5th District Supervisor | Thomas W. Wilson

Update from Supervisor Tom Wilson, Fifth District

(This update is an opportunity to highlight various issues of interest to folks living within my supervisorial district. My objective is to keep you informed about matters impacting your community. Feel free to share it with your friends and neighbors, and should they wish to be added to the distribution list, please send me their e-mail address. If you are also receiving this update by mail, please let me know the form of communication you prefer.)

Beach Replenishment: The Board of Supervisors recently adopted an important resolution in support of federal funding for coastal projects and protection. At the August 23rd Orange County Coastal Coalition meeting, our members reviewed this resolution and supported its adoption by the County and the other jurisdictions and groups which make-up the Coalition. A Congressional Conference Committee has been formed to come to some agreement on the level of funding for beach restoration and protection projects nationwide - and no one stands to gain or lose as much as Orange County. The House has used figures generated by the American Coastal Coalition - and has proposed $151,572,000 for these projects. The Senate has proposed considerably less. This resolution urges Congress to fully fund the program. America's coastline is suffering from chronic lack of investment, and it's time we invest in our coasts' future.

Something to Discover: Property owners have been able to use credit cards for payment of property taxes since 1994. Discover Card Services recently notified the County that its transaction fees must increase for in-person over-the-counter use of the Discover Card. The increase was effective on September 1st. Full disclosure of the fees is listed on the Treasurer-Tax Collector's website, www.oc.ca.gov/treas/, in addition to information being available at the Treasurer-Tax Collector's counters.

Domestic Violence: One of the highlights of August was "Children in Crisis", a conference on domestic violence hosted by Judge Pam Iles and me. This conference was held for South County teachers, and I'm pleased to report that over 600 teachers representing six districts came together in Irvine with representation of County agencies and domestic violence prevention professionals. They learned more about their significant role as mandated reporters of domestic violence. There were knowledgeable speakers who spoke candidly about the importance of a child having a safe and fair person to relate to in a time of great need. Everyone involved came away with a strong sense of obligation to work further to develop effective ways to prevent and treat domestic violence.

It's in Effect! Last month, I updated you on the final redistricting plan adopted by the Board of Supervisors at its August 14th meeting. The new supervisorial districts became effective on September 14th. The new Fifth District includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest (including Portola Hills and Foothill Ranch), Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, and the unincorporated communities of Coto de Caza and Newport Coast. It is certainly the "Fabulous Fifth"!

El Toro: The last meeting of the Board of Supervisors proved very interesting. We began with a previously scheduled special meeting for the LRA to consider certifying EIR 573, the Airport System Master Plan (ASMP), along with a few procedural items. After making a number of what I believed to be compelling points as to why we should continue this meeting for one month, the Board voted 3-2 to "stay on track" with their airport plan and not delay. I also made a motion to open the microphone to those attending the meeting to hear their comments, but it was defeated. When Chair Coad's motion was made to approve EIR 573 and the ASMP, I made another motion to amend hers which would put the ASMP on the ballot for the voters to decide once the Board certified it. Much to my relief, this passed 3-2 with Supervisor Silva joining Supervisor Spitzer and me. Immediately following, a short recess was ordered by the Chair and upon return, a motion was made by Supervisor Smith to continue the item - exactly what I had suggested 3 hours before - and that motion passed.

But things change quickly here. I guess when the tide changes, panic sets in on the Board. Not more than 30 hours after casting our votes did Supervisor Silva decide he made a mistake. He has issued a press release stating he was confused and didn't mean to do that. We will reassemble again to consider these items on October 16, 2001.

It's encouraging that I was able to effectively make a case for my substitute motion, even for a few short hours. I have always believed we should listen to county residents. I know 67% of them passed Measure F, which is still waiting a decision from the appeals court. And I know 175,000 signatures were turned in to the Orange County Registrar placing the Central Park Initiative on the March 2002 ballot. This says to me that the people of Orange County have an opinion about what happens to the former military base, and they don't want a Board of five Supervisors deciding what is best for them.

If the Board of Supervisors does certify and approve EIR 573 and the ASMP, and then if my substitute motion were to survive, the ASMP will be up for election. This will most likely happen during the March 2002 election to avoid wasting county dollars to conduct a special election for this one item. Of course, all of this is not final until we meet again on El Toro in October. In the meantime, I will spend this next month reviewing the tens of thousands of pages of information delivered to my office pertaining to this extremely important issue. I assure you that I will continue to fight against an airport at El Toro.