Applying tea party ideas to local politics
One of the last tasks for longtime Yorba Linda resident and classic car hobbyist Rick Pullen as retiring dean of Cal-State Fullerton’s College of Communications was to preside over a celebration of the campus newspaper’s 50th anniversary.
The Register’s Yorba Linda and Placentia reporter Jessica Terrell and I were among the 280 guests. Jessica was editor of the Spring 2009 Daily Titan, and I was at the helm of the Fall 1965 twice-weekly Titan Times.
At dinner, I sat next to popular LA Times columnist Steve Harvey. He asked me about the level of “tea party” sentiment in Yorba Linda, so I mentioned the April 15 Community Center rally, which drew a large crowd and two City Council members.
Later, Harvey’s query raised questions in my mind: Will the tea party mantra of limited government and lower taxes play a role in this year’s council election? Would tea party council members change current city policies?
Yorba Linda has the second-highest Republican registration of Orange County’s 34 cities at 57 percent, exceeded only by tiny Villa Park’s 65 percent. Newport Beach is third with 55 percent. While not all Republicans are tea party enthusiasts, Yorba Linda Republicans usually favor conservative candidates.
Tea party voters have shown they won’t blindly accept a Republican label, and they’ll oppose GOP incumbents whose votes expand government powers and raise taxes and fees. Obviously, a tea party council member might take a different approach to city issues, including Old Town redevelopment and the Black Gold Golf Course.
For example, a tea party tactic in Old Town might privatize projects by selling the city’s 50 lots to individuals and companies for development to eliminate the political squabbling associated with the government deciding what will and won’t be built on public and private downtown properties.
New development would adhere to council-adopted zoning and design guidelines, with tax or other incentives motivating new and old owners to complete projects within a specified time period.
Privatizing the city-owned Black Gold Golf Course could prove more difficult, since, according to officials, the property, as a golf course, is worth less, at current market prices, than the outstanding $18 million in bond debt.
However, a tea party council member would insist on a pay-as-you-go operation, with expenses covered by current revenue. And tea party adherents would stop loaning city reserve money to the course and require Black Gold to resume paying interest on loans totaling $4.7 million.
Of course, tea party philosophy is more easily applied to state and federal issues. In municipal matters, where the impact of less government and fewer tax dollars is immediate, an “it’s my backyard” attitude might prevail.
But maybe true tea party candidates will seek council seats this year. Filing begins in two months
The Register’s Yorba Linda and Placentia reporter Jessica Terrell and I were among the 280 guests. Jessica was editor of the Spring 2009 Daily Titan, and I was at the helm of the Fall 1965 twice-weekly Titan Times.
At dinner, I sat next to popular LA Times columnist Steve Harvey. He asked me about the level of “tea party” sentiment in Yorba Linda, so I mentioned the April 15 Community Center rally, which drew a large crowd and two City Council members.
Later, Harvey’s query raised questions in my mind: Will the tea party mantra of limited government and lower taxes play a role in this year’s council election? Would tea party council members change current city policies?
Yorba Linda has the second-highest Republican registration of Orange County’s 34 cities at 57 percent, exceeded only by tiny Villa Park’s 65 percent. Newport Beach is third with 55 percent. While not all Republicans are tea party enthusiasts, Yorba Linda Republicans usually favor conservative candidates.
Tea party voters have shown they won’t blindly accept a Republican label, and they’ll oppose GOP incumbents whose votes expand government powers and raise taxes and fees. Obviously, a tea party council member might take a different approach to city issues, including Old Town redevelopment and the Black Gold Golf Course.
For example, a tea party tactic in Old Town might privatize projects by selling the city’s 50 lots to individuals and companies for development to eliminate the political squabbling associated with the government deciding what will and won’t be built on public and private downtown properties.
New development would adhere to council-adopted zoning and design guidelines, with tax or other incentives motivating new and old owners to complete projects within a specified time period.
Privatizing the city-owned Black Gold Golf Course could prove more difficult, since, according to officials, the property, as a golf course, is worth less, at current market prices, than the outstanding $18 million in bond debt.
However, a tea party council member would insist on a pay-as-you-go operation, with expenses covered by current revenue. And tea party adherents would stop loaning city reserve money to the course and require Black Gold to resume paying interest on loans totaling $4.7 million.
Of course, tea party philosophy is more easily applied to state and federal issues. In municipal matters, where the impact of less government and fewer tax dollars is immediate, an “it’s my backyard” attitude might prevail.
But maybe true tea party candidates will seek council seats this year. Filing begins in two months
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 AM
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