Foley’s $5 million allocation to a number of programs is questioned at the regular board meeting by Vice Chairman Donald Wagner.
Democrat Supervisor Katrina Foley’s request for approval of vague use of pandemic-related funding in her district was met with push back and questions from another supervisor. Supervisor of District 3 Don Wagner, flagged concerns of Foley’s request to spend $5 million in her district.
Wagner called attention to the tabled S37G’s lack of pandemic-related uses of the $5 million Foley was seeking approval on. Wagner, in flagging the generalities of the categories for the use of funds stated, “This is not the way government ought to be spending your tax dollars.”
Foley’s request for approval of the funds allocated funds to a variety of areas, not just pandemic-related issues. Some of the areas Foley requested to use pandemic funding relief for seem to have no relation to covid-19 issues at all. Allocating funds for gun violence prevention, animal care, hate-crime prevention, and homelessness were all included in Foley’s $5 million ask for her district.
Orange County was allocated $616.8 million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program of the American Rescue Act Plan (ARPA).
Foley’s S37G was not specific and appeared to be “anything goes” as many non-covid related concerns could fit into any one of the categories which was not the intended reason for the federal funding, argued Wagner.
In response, Foley attempted to clarify her request saying, “I’m trying to direct the resources both within the district that I’m the caretaker for right now, which I’m not running for re-election in, and help where the need is most needed.”
“There’s a lot of need out there and we’re trying to specifically address in an intentional way, the need” Foley stated.
Foley’s measure ultimately ended up passing in a 4-1 vote outcome, but it was not met without pushback from the Republican Supervisor Wagner.
