompted some soul-searching about what forms of government were best. This process fueled existing hopes for government reform and restructuring.

There are many of these inquiries affecting Orange County now underway in Sacramento, by local citizens, politicians and business leaders, and of particular importance, by cities. The League of California Cities has been making presentations and winning city approval for a new Orange County Council of Governments.

Some sound ideas in the proposal are efforts to eliminate duplication of services, bring countywide concerns into sharper focus, and strengthen the county’s voice. Responding to government-weary critics, Janet Huston, executive director of the league’s Orange County division, makes a compelling case that the group “is not any kind of super-agency.” Supporters stress a lack of enforcement power.

To date, there has been lukewarm enthusiasm at best to this idea in the Hall of Administration. Advocates feature their role as a voice for the county before the Southern California Assn. of Governments (SCAG), but “regional government” is not popular with all. Orange County in fact has ample evidence of turf battles not likely to go away because of the installation of a well-intentioned umbrella group. For example, the Transportation Corridor Agencies were locked this year in a fight to keep from being absorbed by the Orange County Transportation Authority. SCAG and the county have differences over the fate of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

Rather than a playing field in which various interest groups speak smoothly in one voice, experience seems to show entities moving in and out of alliances based on their perspectives on particular issues--whether it be airports, transportation or air quality.

It may be that the easier things like sharing emergency services and getting trees pruned can be consolidated. The more complex public policy issues will prove harder terrain for engineering consensus. This group can claim expertise on issues close to home, but there is no guarantee its views on regional matters will be more politically viable than anybody else’s.

No doubt the council will have positive contributions to make. However, it probably won’t change the dynamics of interagency politics or alter the competition for power between levels of government. This is a good idea, but don’t expect too much.