It Is Supervisors’ Job to Sell Tax to Public : * Increase Will Assure Vital, Reliable Revenue Stream

Several weeks ago the Board of Supervisors mustered the political courage it needed to put a half-cent sales tax increase proposal before voters June 27 to raise the revenue needed to meet the bankrupt county’s legal obligations and put it back on the road to fiscal health.

That was the easy part. Now comes the real test. Does the county board really believe the numbers given by the CEO and budget and bond experts? Are the supervisors truly committed to the reality that, as things stand today, the temporary sales tax increase to 8.25% for 10 years is an unavoidable ingredient in any recovery plan?

There is constant expression of hope about finding a “Plan B” that could be used instead of the proposed sales tax increase, or in the event voters reject it.

We are not anxious to advocate--or pay--higher taxes, nor do we always support such requests. And it’s obviously wise to have an alternate plan. But the problem is that if there were another plausible way, the board would not have been compelled to put Measure R on the ballot.

Now the supervisors can’t have it both ways. If they do believe the sales tax increase is needed, then putting the proposed sales tax measure on the ballot is only the beginning.

So the supervisors now must do the right thing and get out and promote the measure. Supervisor Roger R. Stanton seems especially foggy on options; he’s voted to put the tax on the ballot but claims to be skeptical of it. What’s the realistic alternative? He was pushing a plan to raid the Measure M sales tax money approved by voters in 1990 for specific transportation projects, but that approach was wisely shot down by the Orange County Transportation Authority board.

The supervisors can’t sit back and see what happens, or oppose passage of Measure R. Politically, that may seem to avoid offending either side, but it won’t get the revenue stream that financial experts say is needed.

Whatever they may have said at the time, the supervisors’ vote to put the sales tax measure on the ballot implied support. And the measure needs all the backing that can be mustered.

The latest Times Orange County Poll shows that if the election were held now, Measure R would go down to defeat by a ratio of 57% to 36%. That shows just how much public education needs to be done. The supervisors have their work cut out for them before the June 27 election to get the message to the public that the sales tax measure is needed, not instead of, but in addition to all the other money-raising and cost-cutting approaches outlined thus far.

The county is laying off hundreds of employees to reduce its payroll, and is seeking whatever other realistic and practical ways, including leasing or selling assets and privatizing services, to raise money to pay back investors and meet bond payment deadlines. It’s still not enough.

And no Plan B has emerged.

Time is running out. The five supervisors put the sales tax measure on the ballot. Now, with no other fund-raising in sight, they must begin showing leadership and actively support and sell Measure R. Any supervisor who, in the absence of a workable alternative, does not want to do that in good faith does not belong in office.

Without a strong effort to educate the public in the need for the reliable revenue stream that Measure R will provide, supervisors will have to take responsibility for failing to spare the county more serious financial difficulty, for failing to do all they could and should to position it for the future.