Conspiracy Theories and Rossmoor Cityhood

Many residents can’t figure out why the Orange County sheriff’s deputies union is opposing Rossmoor’s push for cityhood. Others say the union has an ax to grind.

October 21, 2008

When it comes to ‘conspiracy theories’, count me in. I just wouldn’t have expected to find one in the unincorporated, quiet little bedroom community of Rossmoor.

But there’s a good one brewing in the enclave of roughly 10,500 people nestled between Seal Beach and Los Alamitos, where voters will decide in two weeks whether to become a city.

An apparently sizable number of locals favoring cityhood wonder why the union representing the Orange County Sheriff’s Department is so actively opposing them. Why did the association pay for a telephone survey of residents a few months ago and why has it continued to pay for mailers and signs and phone banks urging residents to vote against Measure U on Nov. 4 ?

Isn’t it obvious? The association opposes cityhood because that might end Rossmoor’s reliance on the Sheriff’s Department for patrolling the community. Once it attains cityhood, Rossmoor might decide to join with Seal Beach or Los Alamitos or create its own police force.

Ah, if it were that simple, we wouldn’t have a conspiracy theory.

Pro-incorporation leaders are convinced that the deputies association opposes them as part of a vendetta against Board of Supervisors Chairman John Moorlach, in whose district Rossmoor lies and who has led the fight to rein in the costs of deputies’ pensions.

As the theory goes, whatever the union can do to upset Moorlach, it will do. The theory extends to the rest of the board, a majority of which apparently favors incorporation, as well.

Eric Christensen is co-chairman of the Rossmoor pro-cityhood group and a corporate attorney. He says the deputy association’s dislike of Moorlach and the other supervisors is the only motive that makes sense.

“The union, in my belief, is using us as a pawn in the fight against the board,” Christensen says.

Association president Wayne Quint dismisses that accusation, saying the union has gotten involved several times in the last decade in annexations, incorporation and taxation issues. In Rossmoor’s case, residents will have to approve a utility tax as a condition for cityhood. The ballot will offer either a 7% or 9% option.

“I don’t see this tax being enough to enhance or improve public safety,” Quint says, “and that’s why we oppose it.”

Why not let Rossmoor voters worry about that? Why is that a political issue for deputies? Especially when Quint concedes he’s not saying that Rossmoor will be less safe if it incorporates, only that it won’t be safer.

I couldn’t get Quint to say in simple language that he’s simply worried about losing a steady gig for his members in Rossmoor.

That’s why Christensen thinks Quint is taking out his pique at the supervisors (and especially Moorlach) on Rossmoor. He says Quint knows that Rossmoor leaders on both sides of the cityhood issue have crunched numbers and retaining the Sheriff’s Department as the community’s law enforcement agency makes the most fiscal sense.

So, what’s the union’s beef?

Simple, says Christensen it’s “The vendetta theory”.

The utility tax, while necessary for Rossmoor’s viability as a new city, would be one of several revenue sources. And when Quint says, “We believe to tax someone 7% or 9%, you should see a significant improvement in public safety,” I roll my eyes a bit at his concern over how Rossmoor spends its money.

But is this really about Quint vs. Moorlach? Can I buy that theory?

Not completely, but Christensen knows how to make an argument.

“I know for a fact it’s not about public safety,” he says, “because I know for a fact we’ll be a safer” as a city.

The vendetta theory is the only thing that makes sense, he says. “It’s completely illogical that the deputy sheriffs would not support us incorporating and contracting with them on a full-time contract basis. So the only thing I can assume is this relates in some way with the battle with the board, and the union is thinking somewhere in its mind that if they stick it to the board, it can only help them.”

I asked Moorlach for his take. Talk about your party-poopers: He doubts that Quint’s motive is to sock it to either him or his fellow supervisors. Rather, Moorlach says, association officials are “basically trying to preserve their jobs. That’s what I would conclude. [Quint] is doing what a union head would do.”

That might end things, except for a potentially ironic final act.

The union’s involvement has already alienated some in the community who might be on the first City Council if residents vote for cityhood. Christensen, who says he won’t be a candidate, says, “Nobody in Rossmoor was thinking about using anybody but the Sheriff’s Department on this. Until, of course, the union started funding all of this.”

Dana Parsons’ column appears Tuesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at (714) 966-7821 or at dana.parsons@latimes.com. An archive of his recent columns is at latimes.com/parsons.

A YES on Measure “U” is a ‘win win’ for a Rossmoor City, the OC Deputy Sheriffs, & the B of S of Orange County. Please remove your biased NO lawn signs; read our campaign literature; see the DVD; and, rejoin the YES on “U”.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-parsons21-2008oct21,0,6692863.column

From the Los Angeles Times

Orange County’s voters can give themselves power over public pension increases

Enviable Measure J Long Beach Press Telegram Article Launched: 10/15/2008 09:49:01 PM PDT

Orange County voters have an enviable opportunity on the ballots Nov. 4 called Measure J. At only 24 words, it is the briefest of the many propositions, and there are no ballot arguments against it. How could there be? This proposition simply says that future increases in retirement benefits for county employees and county officials will have to be approved by voters. Who would possibly disagree? We know who, of course, but they aren’t about to come out against Measure J publicly. That’s because the only reason to oppose it is because it’s a whole lot easier to buy off elected officials in exchange for pension spiffs than to persuade voters. That’s how public-employee pensions in Orange County, as elsewhere, got pumped up to as high as 90 percent of salary after only 30 years of service. Can you imagine voters ever approving a plan like that?

It’s a pity that Measure J comes along after the lavish taxpayer-financed pensions already are in place, and by law can’t be undone. But it establishes a principle, and at the very least there won’t be any more pensions’ spiffs in Orange County unless voters want them. It’s a pity also that voters in L.A. County and elsewhere don’t have a similar opportunity. Taxpayers gradually are becoming more aware that public-employee pensions and retiree health benefits are a huge financial liability. Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman John Moorlach co-authored the ballot argument in favor of Measure J and for all practical purposes is the author of the measure itself. He points out that Orange County’s pension and retiree health liabilities are $3 billion, and the county’s pension plan is only 73 percent funded. As he says, this is a debt owed by all county taxpayers.

The same burden weighs on other cities and counties and the state as well. A few places, like Long Beach, are better funded than Orange County, but there is only one real exception, which is San Francisco. And that is because in San Francisco, voters have the right to approve or reject all pension increases. It is late in coming, but Orange County voters deserve to have that right, too. On Nov. 4, they can give it to themselves by approving Measure J. Voters everywhere should be so lucky.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So there is a link between the OC measures “J” & “U”!    Vote YES on both!   We in Rossmoor do not have a quarrel with the Orange County Sheriff or the Deputy Sheriffs’. As the 35^th newest Orange County ‘Contract City’, through the contract bid process, our new Councilman will very likely look with favor toward the 50+ years relationship we’ve established with the OC Sheriffs and likely contract for the RCSD’s planned-for-expanded policing services.

A YES on Measure “U” is a ‘win win’ for a Rossmoor City, the OC Deputy Sheriffs, & the B of S of Orange County. Please remove your biased NO lawn signs; read our campaign literature; see the DVD; and, rejoin the YES on “U”.

Utility User Tax Math

On Saturday I received another mailer from the Opponents to Rossmoor Cityhood.  Again they say that the Utility Users Tax will cost Rossmoor Residents “as much as $800 per year”.

After consulting my trusty calculator here’s what I figured out:

**** If your Average utility bills per Year are $11,400 or $950 per Month (the utility tax is based on only Electricity, Gas & Water bills) Then, Yes, you will be paying $800 per year for a UUT based at 7% per year.

My house is 2,500sqft with a pool & pool pump running all the time.  My utility bills are approx. $240 per month.

$240 X 12 = $2,880 for the Year           $2,880 X 7% (uut) = $201.60 divided by 12 = $16.80 per month

Feel Free to comment to this post:  How many Rossmoor Residents are paying $11,400 per year in Elec., Gas & Water bills?

According to the opponents there is 1 resident that is paying this much, he supposedly has a 5,000sqft house running on Electric Heat.   *Note – It’s not 1965 anymore, you CAN convert to GAS heat now!!

Believe the Facts Not the Cityhood Opponents’ Fiction!

Vote Yes on U

Dear Neighbor,

The goal of Measure U is to enable all of us as citizens of Rossmoor to take control of our future and preserve our quality of life and property values. We are dedicated to the premise that local government is the most efficient and economic way to do that. We recognize that a utility tax has been imposed as a condition of getting Measure U on the ballot but we believe that $16 per month is a small price to pay to preserve and enhance our quality of life. Moreover, we believe that it can be reduced or eliminated over time, as the conservative Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis (CFA) required a $400,000 contingency and very generous surplus over $900,000/year.

· RISK: The major risk for Rossmoor is remaining dependent on Orange County, which was bankrupt in 1994 and is facing fiscal insolvency again with over $2 billion in unfunded employee pension increases.  State law protects city revenues from being raided by the state, but nothing protects us from County cuts. Cityhood is a low risk choice!

· YES we can stay the same. But an independent Rossmoor will be a temporary condition, since we will remain in the Los Alamitos Sphere of Influence in preparation for future annexation. Ultimately, we will either be annexed and pay even higher utility tax rates or be forced to pay added assessments to cover current and future expenses. Don’t be fooled by the opponents’ fictions. They are living in a make-believe world – the world they would like to exist in, not the one you and we are living in.

· POLICE RESPONSIVENESS: Sheriff Hutchens acknowledges the deputies designated to Rossmoor are here only 55% of the time.  That is not 24/7 coverage no matter what fiction the Deputies’ Union Leaders write. When the police car is in Sunset Beach or Stanton, it is 1-15 minutes away. SHERIFF HUTCHENS CONFIRMS: THE ONLY WAY WE GET TRUE DEDICATED COVERAGE IS BY BECOMING A CITY.

· NEW TAX: The opponents’ claim of a $1,000 utility tax bill is pure fiction. We challenge them to find a home with a gas/water/electricity bill of $1,000/month. The average utility bill in Rossmoor is about $250/ month and a UUT of only $16 per month.

· SERVICES: The County has said it can and will reduce all non-safety related services if we remain unincorporated. The best case scenario is that we are allowed to pay additional fees/assessments to maintain the current level of services. The statement that the County can be forced to maintain the current level of services is pure fiction and wishful thinking.

· NO PLAN: This is absolute fiction and simply shows the opponents have not read the CFA. The plan was used in the CFA and is summarized in the CFA.  The opponents’ claims of inaccuracy in staffing and financial models are completely unsupported and false.

· COST: A new City will not cost more than the RCSD and the County combined currently cost us for the services that will be provided by the single City of Rossmoor. The opponents fail to acknowledge that the City of Rossmoor will assume all the functions now provided by the RCSD and the County.

Most importantly, Rossmoor will control costs, not the County, and we can decide what we want and what we don’t want.

· COST: The $31,000 listed in the CFA for the City Council includes all costs associated with City Council business that includes supplies, memberships, travel and payment of council members. Six of the eight City Council candidates have publicly stated they will limit their “pay” to no more than $100/meeting, just as the RCSD directors now receive, for a total of $6,000 for 12 meetings of the full council per year.

THE OPPOSITIONS’ ASSERTION THAT THIS IS CITY COUNCIL PAY IS A FALSE SCARE TACTIC!

· COST: Rossmoor will not be Los Alamitos. The city of Rossmoor will be a full service contract city like Lakewood and every new city in the state. The RCSD by law provides parks and recreation services and performs limited other functions; they have no jurisdiction or authority to control the many other vital municipal services provided by the county.

· COST: The UUT tax rate cannot rise without an additional separate vote of the people and no serious unbiased person has suggested it will be necessary. The opponents are tricking you. While tax revenues will increase as total expenditure amounts increase – just as property tax revenues will increase as homes are rebuilt or sold – utility tax rates cannot be raised without voter approval.

· VOTING FOR CITYHOOD IS THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP ROSSMOOR THE WAY IT IS NOW.

It provides local control of our tax dollars and gives maximum protection to our way of life and our property values. The alternative is to prostrate ourselves to the whims of the County Red Tape.

Voting against Cityhood is A VOTE TO BECOME LOS

ALAMITOS.

The opponents falsely claim that Rossmoor will have no safety net. But their safety net is relying, hat-in-hand, on a County struggling with over $2 billion in unfunded pensions. Let’s make Rossmoor into the model small city it can be and not continue to be underserved, underrepresented and misgoverned by the county bureaucracy!!!!!

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO VOTE NO ON

CITYHOOD LEAVE ROSSMOOR AT THE MERCY OF

THE COUNTY OR BECOME PART OF LOS

ALAMITOS ?!?!

Information Source:  Committee for Rossmoor Incorporation Now! 10/24/08

Rossmoor Revenues & Expenses – 1st Year Budget

*Pro-Side Article*

REVENUES AND EXPENSES FOR CITY OF ROSSMOOR

REVENUES

Property Taxes $1,261,259

Vehicle License Fees 935,202

Utility Taxes (7%) 842,023

Community Development Fees 677,365

Sales Taxes (&Prop. Tax in Lieu) 385,313

Other (St. Light’g,

Franchise Fees, etc.) 825,358

Total $4,926,520

EXPENSES

City Government $887,994

Community Development 876,870

Parks,Facilities,Trees 351,181

Recreation Services 125,399

Animal Control 66,089

Law Enforcement 1,458,955

Transfer to Road Fund 274,315

Street Lighting 84,556

County Repayment 47,395

Total $4,172,753

Revenues minus Expenses $753,767

Starting Reserve $1,523,632

Even in a time of Economic Downturn, City of Rossmoor will have a Surplus!

Your Understanding of Measure U for Rossmoor

*Pro-Side Article*

>>>> Concerning your understanding of Measure “U”- for Rossmoor Cityhood <<<<

We on the YES side encourage all of you, who are displaying NO signs, to also GET THE TRUTH “concerning OC services” directly from Supervisor John Moorlach’s Office yourself by Email.

>> The following are two responses from his office to a fellow Rossmoor resident’s request! <<

From: Candy Marshall, Rossmoor resident

Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 6:47 AM
To: Moorlach, John, Chairman, OC Board of Supervisors

Subject: Can you help me educate Rossmoor

Good morning John,

Not sure it you remember me, we meant when I was chairing Rossmoor’s 50^th anniversary parade.

I am voting Yes on U. Many of my friends and neighbors are asking me for proof that that the county is running a deficit for expenses in Rossmoor. If this is true, what are the options if we do not incorporate?

Many Rossmoorians believe that everything will stay exactly as it is today with no changes what so ever if we do not incorporate. It would be very helpful, if you can tell me the facts as you know them, and what happens without incorporation? Kindest regards, Candy Marshall

---

From: Moorlach, John [mailto:John.Moorlach@ocgov.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 6:02 PM
To: Candy Marshall, Rossmoor resident
Subject: RE: Can you help me educate Rossmoor

Candy,

Let’s just look at one expenditure facing the County — ‘pension and retiree medical costs’ — that would not be facing a fresh, new City of Rossmoor.

The County’s retirement system may have lost up to 25 percent in value the last 12 months (which is the case for CalPERS).  This means our annual contribution of $306 million to our pension fund is destined to increase significantly.  And our retiree medical contribution of $26 million is also going to rise.  Where will the additional funds come from?  We’ll have to cut back in almost every area.

A City of Rossmoor would have no unfunded liabilities to pay.  Therefore, fresh start without the legacy costs.  It’s like starting a new auto company over buying General Motors. This could be the best time for Rossmoor to incorporate in history, from this perspective alone. I hope that helps. John

____________________________________________________________________________________________

From: Francis, Rick [mailto:Rick.Francis@ocgov.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 4:26 PM
To: Candy Marshall, Rossmoor resident
Cc: Moorlach, John
Subject: RE: Can you help me educate Rossmoor

Candy,

The Supervisor asked me to respond to your email. I addressed some of the budget issues the County is facing last night at the RCSD Board Meeting. If you have access to that, I spoke right after Lt. Gallivan from OCSD. In a nutshell, given the dire condition the State is in, there is still not a crystal clear picture of how the County will be impacted. What we know for certain is that due to flattened sales tax revenues, the Sheriff’s Department will undoubtedly ask for additional general fund dollars before this current fiscal year ends. About half of their $700 million budget comes from the sales tax revenues. Once they ask for additional general fund dollars, which they will likely receive because “their core mission is public safety”, all other municipal services will be impacted. This may occur mid-year at the earliest (which is January in our fiscal year).

In addition to that, the County depends heavily upon property tax revenues to fund general operations. With the housing market in the shape it is in, we will see a flattening in those revenues. It would be interesting to see how Rossmoor is faring in comparison to the rest of the county in terms of home values. If it is doing better than most areas, incorporation might really make sense.

For sure, the landscape of our budget will change dramatically at the start of the next fiscal year in July 2009. What that means for Rossmoor, and all other unincorporated islands, is that “non-essential services” like — animal control; street sweeping; non-urgent code enforcement; non-urgent road maintenance and non-urgent tree trimming will all be subject to substantial reductions. We believe it is not a matter of “if” but “when” this will occur. Hope that helps… Rick Francis

Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of John M.W. Moorlach, Chairman, Orange County Board of Supervisors (714) 834-3220 Office (714) 834-6109 Fax

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

——- Candy Marshall, writes ——-

The No’s really need to get informed, that things are changing, and this is Rossmoor’s opportunity to get out! It now makes sense why the OC Sheriffs Union is funding No on “U”, they need our money, to fund their pensions. I encourage everyone to email your questions directly to our Supervisor, Mr. Moorlach.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

—— Ray LeCompte, Rossmoor Resident, Thursday, October 16^th, 2008, writes ——-

Thanks Cindy. This is the TRUTH TRUMP card we’ve really been looking for — Re: the ‘NO’ lawn signs!

We the people, whether leaning toward NO, YES, or NOT SURE, need the unabashed factual truth told to us in order to make a correct vote on Measure “U” + a UTT of 7% or 9%.   The lack of revenue to pay beyond “Core Mission Public Safety” – for Orange County – means that money for the few RCSD ‘non-essential’ SERVICES now being paid to Rossmoor by Orange County — will most definitely be withheld or cutback. {so says R.F., Deputy Chief of Staff for J.M.}

The Deputy Sheriffs Union “Issues Committee” in point of fact has NO ISSUE directly with the Measure “U” outcome on the Cityhood of Rossmoor, per se!    Given the revelations just admitted to in the Emails by the OC B of S, namely John Moorlach’s office, together with the OC Measure “J” Editorial in the Press Telegram today —- apparently, their quarrel has all along been with the fiduciary direction John Moorlach has taken as member of the OC B of S —- specifically in respect to OC pension and retiree health liabilities. One only need read the 10/16/08 Press Telegram Editorial to see the wisdom of a Yes vote on Chairman John Moorlach’s – Nov 4^th – Measure “J” — approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

______________________________________________________________

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Here’s How the $700B Bailout Helps You!

It looks like the Treasury Department won’t just be buying bad mortgage debt with that $700 billion–it’s going to be pumping big bucks directly in the banking system. Like $250 billion. And Uncle Sam is also going to insure ginormous bank deposits. Hey, that’s great for Wall Street, but what about Main Street? What about consumers? Here are four ways the government’s action will affect you:

Banks may offer loans more easily. Over the past several weeks, anyone in the market for a car loan or mortgage found it difficult to find a bank willing to lend to them. Credit card companies cut credit limits and banks tightened lending standards–meaning anyone with less-than-stellar credit had trouble borrowing money. But the Treasury Department says that with more access to capital, banks will once again begin lending, both to each other and to consumers.

– But the credit crunch may not be totally over for consumers. Banking consultant Bert Ely says banks aren’t lending to consumers because they worry that worsening economic conditions will lead to higher default rates, not because they lack capital. While Treasury can hand over money, it can’t fix the entire economy overnight, so Ely expects banks to continue to hesitate when lending to consumers.

– Megabank accounts are now insured. The FDIC had already recently raised the amount of money it insured in bank accounts from $100,000 to $250,000 as a result of the $700 billion rescue package. Tuesday, the FDIC announced a new program that insures full-coverage–with no upper limit–on noninterest-bearing deposit accounts. While most consumers don’t have more than $250,000 in their accounts, many small businesses do, and the FDIC hopes this eases their concerns about the safety of their money, including cash that’s used for payroll transactions. The unlimited insurance expires at the end of 2009.

– Consumers with strong credit scores will continue to borrow without problems. Over the last few weeks, as credit markets seized up, consumers with high credit scores of 720 or above–about 1 in 4 consumers–were able to continue to borrow, even as banks restricted lending to those with a history of payment problems. Banks, which are, after all, in the business of lending money, were eager to work with consumers they deemed trustworthy. Because many consumers are plagued by errors on their credit reports that drag their scores down, requesting a free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com and correcting any mistakes can make it easier to take out loans at reasonable interest rates.

Information Source:  U.S. News & World Report – How Treasury’s Plan Will Affect Consumers by Kimberly Palmer

How The $700B Bailout Plan Will Help You!

It looks like the Treasury Department won’t just be buying bad mortgage debt with that $700 billion–it’s going to be pumping big bucks directly in the banking system. Like $250 billion. And Uncle Sam is also going to insure ginormous bank deposits. Hey, that’s great for Wall Street, but what about Main Street? What about consumers? Here are four ways the government’s action will affect you:

Banks may offer loans more easily. Over the past several weeks, anyone in the market for a car loan or mortgage found it difficult to find a bank willing to lend to them. Credit card companies cut credit limits and banks tightened lending standards–meaning anyone with less-than-stellar credit had trouble borrowing money. But the Treasury Department says that with more access to capital, banks will once again begin lending, both to each other and to consumers.

– But the credit crunch may not be totally over for consumers. Banking consultant Bert Ely says banks aren’t lending to consumers because they worry that worsening economic conditions will lead to higher default rates, not because they lack capital. While Treasury can hand over money, it can’t fix the entire economy overnight, so Ely expects banks to continue to hesitate when lending to consumers.

– Megabank accounts are now insured. The FDIC had already recently raised the amount of money it insured in bank accounts from $100,000 to $250,000 as a result of the $700 billion rescue package. Tuesday, the FDIC announced a new program that insures full-coverage–with no upper limit–on noninterest-bearing deposit accounts. While most consumers don’t have more than $250,000 in their accounts, many small businesses do, and the FDIC hopes this eases their concerns about the safety of their money, including cash that’s used for payroll transactions. The unlimited insurance expires at the end of 2009.

– Consumers with strong credit scores will continue to borrow without problems. Over the last few weeks, as credit markets seized up, consumers with high credit scores of 720 or above–about 1 in 4 consumers–were able to continue to borrow, even as banks restricted lending to those with a history of payment problems. Banks, which are, after all, in the business of lending money, were eager to work with consumers they deemed trustworthy. Because many consumers are plagued by errors on their credit reports that drag their scores down, requesting a free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com and correcting any mistakes can make it easier to take out loans at reasonable interest rates.

Information Source:  U.S. News & World Report – How Treasury’s Plan Will Affect Consumers by Kimberly Palmer

Interesting Article From LB Press Telegram

OUTSIDERS VS. CITYHOOD

Why would outsiders, from the Orange County sheriff’s deputies union, step in and oppose efforts to create a City of Rossmoor? Because they aren’t complete outsiders.

In fact, assuming the incorporation campaign succeeds, the new city might have wanted sheriff’s deputies to continue to provide police services, as they do now. But that’s an attitude that could change.

The union, Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, is pouring money into Rossmoor to see if it can block the incorporation. Often referred to as powerful, a better term for the union would be free-spending. Its reason for the Rossmoor spending, which is to protect dues-paying sheriff’s deputy positions, seems odd, since only about nine positions are involved. But more could be at stake.

If the new city of Rossmoor dumped the deputies and contracted elsewhere for police services, other cities with Sheriff’s Department contracts might get the same idea. Or Rossmoor (population 10,000) could have its own police department, as does neighboring Los Alamitos (population 11,000) or, across the line in L.A. County, Signal Hill (population 11,000).

One advantage would be that the new city wouldn’t have to commit to Orange County’s lavish compensation program, which includes pensions of 90 percent of salary after 30 years of service. (The county doesn’t know how it’s going to pay for those benefits now, and burden will increase unless the stock market turns around.) Another

advantage would be much faster police response times than those of sheriff’s deputies, who also patrol Sunset Beach, several miles away.

Of course Rossmoor first has to incorporate, and there is opposition to Measure U on the Nov. 4 ballot. The argument against cityhood isn’t inspiring, but it is simple: If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

The community’s Rossmoor Community Services District is efficient, but for some services the community has to depend on the county, whose offices are off in Santa Ana. Its representative on the county’s Board of Supervisors is John Moorlach, who is a responsive public official, but Rossmoor is a very small part of his district.

Also, Rossmoor isn’t paying its share of county expenses by about $600,000, and if incorporation failed, that should be corrected one way or another as a fairness issue. More seriously, response time by sheriff’s deputies on average is several times slower than police response time in Los Al, Seal Beach or Signal Hill.

Do Villa Park and the other small cities envy Rossmoor’s unincorporated status? No sign of that. Each prizes its own identity and its local control.

We know how we’d vote if we lived in Rossmoor. Easy decision. But we don’t, and those of us who live elsewhere are leaving it up to the folks in Rossmoor.

So should the deputies’ union.

Information Source:  Long Beach Press Telegram – Article Launched 10-13-08

Sincerely,

Emily S. Knell

Main Street Realtors

562-430-3053 – emilyknell1@yahoo.com