Progress and the Year 2002

We write often on such Orange County needs as building more affordable homes and apartments for middle-and lower-income people, relieving freeway traffic congestion, managing growth so it doesn’t rob residents of the qualities that attracted them to the county in the first place and resolving our commercial jet travel demands and airfield needs.

Timely as these issues may seem at any given time, some of these observations have been made as long as three decades ago. That only emphasizes how the county, instead of solving its major problems, keeps dragging them into the next year, next decade, and even next century.

Each January, as we face a clean calendar with 12 more months, we begin hoping along with others that maybe this is the year some things finally get resolved.

The reality, however, at least on the major issues such as housing and transportation, is that there are no quick fixes or sure-fire solutions. We have to be satisfied with degrees of progress. And we saw some this year.

Road-improvement projects, such as the Santa Ana Freeway widening, have made some drives easier. There is more new housing, albeit not nearly enough, opening up and being planned.

And with a vote on zoning at the former Marine air base at El Toro coming up on the March 5 ballot, is it too Pollyannaish to think that issue will finally be resolved? Probably, considering this is the fourth time residents are being asked to vote on El Toro’s fate, and no matter how the vote goes, problems could easily delay any final resolution for many more years.

But the vote likely will be the biggest yet in bringing the issue closer to resolution. Considering all the delays to date, that must be viewed as some sort of progress.

If growth and change are considered progress, census statistics released this year give a good indication of where the county is headed in 2002 and beyond. With an 18% population growth in the last decade, the county is now second largest in the state, fourth largest in the nation and more populated than 20 states.

The population is also changing. The county is more diverse than ever but not as much as it will be. Latinos are the county’s largest minority group, accounting for nearly three of every 10 residents. Latina mothers deliver more than 48% of the new babies each year. And Santa Ana has the highest concentration of Spanish-speaking residents in the nation.

But the Asian American community is the fastest growing. It now makes up 14% of the county’s 2.8 million residents. Overall, whites account for 51% of the county population.

With baby boomers rapidly closing in on their senior years, the county population is also growing more diverse in age. More than 390,000 residents are older than 60, giving the county the eighth-largest population of older residents in the country. And it’s expected to grow by more than a third by 2010 and nearly double by 2020. The graying adds more urgency to meet senior needs such as affordable housing, home-care services and public transportation for those no longer able to drive.

Economically, the county is relatively healthy. It has suffered downturns, but not as bad as other areas in critical factors such as unemployment. Its physical health in many areas is better than the state and nation, but worse in others. County statistics show that nearly 15% of all low-income children in the county are obese. That’s about 50% higher than the national average and poses an increased risk for diseases and ailments.

On the positive side, a new federal study, which for the first time measured adult smoking patterns in urban areas, reported that Orange County has the smallest percentage of smokers in the nation. That, medical experts note, leads directly to lower rates of cancer, heart disease and lung disorders and the expectation of longer and healthier lives.

There is one other matter that keeps getting dragged from year to year to year. That is when the Anaheim Angels will finally hoist their first American League pennant, or even one for another division championship. Sadly, that’s a condition that 2002 doesn’t hold much hope of helping.