News & Press

Slouching Toward Bad Government

Across the country Orange County, California is known as a bastion of conservatism.  The elected representatives Orange County sends to Congress and the State Legislature are strong advocates of small government, low taxation, and private property rights.  Orange County congressmen, state senators, and assembly members do a great job of working to implement conservative policies at a state and federal level.  However, while we may succeed in extolling the virtues of limited government outside of the O.C., here in our own back yard we are beginning to lose sight of those values.  Our local city governments are increasingly becoming larger in size, taking more of the money you earn, and intruding further on your property rights.  I don’t mean to suggest that O.C. local government is as restrictive as our neighbors to the north in LA County.  Indeed, it is much worse to do business or own property in the cities of the Los Angeles area, but with each new law and fee the O.C. is (to paraphrase a popular book title of some years ago) slouching toward the bad values of Los Angeles style government.

Any citizen or property owner probably has several examples of government caused grief that would illustrate the point of local government excess in Orange County .  It always amazes me the amount of fees a property owner pays each year or the process one has to go through to even do some minor construction on ones home.  Even more upsetting are new proposals being discussed and considered by city council members and staff.  I could list several examples, but let us discuss just a few. 

• A councilman in La Palma recently proposed that the City consider regulating the exterior paint color of residential properties.  Can you imagine having to get permission from city hall each time you wanted to add a new coat of paint to your property?  Can you imagine how the City will pay for the new bureaucracy created to monitor the color of your buildings?  I can think of several ways they can pay for it, and it all involves your pocket book. 
• City staff in Buena Park is recommending to the City Council a new Residential Property Records Report program.  If enacted the proposal would require property sellers to provide a report to buyers that includes information on zoning, variances, unresolved code compliance orders, etc.  The seller would also be required to pay a fee ranging from $70 to $210.  The program is redundant, as these items are already disclosed in most real estate transactions.  The fee would be an unnecessary tax passed on to property owners as a way to expand the budget of the City.
• The City of Yorba Linda is asking voters to nearly double the City Street Lighting and Maintenance Assessment in order to keep up with rising costs.  They City is asking property owners to pay more despite the fact that the City has a reserve fund equal to 100% of the City’s operating budget (cities are generally expected to keep a reserve fund equal to 25% of the budget).  The City already has plenty of money, yet the appetite of government is such that they always need more from the taxpayers.
• A non-profit group called the Kennedy Commission is working to promote their housing agenda in cities throughout Orange County .  One of the suggestions the Commission offers for making housing “more affordable” is rent control.  The City of Fullerton recently included ideas from the Kennedy Commission in a report to the City Council.  Fortunately the City Council of Fullerton does not support rent control; however, apartment owners in Orange County should be concerned that groups like the Kennedy Commission are being listened to by city staffs.  

These issues are just a handful of the proposals limited government groups, like the Apartment Association of Orange County, will be fighting this year, and it is in fighting these proposals (and those of similar ilk) that we will eventually succeed in pushing Orange County city councils back towards the values of limited government.  We may not win every battle, but in each battle we make strides toward achieving our ultimate goal of an Orange County that values limited government and private property rights.

A classic example of losing a battle but making significant strides occurred toward the end of February of this year.  You may recall that AAOC led the charge against the Orange County Sanitation District’s (OCSD) proposed increase in sanitation rates.  The proposal called for a 10% increase in 2008 followed by automatic increases of 10% in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.  AAOC was opposed to both the size of the increase and also the fact that the increases were automatic; it is better public policy for the Board of Directors to have to vote each year on any given increase.  OCSD has 25 Board of Directors, one from each city council covered under OCSD’s jurisdiction.  The Board voted 17 to 6 (two members were absent) in favor of the increase proposal.

Directors who supported the increase argued that it was essential in order to complete needed capital improvement projects.  Some Directors even chastised the opponents of the increase for being short sighted in their reluctance to pay for a quality sewage system.  What these Directors need to realize is that citizens and businesses have been nickel and dimed to death with so many fees and taxes that a climate has been created where even a reasonable increase is met with strong opposition (don't misunderstand, I do not mean to argue that 61% is reasonable).  Fee increases are opposed because too much is already asked for by local governments that seem wasteful.  OCSD Directors hurt the argument for the necessity of a fee increase when they voted to give themselves a salary increase of 25% or when they decided to allow 6 board and senior staff members to fly to Washington, DC to meet with their congressmen (congressmen they could instead meet with here in Orange County ).  Many could have supported a fee increase had it been smaller in scope and not included automatic increases.  The arrogance of the Board of Directors is what brought forth the ire of the public.

While we ultimately lost the vote, we sent an important message in fighting the increase.  The OCSD Board of Directors were inundated with phone calls, e-mails, and letters from constituents demanding they vote no on the increase.  At the meeting to consider the rate increase there was not enough room to accommodate the massive amount of public who showed up to protest the increase.  Despite the public outcry the majority of the Board voted for the increase, but the large showing of discontent will undoubtedly make them much more reluctant to raise fees in the future.  Each of the OCSD Board Members serves on a City Council, you can bet that when these officials are back governing their cities they will remember the large outcry against the sanitation increase and be less likely to support future fee hikes.  Fortunately we also have elections, which will provide us another opportunity to amplify our message just incase the rate increasers did not get it the first time.

Groups like AAOC are ever watchful of your interests in the City Halls of Orange County and will continue to fight against those that seek to chip away at our values of small government, low taxation, and property rights.  Some may seek to slouch us toward bad government, but with your help we can make our elected leaders stand up right for the principles we hold dear.

Questions and Comments? - Contact Ray at - rgrangoff@aaoc.com.

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