Put Tobacco Settlement Cash to Good Use

In 1996, a Call to Renewal group was started in Orange County whose task it was to let government and citizens know the religious right does not speak for God nor many of Orange County’s citizens.

Fortunately, the Christian Coalition took care of itself as people became aware of its intentions and modus operandi. The Call to Renewal group then started to fade. However, there were members who felt the faith-based community should develop collaborative efforts with government to ensure the less fortunate members of our community did not fall between the cracks of welfare reform. This was the beginning of the O.C. Interfaith Coalition for Social Justice.

We are also a part of the Orange County Partnership for Responsible Social Policy, a coalition of about 70 public and private county agencies that work in collaboration with the county on social justice issues. The Interfaith Coalition also feels we can develop a strong nucleus of faith-based organizations to exert pressure on government to do what is right for all citizens--especially the less fortunate--in Orange County.

Our group meets monthly at the Mother House of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Orange. Our basic motto is “Education, Action, Advocacy” as we address some of the major issues of Orange County. We have been involved in the issue of the tobacco settlement money for this county. We feel strongly this money should go only for health care in Orange County, especially because the county has tried to “fix” the bankruptcy debt on the backs of those less fortunate.

Many county services have been minimized or eliminated as a result. We object to the county trying to further reduce the debt and build new jails with this money. When the issue first arose, we testified at the Board of Supervisors hearing. Even though we felt our message fell on deaf ears and we lost the skirmish, we shall continue as advocates.

We also are working on public housing in this county. It is nonexistent, and we feel that this is wrong. So much of the economic success of Orange County can be attributed to the workers who do the lion’s share of the work--but cannot afford to live in this area. Next we shall swing into action in collaboration with other county agencies and start to put pressure on the county and cities to develop low-cost housing.