County’s Rosy Outlook

Since 1982, UC Irvine’s annual survey has provided a valuable snapshot of Orange County, charting residents’ satisfaction and concerns, beliefs about their lifestyles and predictions for the future.

The most recent version, released last week rather than later in the fall as in years past, glistened with summer sunshine and an attitude that nearly all is right with the world.

The survey reported that 79% of the residents polled by telephone in May reported the county’s economy to be in good or excellent shape.

That is a stunning increase of 60 points in the rating since 1995. And that in turn is a valuable reminder of how quickly economies and moods can change.

When the survey was conducted in 1995, Orange County had plunged into bankruptcy. The bet on interest rates had gone bad, wrecking the county’s investment pool, where the county, local government agencies and schools had put their funds.

The climb back up the economic ladder has been swift, thanks to hard work by county staffers and a bright fiscal picture nationally. Wall Street considers Orange County government unlikely to tread the wrong path again.

But if the county is back on track, the five members of the Board of Supervisors are not getting the credit. In the past year confidence in county government dropped 11 percentage points, with only 29% believing county government does an excellent or good job solving problems.

The poor job the supervisors have done in planning the future of the now closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station is the main reason for the lack of confidence. A majority of county residents does not want a commercial airport at El Toro, according to a poll by The Times’ Orange County edition. A majority of supervisors, three, keep voting to plan a large airport there. Even among those residents who favor an El Toro airport, only 31% rate the county’s planning good or excellent.

One part of the survey that is cause for concern is the growing disparity between the county’s wealthy and those less well off. While most residents expect economic conditions to improve, they think the gap between rich and poor will grow.

One measurement of that gap is the difference in computer use between Latinos and the group the survey characterizes as non-Hispanic whites. More than 40% of Latinos said they do not use a computer, compared to 19% for non-Hispanic whites.

Computer companies are widespread in Orange County and constitute an important part of the economy. Mark Baldassare, who has conducted the survey since its start with research associate Cheryl Katz, said it will be important to Latinos, who make up nearly 30% of the county, and local companies to correct the disparities in use of the high-tech tool.

Baldassare noted economic and social inequalities that exist now and predicted they will become worse if computer use gaps are not corrected. It’s also in the best interests of corporations dependent on workers with computer literacy to see to it that training is more widespread.

Latinos did predict a good future for the county. Forty-four percent said this would be a better place to live in 20 years; 68% thought the public schools would be better.

Overall, 13% of the county’s residents said the local public schools were excellent and 41% said they were good. A majority said the current level of funding for local schools was inadequate. And 60% favored tax-supported school vouchers. Among Latinos, 71% were supporters of vouchers.

Asked about problems, nearly one-quarter of those polled mentioned crime. Among Latinos, 40% listed crime as the top problem. Other concerns registering double-digit levels were schools, the El Toro airport and transportation.

Orange County does have problems, from a severe lack of affordable housing to an excessive number of people without health insurance to thousands of homeless men, women and children. But it’s easy to see how a look at the big picture presents a positive picture.

Some in the county have described this as a “golden age.” But it’s also important to remember that the wealth has to be shared and the have-nots need to be helped up. Extending the opportunities for economic prosperity enjoyed by so many residents will make Orange County, in all its diversity, a better place.