During the course of the forum, participants explored ways to handle new growth in Orange County, options which ranged among four governance strategies: the status quo; “slow growth;” a specific focus on traffic, housing and infrastructure; and creation of a regional agency charged with oversight of environmental, transportation and land use issues. Participants were also able to compare their views with a recent CSU Fullerton survey of 800+ Orange County residents as well as the views of public participants to three local “ChoiceWork Dialogues” in February.

The priorities of civic leaders and rank-and-file Orange County residents were similar in many areas. Most people feel that infrastructure problems need to be addressed with a long-range plan that still lets communities retain their unique feel. The friction point is residents’ confidence that tax dollars spent on infrastructure investment won’t be wasted. This was evident in nationally renowned pollster Dan Yankelovich’s presentation to the leadership forum regarding the ChoiceWork Dialogues. The dialogues bring together a representative sample of ordinary citizens to discuss public policy matters at a neutral site. At the ChoiceWork events, a clear distinction is made between “debate” on public policy and “dialogue.” Unlike debate, in dialogue there are no winners or losers, only ideas becoming better and more refined. The dialogue process helps people understand all sides of an issue rather than merely hear the “loudest trumpet” among them, according to Yankelovich.

“If you give these people the opportunity to ventilate, then they can be constructive and wear their citizen hats rather than their selfish hats,’’ Yankelovich said.

Here are some relevant factors Orange County leaders and residents used when discussing infrastructure strategy:

• Projections for Orange County call for 500,000 additional residents and a similar amount of new jobs over the next 20 years

• Orange County is the third-densest county in America, behind only New York and Jersey City

• The cost of energy and lack of affordable housing (the county’s median home price is now $361,000) are top barriers to doing business for Orange County executives

• Irvine’s per capita income is 150 percent of Santa Ana’s; SAT scores in Irvine are among the highest in the state while Santa Ana’s are among the lowest

• The number of waste discharges from sewage pipeline failure reached 377 in 2000, the highest number in over a decade. In 1999 there were 156 beach-mile-days lose in the region because of ocean water closures

• Local opposition to road building or freeway widening coupled with more vehicles on the road has overwhelmed the transportation system; average two-way commutes for OC residents now stand at 74 minutes

• Orange County ranks fourth nationally in vehicle ownership, a condition likely spurred by the county’s tendency toward suburban detached housing where cars are used for almost every trip or errand.

What makes infrastructure improvements especially difficult is Orange County’s status as a stronghold of government mistrust, according to Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana.

"It's clear we need to accomplish some things if we want to keep Orange County the way it is," Sanchez told the leadership forum participants. "But it seems there's more mistrust in Orange County than anywhere else. We've got to figure out: How do we get people's views to evolve over time and get good engagement?"

The Orange County business people took the ChoiceWorks message to leaders of both political parties, emphasizing the need for closer state and regional partnerships in a variety of areas during tough budget times in Sacramento.

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