Building Consensus in O.C.

A dark cloud of mistrust hangs over Orange County.

So all-encompassing is the mistrust county residents feel toward their local government that it prevents them from supporting actions they truly desire. Worsening traffic and crowding, beach closures, the bankruptcy and other assaults on their quality of life leave Orange County residents frustrated and turned off.

They believe their county is badly mismanaged, and they do not trust local government’s ability to correct itself. As a consequence, they are wary of even the most appealing programs to improve traffic, housing and Orange County’s frayed infrastructure.

This is one of the insights from a series of three daylong dialogues conducted in February with representative cross-sections of Orange County residents on how to cope with growth in the county. The Orange County Business Council sponsored the project and La Jolla-based Viewpoint Learning Inc. conducted the citizen dialogues.

The dialogues also revealed that the mistrust should not be mistaken for apathy. The crust of suspicion, pessimism, isolation and NIMBY sentiment is actually quite thin. Beneath it, the researchers found a fierce desire for greater engagement and getting things done.

In spite of their diversity of viewpoints, Orange County residents find common ground on a number of key points:

* Anger at the disconnection between citizens and government.

* A hunger for continued engagement.

* A conviction that growth should not be left to chance or to short-term circumstances, but be part of a long-term plan with housing, traffic and infrastructure improvements closely integrated.

* Support for genuine partnerships among government, business and the community to reconnect government to the public.

Participants devoted intense effort to learning about growth and its consequences. They returned again and again to the pros and cons of trying to hold back growth versus taking proactive positions on ways to ameliorate traffic, improve infrastructure and move toward regionwide decision-making.

Participants willingly accepted the rules of dialogue rather than debate. Given the opportunity, two of the three dialogues were able to move on to construct positive scenarios for the future. In one, it proved difficult to move beyond venting, showing how difficult the situation in Orange County is.

The dialogues had some serendipitous side effects. Participants enjoyed talking with one another. They generated a sense of community, and they offer the hope of revitalizing public engagement.

So how do we translate this information into action? Where are the opportunities for leadership?

Orange County residents have told us their agenda: dissatisfaction with the status quo, mistrust of government and institutions, and a desire to focus on our common infrastructure priorities.

Fortunately, beneath the mistrust was a strong desire for more effective political leadership that they can trust. The challenge, as well as the opportunity, is to build on that underlying support. The biggest clue the dialogues have given us is that if we continue to engage the public on these issues, trust and credibility can be rebuilt in Orange County.

Residents liked best the option that focuses on infrastructure as the highest priority for Orange County’s future. They recognized a direct connection between aging and inadequate infrastructure and our problems with pollution and beach closures.

After considering the ramifications of various options for Orange County’s future, participants said they would be willing to spend more to support our common infrastructure, through reallocation of resources or increased taxes.

However, their support was contingent on more accountability, better planning and a clear investment strategy. Residents wanted to be sure that the dollars would actually go to fund these priorities and that taxpayers would get their money’s worth from the new and improved infrastructure systems.

We believe that the widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo in Orange County opens the door for new ways of looking at our common future, including the creation of a neutral body that explores public-private partnerships in the area of infrastructure.

We’re calling this new organization the Center for a New Orange County. It will convene Orange County residents, elected officials, government leaders and the business community to engage in a dialogue to find greater common ground about priorities for Orange County’s future.

The most important tool for finding this common ground is an effort by the center to promote civic engagement and dialogue among all Orange County citizens. Without those things, the county will continue to experience a climate of mistrust, indifference and gridlock. With them, it can build sustained public support for innovative, collaborative initiatives, such as infrastructure, that benefit long-term countywide prosperity.