Backlash Begins as Recall Petition Targets Stanton

Political fallout from Orange County’s unprecedented financial disaster began in earnest Saturday, as activists collected hundreds of voter signatures in a bid to oust Supervisor Roger R. Stanton from office.

“We need to go in there with a broom and sweep the whole closet clean,” said Kenneth Groves, 51, after adding his name to the list outside the Price Club off MacArthur Boulevard. “I just think they’ve done a poor job. They need to be recalled.”

In the two months since Orange County became the largest municipality in history to file for bankruptcy protection, there has been talk of recalling all five supervisors, the county auditor-controller and district attorney, and scores of city council and school board members who voted to place local money in the investment pool whose collapse triggered the crisis. But Stanton is the only one formally targeted so far.

Orange County Board of Education member Felix Rocha filed a recall petition against 14-year board veteran Stanton in December, though Saturday was the first day Rocha hit the streets looking for support.

About 15,000 registered voters must sign to force a special recall election.

“Most of the people that shop here want to remove (the supervisors). They’re ticked,” Rocha said. “They didn’t do their jobs and take care of our money. People are burned.”

Huntington Beach resident Betty Mignanelli, however, said Stanton has been “an excellent supervisor.”

“Those of us that want to come out of this and create a better Orange County need to pull together to try and solve this, not to create more chaos,” Mignanelli said as she loaded her shopping cart with groceries. “It’s disheartening that this has to happen, and it’s disheartening that people in charge let it get out of control. But it doesn’t change things to dwell on that. We need to move forward.”

Stanton could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Last week, a separate citizen group voted to launch recall efforts against Board of Supervisors Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez and Auditor-Controller Steve E. Lewis.

Most who signed the petition against Stanton on Saturday seemed equally irked at all elected officials.

“I don’t think they exercised their supervisory function,” said Mary E. Folmar, 57, who has lived in the county for a quarter century and has voted for both Stanton and resigned Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron. “They just trusted too much. I hope Citron goes to jail, and I hope they all (the supervisors) end up being recalled.”

J.K. Otterbach of Rossmoor insisted on signing the petition against Stanton even though she does not live in his district and thus her signature would not count. “I want the bum out!” she declared.

As volunteers drummed up discontent at the strip mall, Supervisors Vasquez and Marian Bergeson met in Santa Ana with Assembly members and state senators to discuss a package of emergency legislation designed to help rescue the county.

Dubbed the Orange County “bootstrap” package, the 20 legislative proposals include a state intercept program to pledge taxes and fees collected in the county to back new bonds. The county also is seeking:

* Advances in some state aid.

* Permission to contract for services, including electronic court reporting, and to quickly sell county assets.

* Requirements for prisoners to pay for their own medical care, and for the public defender to collect fees from criminal suspects who are able to pay.

* Relief from some state funding requirements, including welfare payments and environmental protection.

* Redistribution of county tax revenue.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to endorse the entire package Tuesday, and Gov. Pete Wilson is expected to call a special session of the Legislature as early next week to consider the proposals. The special session would allow bills to be passed with a simple majority and take effect only 90 days after they are signed.

Assembly members Marilyn C. Brewer (R-Newport Beach), Mickey Conroy (R-Orange), Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) and Ross Johnson (R-La Habra) and state Sen. John R. Lewis (R-Orange) met for more than two hours with Bergeson and Vasquez Saturday morning to discuss which lawmakers would carry which portions of the package.

“It’s a strong conservative package that has the ability to begin to solve the county’s problems,” Brewer said. “But it’s not the panacea. It’s going to take many different aspects to solve the problem.”