Wilson OKs Plan to Merge County Sanitation Districts

Gov. Pete Wilson on Wednesday signed a bill that enables Orange County’s 11 sanitation districts to merge into a single political unit.

Supporters said the consolidation will make the county’s sanitation agencies more efficient and provide for more balanced representation from the various cities.

Right now, 11 separate sewer boards oversee the Sanitation Districts of Orange County, which provides service to more than 1 million people north of the El Toro Y.

The boundaries of each district were drawn decades ago when the county was mostly agricultural and do not conform with city boundaries and population trends, said John J. Collins, joint chairman of the districts.

As a result, some cities are divided between several districts, and the cities’ representatives serve on more than one board. Some have criticized the system for giving extra clout to cities in several districts.

Sanitation officials want to replace the 11 boards comprising a total of 28 members with a single board with 25 members.

“This is a better-government project,” Collins said. “It will be one person, one vote. You won’t have a situation with one city representative voting on four or five different boards.”

The plan still requires approval by the Local Agency Formation Commission.

The bill enabling the consolidation was sponsored by Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach).