Some Advice for the County Supervisors on the Deficit and Budget Cuts

The 700 members of Concerned Citizens for Peace, Leisure World, are appalled at press reports that the Board of Supervisors is considering the elimination of the Orange County Human Relations Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women because of the present budget deficit.

The combined annual cost of operations of these two vital agencies is about $400,000. This is 1/100th of 1% of the total proposed budget of $3.5 billion and 6/100th of 1% of the budget deficit of $67.7 million, an insignificant amount by any measure. Yet, both commissions perform important functions for the citizens of Orange County that no other county agency duplicates.

Given the increasing ethnic diversity of our population, the rising incidents of racial hate crimes and the growing consensus that government has a role in assuring equality of the sexes, this is hardly the time to do away with the only county agencies that are having a positive impact, however limited, for the sake of an expense reduction so minute that it is barely noticeable.

Orange County has the unfortunate reputation of being grossly unconcerned about the needs of its less fortunate residents. By eliminating these two agencies, the Board of Supervisors will confirm to the nation that Orange County really does not care and that our reputation for callous selfishness is well deserved.

ROSEMARY GOULD, BERNARD FELDMAN, Co-Chairs, Concerned Citizens for Peace, Laguna Hills