Bridging Gaps in O.C. ‘Islands’

Despite the wave of incorporations in recent years, Orange County still has many governmental “islands,” communities that nearby cities don’t want under their jurisdiction. Usually these pockets aren’t as affluent as their neighbors and lack a tax base to make them attractive to the cities next door. Those conditions are good arguments for Orange County government to pay extra attention.

Supervisor Cynthia P. Coad took office two years ago saying she wanted the islands to get better treatment from the county. In the case of La Colonia, a tiny neighborhood that most people assume is part of Anaheim but is also bordered by Garden Grove and Stanton, the attention seems to be paying off.

La Colonia has been fortunate for decades in having a community center, a locale for residents to gather and develop a sense of common purpose. But what’s new and welcome are the increasing uses of that center.

More than a dozen county agencies and nonprofit groups use the center for programs. There are parenting classes and computer training, job planning sessions and dancing lessons. A support group for the county probation office puts on a weekly reading hour. At the end, students can take a book home. That’s a valuable lesson not just in the importance of reading but also in trust.

Many of the programs and amenities are the type that more affluent communities take for granted. But it’s only about 20 years since what is formally known as La Colonia Independencia even got paved streets, sidewalks and sewers. Coad long was a volunteer at the community center and with her husband has put up $150,000 to match $150,000 from United Way for La Colonia and two other low-income neighborhoods.

Residents say the extra attention from the county has brought a new energy to the area, which was settled around the turn of the 20th century by people who arrived to pick oranges. There has been a strong feeling of neighborhood pride and home ownership, forces for stability. But there has been poverty as well, which has contributed to the rise of gangs. The county should pay close attention to La Colonia and other unincorporated “islands,” like El Modena in Orange and Midway City in Westminster, to ensure that they get the resources they need.