Election Year Politics: El Toro, Urban Runoff, Budget Cuts
GOVERNMENT
SPECIAL REPORT
By DANIEL D. WILLIAMS
In the past few years, a key issue facing governments across Orange County was how to spend money coming in from the surging economy. In 2002, they may have to ask themselves what they can live without.
In mid-November, Gov. Gray Davis proposed $2.25 billion in cuts to the 2001-2002 state budget. Early indications have education and local governments taking big hits to help pay off the state’s shortfall.
“With a $12 billion deficit, cuts have to come from somewhere and local governments will get their wings clipped,” predicted David Ellis, a lobbyist with Irvine-based Ellis & Associates.
But local governments have been through this cycle before. If history is any indication, government will continue to thrive in 2002, according to Ellis.
“Government will still grow,” he said. “It never shrinks.”
When it comes to issues, budget cuts, an airport, political races and urban runoff stand to hold sway in 2002.
“You’ll see much bravado, posturing and chest-thumping, but very little getting done,” Ellis predicted. “And that’s not due to the particular people in office, but because historically election years are more about getting elected.”
Come March, El Toro stands to take center stage. That’s when Measure W, which calls for a park instead of an airport at the former Marine base, is set to be put before voters. Expect a media blitz from both sides of the airport issue in the run-up to the vote.
The governor’s race is another tidbit worth watching, as is the general election in November. But there are few spicy local elections on tap next year. In nine of the 11 legislative districts that include all or part of OC, the incumbents face no challengers in the March primary.
In the 71st Assembly District, where incumbent Bill Campbell, R-Villa Park, is termed out, Supervisor Todd Spitzer is unopposed on the GOP side. Santa Ana English teacher Bea Foster is without a challenger on the Democratic side.
OC’s U.S. congressional delegates don’t face any primary challengers, with the exception of Rep. Christopher Cox, the Newport Beach Republican. He’s set to face San Clemente TV producer David Forman and Laguna Niguel businessman David Cobert in the GOP race.
Cities across OC will be faced with decisions on how to deal with urban runoff next year. Earlier this month, the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board put off a decision on new, tougher pollution rules until Jan. 18. Whatever the board decides, cities face the prospect of enforcing runoff rules by increasing policing and imposing fines.
The outcome stands to have a profound impact on development. A study funded by the Orange County Stormwater Coalition estimates that the proposed regulations could cost cities and property owners in the county more than $5 billion in the next five years.
The Stormwater Coalition,made up of the California Association of Community Managers, the Orange County Business Council, the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks and the Building Industry Association,wants regulators to take a different, and cheaper, regional approach.
“The real solution lies in spending money on repairing the county’s sewer pipelines and providing regional stormwater treatment facilities,” says a coalition fact sheet. “Many cities nationwide have found stormwater utility districts to be cost-effective approaches to cleaning water.”
