Mansoor Talks Reform with Local Constituents

A logistical snafu may have prevented coffee from being served at State Rep. Allan Mansoor's community coffee event Friday night in Fountain Valley, but there was no shortage of bile in the small, mostly partisan crowd, who came out to pepper Mansoor on unions, pensions and revelopment money.

"We need to have some long-term reform," Mansoor said. "Just speaking from my experience, having been a public employee and having been elected to office, I have a little different viewpoint from a lot of people. I used to be in a union, a public employee union, and I left the union because I didn't like that my dues were going for political purposes, but frankly, public employee union dues are electing people to office who are supporting unsustainable benefits, and not only that, unsustainable regulations that are driving businesses from our state along with high taxes, which makes it harder to pay for pensions and roads and infrastructure and police and fire that we're supposed to be paying for anyway."

About a dozen residents were on hand at the Fountain Valley recreation center for the event, which was also attended by Fountain Valley Mayor Pro Tem John Collins. Mansoor echoed the stance of most Republicans in not supporting Gov. Jerry Brown's desire to give Californians the chance to vote on whether taxes should be increased in response to budget shortfalls.

"I would challenge the governor to put some reform measures on the ballot: pension reform, a tax reduction, put that on the ballot as well," Mansoor said. "That's what the voters really want. I don't think voters want more taxes."

On the local level, Mansoor took questions about the future of redevelopment money, which Fountain Valley resident Roy Reynolds called a "$1.2 billion slush fund," chiding Mansoor for having failed to provide the swing vote that could have passed the proposed bill to eliminate development districts.

"Philosophically, do I feel we need to end RDAs? Yes," Mansoor said. "I don't know that this bill is the best way to do it. I don't want to hurt cities. I saw this as a money grab by the state. I wanted local control and local oversight. Once it goes to Sacramento, it's not coming back as much to Orange County. We are already a donor county. If you're going to close RDAs, I believe there's a better way to do it."

Collins defended RDAs, citing that they have put people to work and provided afforable housing in the past, which in turn helps cities meet state mandates. Reynold persisted, claiming that putting people to work in that context meant giving more money to unions or to illegal immigrants.

"I'm talking about building afforable housing and building other things that benefit the community," Collins countered. "There are some instances where I absolutely agree with you. That may be a certain percantage of it, but it's not a major percentage of the benefit of an RDA."