Planned Tower: Icon or Eyesore? You Be the Judge

It started out, as so many grand ideas do, as a sketch on a bar napkin.

Warren Wilson was sitting in a trendy Long Beach brewery last March when he drew an odd-looking object that, to someone peeking from the next table, might have looked like an elaborate golf tee or a bizarre water tower.

Most times, a bar napkin brainchild ends up soggy and forgotten. Not this one. Wilson’s doodle is going to become a glistening 27-foot roadside monument to Orange County and its history--and, with a $300,000 price tag, a guaranteed topic of debate for years to come.

Transportation officials call the tower a “gateway” to Orange County, a unique icon that will straddle a Brea ridgeline and catch the eye of millions of people as they head south into the county on the Orange Freeway. The whole plan was hatched by the Orange County Business Council, designed for free by Disney (Wilson was the lead “imagineer” on the project) and paid for with federal money set aside for landscaping projects.

Actual construction is still eight months away, but county leaders have heard grumblings from people who think the tower is, well, um, ugly.

“No way. I think it’s really cool and funky-looking,” says Sarah L. Catz, board chairwoman of the Orange County Transportation Authority. “It’s a great way to stress our identity as a county.”

Catz and others seethe when they hear Orange County dismissed as “Los Angeles and vicinity” or, even worse, “a suburb of Los Angeles.” One way to carve out a stronger identity, she says, is to erect six of these gateway signs in the next two years, each with different O.C.-esque elements: surfboards, mission bells, lots of oranges, maybe even Mickey Mouse.

“When you see the arch in St. Louis, you know you’re in St. Louis,” Catz points out. “This will say ‘Orange County.’ ”

Wilson and his fellow Disney creators scoured Orange County history books, old travel magazines, postcards and orange crate labels for images to pluck and incorporate in their initial gateway tower.

The final product has the look of an oil derrick--a nod to the rigs in nearby Tonner Canyon, he told us--with a hulking orange on top. He said an arm with three smaller, spinning oranges is meant to evoke windmill imagery and symbolize the county’s high-tech industry. The “Welcome to Orange County” message is written in a typeface heavily influenced by vintage postcards, he said.

We performed a highly scientific poll of our fellow employees to gauge reaction to the project. Some of the results:

* “Is it a ride?”

* “That’s Florida tacky.”

* “I like the lettering.”

* “It’s kinda cool . . . very retro.”

* “Horrendous.”

* “Does it do anything?”

What do you think? Icon or eyesore? Let the debate begin.

REAL OFF-ROAD DRIVING: In our ongoing campaign to spread useless knowledge, we point out that this week marks the anniversary of the coolest carpool of all time: It was 27 years ago this Friday that David Scott and James Irwin drove together to their workplace--the surface of the moon. The Apollo 15 astronauts were on the second day of their mission when they clambered down from their module and revved up the LRV (Lunar Rover Vehicle) for the first off-planet drive. There is no proof to back reports that they compared the craters they encountered to driving over Harbor Boulevard potholes.

A FAIR FARE: California Yellow Taxi Cab Co. of Huntington Beach has been the target of criticism and some hard questions after a fatal Fourth of July crash involving one of its cabs and revelations that the company has major permit problems. Neither the driver nor the cab she was driving had permits, and the company has yet to answer police requests for proof the cab was insured.

That news might be troubling for seniors, airport travelers, tourists and others who make up the bulk of Orange County taxi fares.

“You assume when you climb in a cab you’re going to get a safe, licensed driver who is going to get you there in one piece and that, if something does happen, the company’s insurance is going to cover it,” Huntington Beach Police Officer Robert Barr says. “That’s not always the case.”

What can taxi passengers do to protect themselves? Mike Greenwood, who directs the Orange County Taxi Administration Program, says the best way is to take a good look at the cab you’re riding in. Greenwood’s agency regulates taxi service in 22 local cities, including the seven largest, and he offers these tips:

* If you call for a cab, ask the dispatcher if the company, driver and cab you will be riding with have the county permits.

* Before you get in a cab, check the rear left window for the OCTAP permit, which means the company and cab have permits that require insurance and a cab safety inspection.

* Inside the cab, check the visor or dashboard for the driver’s OCTAP permit. Drivers with OCTAP permits have passed background checks and a drug test.

* Check the meter rate. The standard charge is $1.90 to start the meter and then $1.80 per mile thereafter. In the 22 OCTAP cities, this is the highest mileage charge allowed.

These tips will not apply to cabs based in the non-OCTAP cities: Cypress, Dana Point, Laguna Hills, Placentia, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Seal Beach, Tustin and Westminster (San Clemente, Tustin and Westminster should be part of the program by year’s end). In non-OCTAP cities, concerned residents should contact City Hall to find out the specific cab regulations in effect.

TIP OF THE WEEK: If you click before you commute, we have some Web sites that will help you dodge gridlock--or at least see it coming.

For updated traffic reports, you can scan real-time Caltrans traffic reports for Orange County at www.maxwell.com/caltrans/oc/oc_transnet.html or at The Times’ Web site at www.latimes.com /traffic (where you also can read the day’s news, access our archives and check out other special features).

The Roads Scholar wants to hear your insights, stories and questions about traffic, the commuting experience and Orange County transportation issues.

You can call him at (714) 966-5724, send e-mail to geoff.boucher@latimes.com or mail letters to him at The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Please include your full name, hometown and phone number.