Board Re-Org Stimulates Discussion

At our January 4 meeting, the Board of Supervisors elected a new Chairman and Vice-Chairman for 2005. A motion was made to jointly select Bill Campbell for Chair and Tom Wilson for Vice-Chair. I voted with the entire board to confirm Campbell, but was the lone dissenter on the Vice-Chairmanship. I felt all five Board Members and all five districts should share these positions and was sensitive to anyone holding these spots at the expense of others.

The following was a message I delivered to the Board before the final vote on reorganization:

“I support Bill Campbell for Chairman. His experience, temperament and knowledge will serve this Board well. As a member of the Toll Road Boards, his innovative new financial plan will save commuters millions of dollars. He can respect those with whom he disagrees, and never turns political differences into personal ones. It’s been ten years since a Third District Supervisor has been Chair, so it’s long overdue.

Now, about the Vice-Chair position:

Back in 1984, when I was first elected to the Fullerton City Council, my very first vote was for Councilwoman Molly McClanahan for Mayor. She had repeatedly been excluded from the Mayorship for partisan reasons.

Two years ago, my very first vote on this Board of Supervisors was for Tom Wilson for Chairman. He had repeatedly been excluded from that position by airport politics. I voted for him both in 2003 and 2004.

But, I cannot support Supervisor Wilson for Vice-Chairman for 2005. He has already served for five years as either Chair or Vice-Chair.

By contrast, it’s now been three years since any member from the 1st or 4th Districts has been selected. I believe these positions should be shared by all five of us, as they belong to all the people of Orange County.

The positions of Chair and Vice-Chair have no statutory authority. Recent history has shown they carry no political advantage. But they are important symbols.

So, let them be symbols of mutual respect, rather than exclusion.

I will abstain on the motion because, while I strongly support Bill Campbell for Chair, I do not support the motion’s nominee for Vice-Chair.”

Arnold, OC Tackle Pension Issues

With the retirement of Chuck Smith, I am now the only Supervisor who opposed the 2.7% at 55 pension boost for OC employees. The vote is over. It is now a vested right of every employee. Though I opposed the spike, all of us must now come to terms with it. Three things must be done:

1) PAYMENT: We must set aside enough money to be able to pay for it. This may require cuts in real county services, but the pension obligation is contractual. It cannot be negotiated away or unilaterally altered.

2) TRAINING: We must accelerate in-house training so younger employees can take over for outgoing ones. Lowering the retirement age to 55 makes up to 800 employees (5% of the County workforce) eligible to retire this July. Past practice has kept many retirees on as employees—224 now do so. That’s 224 too many. Double-dipping must end. OC workers should choose between a paycheck or a pension.

3) REFORM: Current OC employees are guaranteed 2.7% at 55. However, a reformed pension could be imposed for new hires. In his substantive State of the State Address, the Governor proposed a 401-k defined contribution plan for new state employees. This would replace the defined benefit plan currently in place. Defined benefits place OC on the hook if our investments perform under 7.5% annually.

Supes Back Anaheim on Angel Change

Last fall, the Board of Supervisors approved a strongly-worded letter to Angels owner, Arte Moreno, urging him to adhere to his contractual obligation to keep the name Anaheim Angels. Now that he’s formally dropped Anaheim for Los Angeles, individual board members have restated their support for the City.

I personally appeared with Anaheim Councilman Richard Chavez on Ed Arnold’s “Real Orange” Show on KOCE-TV. By finessing around the contract with “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim,” this move will only alienate both L.A. and Orange County fans.