UCI

Local Government

Orange County also receives higher marks than Los Angeles County in residents' ratings of their local public services. And ratings of local government in Orange County appear to be improving. Parks and beaches, police, local roads and local public schools are all more likely to get excellent or good grades in Orange County than in Los Angeles County. The differences range from 9-16 points.
Graph: Local Public Services
(Percent saying excellent and good)

Non-Hispanic whites in Orange County are more likely than Latinos and Asians to give positive scores for parks and beaches (84% vs. 62% vs. 66%), police protection (83% vs. 64% vs. 68%) and local freeways and streets (64% vs. 47% vs. 56%), but not for local public schools (56% vs. 56% vs. 59%). In general, South County residents also give higher evaluations than do North County residents. The differences we find between the two counties are not a result of the smaller proportion of non-Hispanic whites in Los Angeles County or the larger percentage of affluent residents in Orange County. In comparisons of both non-Hispanic whites and those earning under $80,000 a year in the two areas, local service ratings are better in Orange County than Los Angeles County.

When we compare the 1991 and 1998 Orange County Annual Surveys, ratings of parks (71% vs. 78%), police (59% vs. 78%), roads (58% vs. 60%) and schools (42% vs. 57%) are either unchanged or improved. Comparing the 1982 and 1998 surveys, the ratings of roads declined (72% to 60%), while parks (82% vs. 78%) and police (76% vs. 78%) are unchanged, and public schools have improved (45% to 57%). There is more confidence in the Orange County Board of Supervisors than in the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors when it comes to handling county problems. Sixty-four percent of Orange County residents have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in their supervisors, compared with 56% in Los Angeles County.
Graph: Confidence in Local Government
(Percent saying a great deal and fair amount)

However, Los Angeles County residents are a little more likely to say they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in their mayor and city council when it comes to handling city problems. In both counties, few express a "great deal" of confidence in their local officials. Non-Hispanic whites are more likely than Latinos or Asians to express a great deal or fair amount of confidence in county government (65% vs. 59% vs. 59%) and their city government (69% vs. 56% vs. 61%). We have been tracking perceptions of performance, responsiveness and efficiency of Orange County government since the bankruptcy. All three measures of confidence in county government show their first signs of recovery this year. Thirty-eight percent now think the county government does an excellent or good job in solving county problems, which is a 12-point increase from a year ago.
Graph: Ratings of County Government in Orange County

Sixty-three percent say county government leaders pay a lot or some attention to what the people think when they decide which policies to adopt, which is a seven-point increase from a year ago. Thirty-six percent say county government wastes a lot of the taxpayers' money, which is a four-point decline from 1997. Still, ratings of county government have room for improvement. More residents say their city governments are doing an excellent or good job at solving city problems than say their county government does an excellent or good job at solving county problems (50% vs. 38%).