Criticism Trails City Officials to San Francisco Conference : Government: They answer complaints about using public funds for trip amid the bankruptcy by saying it’s more urgent because of it.

City officials from throughout Orange County have been looking forward all week to the chilly San Francisco fog and the fresh sourdough bread awaiting them as the annual League of California Cities conference begins today.

But some critics contend the officials are in a mental fog as well. They are miffed that city leaders from the bankruptcy-stricken county are spending taxpayers’ money on what they consider a junket.

Most of those attending the 97th annual conference, which includes such workshops as “How to Get Your Message Across to the Media” and “Reducing Gang Violence Through Gang Truces,” are passionate in their own defense. They say if ever there was a year to attend the annual powwow of California municipalities, this is the one because of the bankruptcy.

“I probably wouldn’t have gone this year if the bankruptcy hadn’t been at the forefront of our concerns,” said Irvine City Manager Paul O. Brady Jr. As former president of the Orange County City Managers Assn., Brady led the effort by cities to forge a recovery plan in the aftermath of the Dec. 6 bankruptcy, which was caused when the county’s municipal bond pool went under because of $1.7 billion in bad investments.

Irvine, the largest municipal investor in the pool, is sending Brady and city Planning Services Manager Peter Hersh.

One of the big draws of this year’s conference promises to be a three-hour seminar, “The Orange County Bankruptcy: Lessons Learned for All City Officials,” scheduled for Monday afternoon. Joining city leaders in the presentation will be Robert D. Swerdling, a senior vice president with Sutro & Co., advisers to the county’s bondholders committee.

“The Orange County bankruptcy is of great interest to city officials throughout the state,” said Janet Huston, executive director of the league’s Orange County division. “People are going to come to that session who wonder if maybe Orange County was at the head of the parade, and if there are other counties that are not far behind.”

Other participants say key attractions include debates on whether to back a proposal to double the 1% portion of the 6% state sales tax that is returned to cities; county- verses city-run libraries, and mandatory gun registration.

Most cities have budgeted between $750 to $1,000 for each person attending the conference.

Irvine and other South County cities opposed to a commercial airport at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, as called for by Measure A, will be asking for league support. Anaheim and other northern county cities that want an airport at the base are planning to oppose Irvine’s efforts.

Santa Ana, the county’s largest city, is sending only three representatives to the conference, at a cost not to exceed $3,000. The county’s second-largest city, Anaheim, is sending more representatives than any other Orange County city: 13 delegates, including four council members and nine department heads. The city will spend a minimum of $8,000 on conference registration, air fare, hotel rooms and meals for the participants, according to Kristine Thalman, inter-governmental relations officer for the city.

A few city officials have elected to pay their own way, fearing criticism from local government watchdogs such as Jim Bridges who question the benefits of attending the conference.

Bridges is the acting director of the Citizens Bureau of Investigation, an 18-month-old Huntington Beach organization that uncovered the “spiking” of salaries to increase pension benefits for retiring city employees. For Bridges, the city-sponsored travels of two Huntington Beach council members and seven department heads to the annual conference seem a bit much.

“I could see sending one or two, but this is overkill,” Bridges said. “Having frills like this are definitely a waste.”

Activist Carole Walters, a member of the Committees of Correspondence group that worked to overturn Measure R, the failed county sales-tax initiative, said even one taxpayer-funded trip is too much.

“I do not think any city should send anybody who is going to be paid by taxpayer money,” Walters said. “It’s a free trip and it’s bad for the taxpayer.”

Garden Grove Councilman Mark Leyes said the bankruptcy should have given more cities pause about spending money on the conference. Leyes, who intends to run for the seat held by Supervisor Roger M. Stanton next June, said he is attending the conference at his own expense.

“I don’t think you should ask taxpayers to pay my way to stay in the tourist Mecca of the western world,” Leyes said, “especially when a lot of these cities are going to vote on raising taxes and expanding government.”

But Thalman defends Anaheim’s active participation in the conference, calling it a relatively cheap investment that strengthens the skills of local leaders and increases the clout of cities fending off the revenue-gobbling habits of state legislators.

“The loss of revenues to cities over the past six or seven years has been phenomenal,” Thalman said. “Maximizing local resources is a key conference theme, especially in an era of no new taxes.”

Santa Ana Councilwoman Patricia McGuigan, former president of the league’s Orange County division, said taxpayers should applaud city officials for taking the time to steep themselves in statewide issues and defend the interests of local voters. She said actions taken by city representatives at the conference can influence new legislation and conversely block legislation deemed harmful to local interests.

“It’s critical for council members to share and to learn from other council members throughout the state,” McGuigan said. “This is all about how to solve problems.”

The only Orange County city not going is San Juan Capistrano. City Manager George Scarborough said it is simply a matter of money, not a repudiation of the three-day event. The city had budgeted funds to send two council members and the city attorney.

“It’s an individual decision,” Scarborough said. “Those people feel that given our tight fiscal climate, this isn’t an appropriate expenditure.”

Freshman San Juan Capistrano Councilman David M. Swerdlin said he hopes city representatives will change their minds next year.

Said Swerdlin: “It’s just going to pay to communicate with other cities and be involved in the bigger scope of things.”