The Lost Art of Compromise Could Solve Two Local Dust-Ups

Ever feel so utterly powerless that you want to scream?

Me too.

Does it drive you nuts watching two headstrong entities duke it out over a problem that should have been resolved long ago? Especially a problem with significant impact on other people--perhaps yourself, for example?

I hear your cries, brothers and sisters.

We’re all asking the same question: Whatever happened to the art of compromise? Why can’t people in authority solve problems?

Two local squabbles highlight this unfortunate failing.

The first is the protracted fight between the city of Tustin and two Santa Ana school districts. At issue is whether and where to build campuses for Santa Ana Unified and Rancho Santiago Community College districts on the abandoned 1,600-acre Marine helicopter base in Tustin.

As a Huntington Beach resident, I’m watching that one from the sideline.

The other battle hits me where I live. At stake is one of the things I value most highly: my own selfish desires.

That fight is between Time Warner (my local cable company) and Fox Sports Net. Fox has increased what it charges to broadcast Dodger and Angel games, and Time Warner doesn’t want to pay.

Thus, no more Dodger or Angel games for the rest of the season on my two Fox cable stations.

As Linus once said to Charlie Brown, that is the kind of news that could cause me to rend my garment.

What’s maddening in these two disputes is that neither involves an intractable problem. Tustin isn’t saying it would never let Santa Ana build a school on the former Marine site. Time Warner hasn’t said it doesn’t want to broadcast Dodger and Angel games.

They’ve said just the opposite. Tustin now agrees Santa Ana should have land for a campus. Time Warner obviously wants to broadcast hometown baseball for fans in Southern California.

So, what’s the problem?

Peaceful Resolution?

Details, of course. But that’s what people in authority are supposed to figure out.

The Marine base fight may be headed for federal court. I think it won’t, but that’s the public position Tustin is taking after the Santa Ana districts convinced the Legislature to grant them 100 acres on the base. Tustin, which wants to develop the land for homes and businesses, initially balked at giving Santa Ana any land but eventually agreed to offer a combined 37 acres and $78 million.

Tustin Mayor Tracy Wills Worley says a peaceful resolution is possible. “We thought we had a deal several times,� she says. “Us coming from zero to $78 million is a good-faith effort to resolve this.�

Nadia Davis, president of the Santa Ana Unified board, bemoaned the two sides’ inability to close a deal. She says, however, that even with the leverage of the Legislature’s vote, she’s still willing to negotiate with Tustin.

Worley says Tustin probably should have been more willing early on to free up land for Santa Ana, but now thinks some on the Santa Ana side are politicizing the issue.

Meanwhile, Time Warner and Fox spokesmen offer a flicker of hope, saying that discussions are continuing. Their dispute is exasperating--and not just because I love baseball.

This is simply two wealthy titans butting heads, with the little guy in the middle.

Time Warner spokeswoman Kristy Hennessey says the company didn’t want to pass Fox’s price increase to its customers, which would be about 25 cents a month for a typical subscriber.

“We recognize the concern of the sports fans,� she says. “But we have the other portion of our subscriber base which says it doesn’t want that incremental increase.� That group is much larger than the baseball crowd, she says.

In New York, Fox Sports Net spokesman Lou D’Ermilio seemed to feel my pain. “Some issues are resolvable in a brief period of time, and others can take longer,� he says.

Yes, but the season is slipping away. Why can’t intelligent human beings resolve these things?

“You need people with more degrees than I have� to answer that, D’Ermilio says.

It’s not college degrees the public is demanding.

A refresher course on serving the public would do just fine.

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Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Readers may reach Parsons by calling (714) 966-7821 or by writing to him at The Times’ Orange County edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or by e-mail to [email protected].