Why the Rush To Redirect Orange County Climate Action Funds?
A perspective from Mark Marcoplos
The last-minute proposal by Orange County Commissioner Amy Fowler would significantly change the county’s successful Climate Action Grant process.
Is this a wise move that better leverages the funds to help achieve Orange County’s climate goals that are enshrined in numerous resolutions? Or is it a stealth redistribution of funds that takes most of the money and slips it into the school budgets?
The ¼ cent raise in the property tax (a modest $7.50 on a $300,000 property) was enacted in 2019 because of a budget amendment that I developed and proposed. I submitted it over a month before the budget was adopted. To be transparent and engage the public as fully as possible, I sent out press releases resulting in articles in several local papers as well as radio spots.
There were two public hearings before the budget vote which were well-attended by residents who wanted to weigh in on the proposal. In fact, it was the most widely discussed budget item of the season. As you would expect in Orange County, there was a large majority of people in support of stepping up to address the climate emergency and putting more resources behind our oft-stated goals.
At my request, the lion’s share of the initial funding was earmarked for a solar array on a school in each of the two systems. When constructed, these systems will be a visible commitment to our youth that we are serious about protecting their future. Additionally, they will provide educational opportunities, generate savings year after year for the schools, and boost the local clean energy economy.
Fowler’s proposal would make it impossible for ambitious projects like these and result in a few small projects instead. She would redirect the bulk of the funds to the schools for undefined “sustainability” expenditures. And what is to be gained by divisively pitting climate action against educational needs?
Essentially, the money raised county-wide would become a de facto stealth school tax.
So why the rush to get this passed without a fair public process? Why change the rules when the FY 21-22 grant applications are currently being accepted based on the original criteria?
Renee Price wants to take money from the Climate Action tax and Sally Greene has recently proposed a hybrid version of Fowler’s proposal. More confusion, less transparency — and more reason to hold a legitimate public process.
The Commissioners need to hit the pause button and create an inclusive, transparent process that allows residents to democratically engage on these issues. Furthermore, since it is clearly too late for that to happen before the impending budget vote, we could do it right in a post-COVID environment.
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