ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : Popejoy Urges Measured Decision on R : Election: CEO asks voters not to cast ballots in anger. Debate opponent says tax hike unnecessary.

By SHELBY GRAD

June 14, 1995 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

ORANGE — In a personal appeal, County Chief Executive Officer William J. Popejoy urged an audience at a Measure R forum Tuesday to put aside their frustrations with county government and support the proposed sales tax hike, calling it crucial to the county’s recovery.

“If you make this decision, please don’t make it in anger,” Popejoy said of Measure R, which voters will consider at a special election June 27.

Popejoy said the tax increase is needed to make upcoming debt payments and help fully repay pool investors. Without the tax, he said, the county would pay more interest to borrow money and would become known as “a deadbeat county.”

Despite his urgings, some of the approximately 200 people at the Chapman University forum expressed skepticism about the tax.

“He’s a nice man, and I have a lot of respect for what he’s doing. But at this point, I’m voting no,” said Joanie Wilson of Orange. “I don’t think they’ve done enough yet. I’m not convinced I should pay more taxes.”

The forum was one of several Measure R debates Popejoy has participated in over the past few months. His debate opponent, TV commentator and attorney Hugh Hewitt, argued that the tax is unnecessary.

Hewitt said the county could close its shortfall by tapping into revenue from Measure M, the sales tax that benefits transportation. He also said the county should prioritize which pool investors it wants to fully repay.

While school districts deserve 100% of their money back, Hewitt said, other agencies and cities do not.

Measure R would increase the county’s sales tax from 7.75% to 8.25%, the same as Los Angeles County, for up to 10 years. The tax hike would generate about $135 million a year in revenue.

The Board of Supervisors voted in April to place Measure R on the ballot. Since then, Supervisors William G. Steiner, Gaddi H. Vasquez and Marian Bergeson have announced their support for Measure R, while Supervisor Jim Silva said he will likely vote against it. Supervisor Roger R. Stanton hasn’t taken a position on the tax.

Polls have found limited public support for Measure R. The most recent Times Orange County poll found that among likely voters, 37% favor Measure R, while 50% opposed it and 13% were undecided.

Popejoy admitted Tuesday that the polls indicate Measure R is in trouble. But he insisted that it represents the best way to deal with the county’s financial crisis.

“This is a tar baby,” he said of the bankruptcy. “It won’t go away.”