Community Issues

“Orange County can be the nation’s shining example on how to improve this weak economy. It has to start here. We should not expect someone else to fix this for us. Now is the time to put people back to work.”
Lorri Galloway

Jobs: We must make preserving jobs and creating good paying jobs the top priority in the County. The facts speak for themselves. The California Employment Development Department report of Jan. 22, 2010 reports that in the five cities encompassing the 4th O.C. Supervisorial District, there are greater than 38,000 workers unemployed. Four of the five cities exceed the county unemployment average.

The unemployment rates in our community are as follows:
Orange County 9.1%
Anaheim 11.7%
Buena Park 11.4%
Fullerton 10.2%
Placentia 8.1%
La Habra 10.3%

County Budget: The significant decrease in property values in OC has had a devastating impact on the county budget. It is imperative that we control spending, but doing so in a manner that is compassionate. Every effort has to be made to preserve jobs. Property values and the budget will improve as workers get back to work. Meanwhile, we need to tighten our belts and become creative in finding ways to put people back to work.

Transportation: The county’s traffic congestion problems are significant and they impact our quality of life. While there has been progress in attempting to improve traffic flow in OC (5 Fwy widening etc), there is still much to do. Projects like the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC), which will provide a stop for the California High Speed Rail, and the Anaheim Fixed Guideway are the types of projects that will put people back to work, improve traffic congestion (getting people out of their cars) and will bring visitor dollars into the 4th District. In a major way, Orange County’s economic future is tied to transportation.