In the garden of OC what we need is some serious cabbage, but instead
we discovered last week some roses, radishes, and a few squirrels. Jobs
creation is job one. OC’s near 10% unemployment and the state’s near
13% unemployment, we see signs of economic recovery, but no jobs
creation. How do you create jobs? Reduce fees and taxes, cut
regulations and eliminate opportunities for frivolous lawsuits.

Anything else is a SQUIRREL, or a distraction, to the main event.

So what does our garden grow?

Roses: OC Supervisors Pat Bates and Janet Nguyen, together with
Lake Forest Council Member Mark Tettemer, who refused to approve an
Orange County Fire Authority budget that included a FEE INCREASE
(Squirrel!) on the struggling business community to cover a pay raise
for non-sworn fire personnel. In a down economy, fees need to be
reduced, not increased.

Roses: Joe Kerr, Tony Bedolla and the Orange County Firefighters
Association, who offered to work with OCFA to avoid that fee increase
with creative, out of the box thinking.

Radishes: Orange County Fire Authority staff. Hello? Is anybody home? 10% county unemployment and you’re giving folks raises?

Radishes: Shawn Nelson, Sharon Quirk Silva and Pam Keller who
voted to kill Fullerton’s 30-years-in-the-making West Coyote Hills
Project for parks, habitat, trails and homes. Fullerton has grown 1000
people in just two years, but only approved 12 building permits
according to data from Experian and CIRB. This project would have
helped keep their middle class in town and alleviated over-crowding, as
well as turn fenced private property into some much needed public open
space for North Orange County. And do I need to tell you what a jobs
generator this project would have been? Thousands, not including the
multiplier effect. Squirrel!

Roses: Harry Sidhu and all the members of the Anaheim City
Council for their June 3 Anaheim Job Fair at Gardenwalk. And the
brand-new Lake Forest Chamber of Commerce for its first ever job fair
this month. They get extra points for trying to match employers, jobs
and candidates in a tough economy.

Radishes: More election mail in my mailbox than I’ve ever had before.

Who are your roses and radishes? I’d love to highlight those good guys
and gals helping to help put folks back to work and grow our economy!
And the radishes? Well, let’s just smother them in salad dressing.