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.