The Orange County Grand Jury has been working hard this year on reports that should be of interest to all of us. Below you will find the links to these reports, which cover subjects including our public employee pension crisis; our jails; how community college Trustees are overpaid; and how school bonds rip us off.
Stopping Local Governments from Electioneering
By Jon Coupal, Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
In 1996, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association ran a successful statewide campaign winning passage of Proposition 218, the Right to Vote on Taxes Act. Prop 218 gave California homeowners the right to approve or reject a host of property related fees and taxes.
Not wanting to cede political power to the unwashed masses, local government officials and their political allies fought hard against Prop 218. But one tactic caught us by surprise — the use of seemingly public funds by municipal “associations” such as the League of California Cities (League). Continue reading
Fullerton Mayor Bruce Whitaker
Many of Orange County’s longtime Mayors have termed out in recent years – particularly some of those who also were lobbyists or political consulants, or who otherwise appeared to be self-serving, such as Curt Pringle, in Anaheim, Larry Agran, in Irvine, and Jerry Amante, in Tustin. The newer crop of Mayors who have been elected in the last few years include a few that are turning out to be fantastic Mayors.
I would include in the top tier of today’s Mayors Bruce Whitaker, in Fullerton; Tom Tait, in Anaheim; and Steven Choi, in Irvine. All three of them are reliably conservative but they are also compassionate and are leading by example. They are all Republicans as well – and Whitaker leans Libertarian. Continue reading
The OC Board of Supervisors voted last month to spend approximately $10k to join a Pseudo Government — an unelected membership body that includes only 26 of the County’s 34 cities and a group of dues-paying lobbyists. The decision to join the Association of California Cities — Orange County was not unanimous — Supervisors Moorlach and Nelson opposed it. The action was unreported in the Register and the union-funded Voice of OC. The only announcement was via Supervisor Todd Spitzer’s 3/8/13 email newsletter: Continue reading