Charter Panel Moves Closer to Final Proposal

A clash over privatizing government services marred an otherwise cordial meeting Thursday of a citizens’ group charged with rewriting the county charter.

A member of the Orange County Charter Commission stormed out of the chambers when his colleagues voted to remove language authorizing county supervisors to award private contracts. The spat followed a wide-ranging discussion over how best to restructure Orange County government.

“I’ve had it,” Anaheim real estate agent and commission member Steve White said. “This is a railroad. It just preserves the status quo.”

The vote on privatization came as commission members wrangled with language that would have authorized the supervisors to award contracts to private vendors. After White walked out, several commission members said they were only trying to clarify the language, not take it out.

Despite the rancor, the commission did approve the bulk of the charter late Thursday, including the following provisions:

* Limiting the supervisors to two four-year terms of office.

* Granting broad powers to a county executive officer, including the hiring and firing of the county treasurer and the clerk, among others, subject to ratification of the Board of Supervisors. Currently, those offices are held by elected officials.

* Granting supervisors authority to select the county executive officer and auditor. The auditor is also now an elected office.

* Requiring quarterly financial reports on the state of the county’s investment fund.

The commission, which has been holding public meetings on a new charter for several months, agreed to meet again to discuss the privatizing issue. The next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at the board hearing room.

“I’m sure that the commission will agree to some language that would maximize the county’s ability to privatize,” said board member and former Anaheim city manager Bill Talley. “An overwhelming majority supports it.”

The Orange County Charter Commission was formed in the wake of the county’s unprecedented bankruptcy declaration last December. The collapse of the county’s investment fund, which resulted in a loss of nearly $1.7 billion in public money, has been the primary impetus for government reform.

When the commission members finally agree on the entire document, they will forward the proposed charter to the Board of Supervisors. The supervisors could amend the proposals before deciding whether to put before the voters.

The commission members hope to put the charter up for a vote by next spring.

Only 13 of California’s 58 counties are now charter governments. The rest are operated under state law.

After the bankruptcy, several Orange County residents called for the adoption of a charter form of government. They said it would better ensure the county’s financial health and would give elected officials more freedom to privatize services.

Talley said Thursday he thought the proposed charter would do Orange County a lot of good.

“I think it’s a strong document,” Talley said. “It takes care of most of the ills that people think the county suffered from.”