Bauer doesn’t need dais for good ideas
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
I was at the Coast Community College visionary luncheon last week,
bidding on items that I couldn’t afford in the silent auction and was
sadly, yet thankfully outbid on, and I struck up a conversation with
former City Councilman Ralph Bauer.
I like to joke with Ralph that he’s happy to talk with me now that
he’s not fodder for my columns. Sorry, Ralph, everyone’s fair game --
councilman or not.
Actually, he continues to come up with good ideas for the city,
his voice is just not as easily heard now. We were talking about the
new council regime and, ultimately, the budget crunch, and what he
suggested was such a good idea, I don’t know why it’s not happening.
He suggested that the city form a community foundation to raise
funds for all the social services in town, thus relieving the city of
the burden and making it possible for programs such as Project
Self-Sufficiency and the Art Center to survive and flourish.
Other cities are already employing this strategy, he said.
The idea is to have a group other than the City Council raise the
funds to support many of the programs now under the city umbrella
that are always the first on the chopping block.
Foundations have been extremely successful in filling in where the
state, school districts, college district and athletic departments
have dropped off. School foundations often fund all the programs such
as art, gym and music that were deemed extra when the state began
hemorrhaging money and making cuts. Sports programs, which were on
their own even before that, formed such foundations.
There is always a question of support, but the way I look at it is
-- No. 1, if there isn’t support for these programs, why do we have
them anyway, and No. 2, this community is generous, it just doesn’t
trust government. And can we really blame them?
I think a foundation to support the many social services provided
by the city in better times would not only be a success, but a boon
to this lackluster council.
From some of the responses I have read going through the city’s
online budget survey comment section (130 pages), it seem residents
would support such a thing.
One person wrote: “Send out a letter to residents asking them to
give money for their favorite program. I know a lot of people who
live in the city who would be supportive and generous if asked to
give. They do not want to give to support the liberal ideals of the
City Council, but would give a lot of money, freely and without
strings, if they were just asked. For example, if I received a letter
asking for a donation to support my local school, I would send money.
Or if asked to give money to fix the roads in South Huntington Beach,
I would give money. If asked to give to support parks, I would give.
I would want to know exactly where my donation was going, and would
not want it to go to bureaucrats. Just straight to the bank for
important favorite projects. Taxing is the worst way, as no one wants
to be forced.”
It seems Ralph Bauer continues to be the one to bring forth the
most suggestions, even off the council.
* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. She can be reached at (714)
965-7170 or by e-mail at danette.goulet@latimes.com.
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