Pacific Progressive

Orange County Wants Private/Public Partnership to Build New County Building

Orange County wants to demolish and rebuild on the site of the current Building 16, and in the process, privatize the process and building.  The goal is the County gets a new building and a company gets a big contract to operate and own the building.  Building 16 is located on Ross Street, just north of Santa Ana Boulevard. The building was used until 1990 when aging infrastructure and a lack of off-street parking became problematic. 

The County is currently seeking qualified companies to make money off county run, publicly funded real estate.  The Civic Center Demand Study, which discusses this project, is available. Download Civic_Center_Demand_Study A summary of the requirements is:

Prepare a master plan for the area occupied by Building 16 and adjacent County facilities based on the private partners’ concept plan

Prepare a detailed financing plan to implement the master plan based on the private partners’ financial concept

Enter into a long-term ground lease with the County for the Building 16 site and additional sites, if necessary, to implement the master plan

Demolish Building 16 and other sites as needed and construct a new building and/or structures per the master plan

Enter into a competitive long-term lease with the County for the new buildings and/or structures

Where is Orange County Getting the Money to Buy the Fairgrounds?

On Tuesday, December 15, 2009,  both the Orange County Board of Supervisors (Items S62B) and the Costa Mesa City Council will consider resolutions to enter into an agreement to put a bid in for the Fairgrounds.    Where is the money coming from to buy the Fairgrounds? 

Orange County has laid off hundreds of workers, implemented mandatory furloughs, and has refused to backfill programs, such as aid programs for children and families, that have had funding cut by the State.  Costa Mesa has had to furlough staff to balance the budget.  One example of the cuts is the restructuring of the Orange County Sheriffs Department command staff and closure of the East Compound of the Musick detention facility. 

  

Download 12-11-09 Musick East Compound Closure

So, if Orange County and Costa Mesa have the money to buy the Fairgrounds, then why are people being fired and furloughed?  And why are medical programs for families and children and other social services being cut?  If there's money to buy the Fairgrounds, there is money for these vital programs.

How Much Stimulus Funding is Going to Your County?

by Jennifer LaFleur, Dan Nguyen, Michael Grabell, and Jeff Larson

This article was published by ProPublica.

We’ve taken all the data used on the government’s stimulus Web site, Recovery.gov, cleaned out the cobwebs and added thousands of records the feds didn't include — the law doesn't require all recipients to report to Recovery.gov — to create the most comprehensive publicly available analysis of stimulus spending that we know of. Type in your county or click on your state to find local projects, and check out how per capita spending compares with poverty, income and unemployment in your area.

Related Story: Stimulus Spending Fails to Follow Unemployment, Poverty

Interactive Chart: How Fast We're Spending the Stimulus Package

Jump to the database.

198 Unit Mixed Use Project in Carson Using PLA to Stimulate Local Economy

The City of Carson understands that construction jobs pay solid wages with benefits that you can raise a family on, which puts dollars back into the local economy, allowing the local economy to grow.  Carson has made the decision to require the use of a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) on the CityView 198-unit mixed use project with 20,000 square feet of retail space.  The Building Trades News has the complete story.

In November 2009, the Orange County Supervisors, voted to make the use of PLA's illegal on county funded construction projects.  Carson understands how construction is an economic way up out of poverty and into the middle class for many people.  Carson understands that local middle class jobs let dollars circulate and create other local jobs.  What does Carson understand that the Orange County Supervisors don't?

Mayor Bloomberg Says PLA's Are "Economic Downturn's Silver Lining"

What does Mayor Michael Bloomberg know that the Orange County Supervisors don't?  Bloomberg, #17 on Forbe's Billionaires list with a net worth of $16 billion, is a sharp businessman who knows how to make a deal that will benefit him.  Contrast this to the recent actions of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

On November 24, 2009, Mayor Bloomberg announced that $5.3 billion in Project Labor Agreements (PLA's) (in Laborpress) had been signed.  In exchange for the agreements, Bloomberg negotiated $300 million in savings from the labor unions in work rules and overtime.  The situation is a win-win for everyone - New York residents receive much needed public works projects, skilled workers receive solid paychecks which they can spend in the local economy.

The Orange County Supervisors don't see the benefit of using public works dollars (which come from the taxpayers) to fund local middle class jobs.  (See OC Supes Mash Middle Class and OC Supervisor's Make PLA's Illegal on County Projects.)  In November 2009, in a purely political move, the Supervisors voted to make PLA"s illegal on County funded projects.  

There is an irony to this vote by the Supervisors.  Pat Bates family makes a good living off public works projects.  Her family owns John Bates Associates, a local architecture firm which has designed the new Tustin City Hall, Buena Park City Hall, community centers in Laguna Hills and Yorba Linda, sports facilities in San Clemente and Laguna Niguel and police facilities in Anaheim, among other projects.  

Bloomberg understands what public works are about - build facilities for the public to use, using public dollars that are paid to local workers.  The employees on these projects are then able to spend the money in their communities, which starts the cycle over again as more tax revenues are generated.  Now, if the Supervisors could only understand that. 

Will John Campbell Continue to Block Fixing Aliso Creek?

Aliso Creek needs to have habitat restored and water quality improved. This project is so important to Supervisor Pat Bates district that the project is listed on the 2010 Legislative Priorities for Orange County. At a recent Supervisors meeting, Pat Bates spoke about how much her district would like to see Aliso Creek work started, but there are projects that need to be done that only the Army Corps of Engineers can do.

And John Campbell won't ask for the Army Corps of Engineers to do the work or for the money.

Because he doesn't believe in spending money for allowing people to use the beach without swimming in fecal coliform.  

Aliso Creek has needed work for a long time. The recent build out of South County has put even more pressure on the watershed and adding to the urgency to get work going.  But John Campbell won't ask the Corp of Engineers to do the project or ask for the money.  Many times projects and money are given higher priority (meaning they get funded) if the Representative from the district the project is in asks for the money. But, because Representative John Campbell won't ask for his district, the project is pushed down in priority.

How much longer do we want to swim in poo-poo water thanks to Rep. Campbell?

Orange County 1st Quarter Budget Report

At the November 24, 2009 Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting, an update on the County budget was given.  The General Fund is 15.5% below projections, but total revenues are 61.5% above projections from increased funding from State and Federal governments, grant and program funding, and drawing on reserves.  The decline in property and sales tax has caused the General Purpose revenues to decline by 39.7%.  At the same time, County expenditures are up by 52.9% than projected due to delay of receipt of reimbursements from the State.

The complete report along with charts and PowerPoint is available online.

OC Supes Support Stopping the Fairgrounds Sale

On Tuesday, November 24, 2009, the Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution asking Governor Schwarzenegger to stop the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds.  The resolution was brought forward by Supervisors Bill Campbell and John Moorlach.  

During the meetings, Supervisor Bill Campbell remarked that when the Supervisors passed their resolution supporting the sale, their resolution "required the property be sold to another government entity".  The sale process has many worried that the property will eventually be developed if not sold to a government entity.  Costa Mesa City Manager Allan Roeder expressed thanks on behalf of his city for the Supervisors support for stopping the sale.

During the meeting, Reggie Mundekis from the Orange County Fairgrounds Preservation Society, asked the Supervisors and County Council for assistance in investigating the actions of the Fair Board.  The Fair Board hired Dick Ackerman to look into the sale of the property and formed a private foundation to buy the property.  County Counsel asked the Attorney General to investigate the actions of the Fair Board, but the AG declined due to a conflict caused by the AG serving as counsel to the Fair Board.  Currently,l the duty to investigate falls to Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.

The Supervisor's resolution asks all 34 cities in Orange County to pass their own resolutions asking that the sale be stopped.   At the meeting, three members of the public spoke in favor of the Supervisors resolution. There were no members of the public who spoke in favor of the sale.

March 2010 OCTA Service Cuts Save Jobs and Service While Looking for More Money

The OCTA Board unanimously supported cutting 150,000 hours of service in March 2010, only one-half of the originally  proposed 300,000 hour cut at their November 23, 2009  meeting. The Board also supported cleaning up and closing out unused Measure M1 money.  The service changes include eliminating some routes, creating new shorter routes in some areas, restructuring service in north Orange County, and changing timetables. Night OWL service was kept until 1 AM, which is a significant compromise from the original proposed elimination of the service.

There is a significant advantage to the Orange County economy to a reduced bus service cut - more people stay fully employed longer.  Many times, when there is a bus service cut, the emphasis is on the impact on the riders.  Drivers, mechanics, cleaning staff, and administrative jobs are also cut when service hours are cut.  The 150,000 hour service reduction means jobs will be cut, but not as many as with a 300,000 hour cut.  More people working means more dollars circulating in the economy, which will help speed the recovery.

150,000 hours of service cuts is still a very significant cut, but the Board is buying time to find money to use for bus operations to prevent more cuts.  One possible source is the suit against the State which was recently rejected by the California Supreme Court. The suit was filed over the taking of transit funds by the State for use on non-transit projects. Officials are now working with to get the money brought back to the transit systems of California.

Nov 23 - Critical OCTA Meeting - Bristol Street Flip and March 2010 Cuts

Monday's OCTA meeting at 9 AM starts and ends with changes to the bus system. First on the agenda, taking only 150,000 hours of cuts instead of the originally proposed 300,000 hour cuts in March 2010.   Transit Advocates of Orange County (TAOC) has worked hard and diligently with OCTA staff to find ways to keep from making the massive cut as long as possible. The OCTA Board will vote on this proposal first on the agenda.

The Bristol Street flip, which if pulled off will help prevent more cuts in March 2010, is moving money from the Bristol Street Widening project to the bus operations account.  The money moved from Bristol Street Widening would be backfilled with Measure M1 money.  This move is made possible by money for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was used for the Bristol Street Widening, but BRT is not out of the Bristol project.  The first part of the trick, moving M1 money to the Bristol project, needs to be done before the Bristol money can be moved to bus operations.

Nov 24 - OC Supervisors Asking Gov. to Stop Fairgrounds Sale

The Orange County Board of Supervisors will discuss asking the Governor to stop the sale of the Orange County Fair and Events Center (OCFEC) during a special 9 AM session before the regular Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, November 24, 2009.  

All residents of Orange County who want the Supervisors to help derail the sale should come to this very important meeting to show their support for what the Supervisors are doing to save the Fair.  Please wear red to make the strength of our group in the audience visible.

The resolution has been brought forward by Bill Campbell, a long time supporter of the Orange County Equestrian Center (ECOC) and John Moorlach who represents Costa Mesa.  In the resolution, the Supervisors encourage all 34 cities in Orange County to pass similar resolutions to send a strong message to Governor Schwarzenegger to save the fair by derailing the sale. 

The resolution is available here  Download Supes_StopSale

Later in the meeting, in closed session, the Supervisors will discuss financing and other strategies surrounding a bid from Orange County for the Fairgrounds.  

Orange County Board of Supervisors meetings are held at the Hall of Administration, 333 W Santa Ana Blvd, Santa Ana, CA. They are located at the corner of Broadway and Santa Ana Blvd in Santa Ana.  There are several pay parking lots within walking distance.

Stop the Sacramento Shakedown - Derail the Sale

Both Costa Mesa and Orange County are putting together bids to buy the Fairgrounds.  Let's assume one of them is the winning bidder.  This would amount to a Sacramento shakedown of Orange County - give me an outrageous sum of money to keep the land you already have the right to use and to keep the jobs you already have. And if you don't want to pay me, I'll put you out of business and turn it into a housing tract/stadium/Indian casino.   This is no better than when Tony Soprano's crew would shake down the strip clubs that wouldn't do business with him.  Actually, Tony Soprano's crew had more class because they were upfront about what they were doing.

The money spent to buy the Fairgrounds will come from somewhere.  If bonds are floated, there will be debt that must be serviced from either the funds of Costa Mesa or Orange County.  Ultimately, the debt from the bonds will cause the use of the Fairgrounds to change to bring in more money to cover the debt.  Even though the Fairgrounds is for everyone to use, in the end the Fairgrounds will have to pay for it's own debt.

If money comes from reserves or transfers from other operating accounts, that means something will be cut.  When people are losing their jobs and formerly middle class families are trying to find free medical clinics because they lost their health insurance along with their job, is it the best use of  money to buy a piece of real estate?  Orange County and Costa Mesa are forced to pay the protection money to Sacramento to keep the State from muscling in and taking away what we already have.

Stop Sacramento's protection racket - call these people and tell them to stop the sale.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

State Capital Building, Sacramento, CA 95814 

916-445-2841  Fax 916-558-3160

Jose Solorio - 69th AD  - Held a hearing about the issue with Van Tran

2400 E Katella Ave, Suite 640, Anaheim, CA 92806

714-939-8469 Fax 714-939-8986 

Sacramento Phone 916- 319-2069   Fax 916-319-2169

Van Tran - 68th AD

1503 South Coast Dr, #204, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

714-668-2100 Fax 714-668-2104  

Sacramento phone 916-319-2068   Fax 916-319-2168

Jim Silva - 67th AD

17011 Beach Blvd, Suite 570, Huntington Beach, CA 92647

714-843-4966   Fax 714-843-6375  

Sacramento Phone 916-319-2067  Fax 916-319-2167

Join Derail the Sale on Facebook to keep up with the steps being taken to stop the sale of the Orange County Fairgrounds.

OCTA Directors Choose What to Cut in March 2010 on Mon, Nov 23

Be at the OCTA meeting on Monday, November 23, 2009.  This is the meeting where OCTA Board members will decide the final cuts to the bus routes for the March 2010 cuts.  The meeting is at 9 AM at OCTA Headquarters, 500 N Main Street, Orange, CA. 

Details of Proposed 150,000 Hr Cuts for OCTA in March 2010

The details of the proposed OCTA 150,000 March 2010 service hour cuts are now available and are outlined below.  On November 23, 2009, the OCTA Board meets to vote on the proposed cuts. The new 150,000 hour plan details are only becoming available to the public now because this is a very recent development.  Until recently, the plan was to cut 300,000 service hours. After research by the Transit Advocates of Orange County (TAOC) and other groups into possible sources of funding which could be used for bus operations funds, staff drafted a plan to cut 150,000 service hours in March 2010 with the possibility for another 150,000 hours to be cut at a later date if more state funding does not materialize.

Under the new proposed plan, some routes will be eliminated, other routes will be truncated or restructured, new routes will be created, and timetables will be changed.  These cuts are in addition to the 233,000 hours cut between December 2008 - September 2009.  If 150,000 additional hours are cut, a total of 383,000 service hours will have been slashed.  Adding the potential additional 150,000 hour cut that could come if money does not come thru will bring the total to 533,000 total hours cut. Over half a million hours of bus service could be cut from the Orange County economy.

The OCTA Board of Directors meets on Monday, November 23 at 9 AM at OCTA Headquarters, 500 S Main Street, Orange, CA.  If these proposed changes cause problems for you, you must let the OCTA Board and staff know before the public hearing.  Come to the meeting to voice your opinion.  Be forewarned that the OCTA directors have been cutting public comment time down - usually, it's 3 minutes, but time has been cut to 2 minutes and then 1 minute per speaker. At one meeting, a director suggested 10 seconds per speaker.  Best advice - submit your comments in writing and take a card to speak.  

Staff presentation about 150,000 hour cuts available here.

Night OWL

Night OWL service is proposed to be kept running until 1 AM on Lines 43,50, 57, and 60.

Eliminated Routes

62 - Huntington Beach to Santa Ana - Goldenwest Street/Hazard Avenue/Santa Ana Blvd

74 - Fountain Valley to Irvine - Segerstrom Avenue/Dyer Road/Barranca Parkway

OC Fire Authority Does Have Money for Hand Crews

A recent OC Register article, Firefighters Lose Critical Weapon, detailed the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) budget cuts that have caused the loss of Orange County based hand crews to fight local fires.  According to the article, a part-time crew cost $373,151 last year and a full-time crew is estimated to cost $1.7 million per year.  Hiring the hand crews, which clear brush which can allow rapid spread of wildfires, was cut because funds were not available.

But OCFA does have the money to pay for the very effective full-time hand crews.  The Reserve program, which costs $2 million a year, can be cut and the hand crews reinstated. The Reserve program is supposed to be a volunteer program to allow community members to train as firefighters and work alongside full time employees to fight fires. 

The reality is, the Reserve program is highly ineffective because members don't show up.  At the Sunset Beach Station, Reserves were called on 51 times during 2008 and enough showed up to roll out the engine 2 times.  In Emerald Bay, the Reserves got the engine out of the station 19 out of 31 times.  La Palma's Reserves made it to less than 10% of their calls - 28 out of 291 calls.  And Villa Park, got the engine out and rolling less than 1 out of 9 times called - 4 out of 35 calls were answered by Reserves. At stations having both Reserves and full-time fire fighters, the lack of Reserve response means full-time staff responds.

In Orange County's brushy hills, hand crews are highly effective to keep fires away from families, homes and businesses. The Reserve program is not effective.  Save the hand crews - transfer the money from the no-show Reserves to fund hand crews.