Jim Cooper's Orange County; O.C. Transportation: The New Strategies; Volunteers for Literacy: A Project of Caring

Champs of Orange County providing permanent and temporary accounting financial and EDP personnel get the San Diego freeway at peak traffic time horror story that's just deadly on the Santa Ana. Garden Grove Newport Riverside or orange freeways put 2.2 million people and 1.6 million automobiles into the same Orange County which just a generation ago had half that many people in cars and you get the traffic crunch we have today on the Santa Ana Freeway during peak traffic. The average speed is now 18 miles an hour. In 1984 voters rejected a sales tax as a way to solve the problem. The problem didn't go away. It only got worse. Now new strategies are needed and some are already in the works. I'm Jim Cooper and today our look into new ways being found to attack our traffic crisis. But Me Me Me

Me. Me. And now let's meet our guests and what them. We'll look at some of those new strategies. James Roosevelt eldest son of President Franklin Roosevelt is president of the Orange County Transportation Commission. He served six terms in the U.S. Congress and was a Marine combat officer in World War II. In addition to his civic work he had his own business consulting firm in Newport Beach supervisor Ralph carcas chairman of the board of the Orange County Transit District. Now in his 12th year on that board he's now on his 16th year on the Board of Supervisors. And this year serves as its chairman. He is a founding member of the county's Transportation Commission. Seeing it grow from five buses to a transit to a fleet of 600 carrying 34

million passengers a year. John erkin is executive director of the Building Industry Association of Southern California. His group of builders support the quarter of the program a partnership between the county and 11 cities where end developers will contribute about $460 million in fees toward building new transportation quarters. Dan Offaly is executive director of the Orange County Transportation Commission. He has helped develop the commission's 15 year development program and some of its new strategies. He was formerly an executive assistant to supervisor Clark and was formerly an Orange County newsman. I think I'd like that supervisor quite certain that you started with the transit district in park to go from one was five buses to something like six hundred thirty four million path and you had a foot in both camps the commission and the transit district. How do you view the situation we find ourselves in now. About transportation in the county just to develop to this particular state and choose nothing that is a surprise to any of us we've all

known that we were going to be more congested every year on our freeways. We know that our need for transportation is going to increase every year. We watched this move from a rural county to one of the highest urbanized areas in the United States it's the sixth largest county population wise in the United States and it's the second largest of the 58 counties in the state of California. So with that type of girl to be pushed on us all of a sudden like it has when I say in a decade or two we're certainly going to run into this kind of a problem. Well we've progressed systematically with a transit district to supply transportation for all parts of the county seeing that the most needed routes are the one that we could run the most frequent runs on. Also the fact that now the Transportation Commission has been formed and this has been in effect for a few years now and it

is dovetailing beautifully in with the transit districts operations and the fact that two members of the transit district of our board members on the commission gives us an overlap there so that we are not working against one another we're working together. There's many things in this area I'd like to refer to Jim but I know that we have a full agenda for a short time. I'll just hold it go to the Rose Bowl you're a brave soul to take that tackle a commission as you know in our county. 1984 Proposition 8 was turned down but that didn't mean the problem went away. And so you have taken up the cudgel as president of the commission. Tell us about your vision of the problem we're where we are and where we need to go. Let him perhaps I should give credit where credit is due. My interest in transportation I guess who's back to the times I worked with my father in New York City and New York State really we had a man called Moses a pretty good name for a

fellow wants to get things done. And he believed that you could solve transportation problems but it takes a lot of hard work and there is a lot of work to be done. We've got good people to work with and like Ralph and. And I've been enjoying the work. It's very discouraging sometimes because you don't get down what you know want to be done. Yes but we have a partnership going in this county that I think is unique Out of all 58 counties where the transit district and Transportation Commission and the private sector are all at least agree on what road they want to go down toward solving this problem that partnership because you need and I think it is unique in the whole United States. John tell us about that. Many places developers are fearful of government or they feel themselves in a mortal battle with government and yet the developers of this county are saying we'll go with the developers. Tell us about it. Well Jim we're fearful of government in Orange County too. If we keep our eyes open all the time keep wary. But we looked around and worked with the commission

and people like Stan Awfully the executive director and looked at what funny solutions there were for the needed new freeways particularly in south county. And we saw very few options and we think that part of the growth that will happen in South County will bring some traffic to South Orange County and developers should pay their fair share for that traffic. A thousand dollars a house in the areas that will be served by the three corridors roughly $8000 will generate 417 million and that in turn is about half what is needed. 48 percent I think what is fully needed to develop those three intensely important corridors is Dan walking in the eastern and the foothills. Also approximately $2 per square foot on all commercial and industrial. And I would say that before we leave this John would you say that 90 percent of the builders are in support of it or virtually the whole CIA. Well we try to take public opinion polls amongst the builders on things like paying fees. I just think that they feel that the cost of doing development and of course that cost gets passed on

oftentimes to the consumer. It's a concern but we don't see much alternative in Orange County. Stan Yukari you've heard that on your shoulders the day to day implementation of whatever strategy there are. How are your shoulders. Slow slow down. Instead of having a single comprehensive solution that's what we're Proposition 8 was designed to be was to be one big solution yes solve our transportation problems for the till. Till the year 2000. Now we're we're forced into a situation where we're looking at a series of little bites. The problem we're taking bite to try to deal with an enormously expensive and difficult problem in Orange County. We find that if you explain the magnitude of the problem and show someone a piece of it they can help small people know how big the traffic problem is. They know they want to help you have that feeling that there's a lot of people out there want to help private sector and public sector. Very true. I think John's group reflects that and I think that both Ralph and Jim Roosevelt have seen examples of corporate responsibility in the private sector helping out.

Let's take a look at 10. I think I'll pick up on your on your little hint there. Stand by. Let's take a look at some of those strategies. Let's summarize the 10 strategies pointed to now by the Orange County Transportation Commission to help solve traffic problems. The first is a corridor fee program. It's a partnership between the county and 11 cities and developers to raise money by fees on new construction by a $5000 per new home in these areas. It will raise $460 million. About half the cost of the eastern San Joaquin and 40 transportation corridors. The second called for Beach Boulevard Super Street 10 cities the state and the commission are teamed up. They will turn Beach Boulevard into a high flow arterial by removing on street parking. Upgrading an intersection over crossing another is called cut. It means orange county unified Transportation Trust. It's a partnership between the Orange County what the Orange County Transit District by a new plan. Transit District Reserve interest money is going into the oak that fund to build local street projects and speed up state highway construction. Simply holding freeways and state highway projects to their

planning boards scheduled is another strategy. Zenana freeway improvement tops the list by agreement with Caltrans local engineering and design help as keeping other projects like the Costa Mesa freeway extension job on its timetable. Carpool commuter lanes are already in place on Highway 55 and being evaluated. They're open to cars with two or more occupants. Caltrans is doing the building carpool lane will also be put on the 405 freeway if they prove successful. The transit district is recruiting the carpool ride sharing is being pushed more aggressively incentives to employees and public awards a part of the strategy. Companies like floor Corp. Rockwell and McDonnell Douglas are joining and encouraging use of vans buses and carpool. Public forums are being conducted to provide feedback to the commission. New ideas are proved useful from ordinary citizens who feel that crunch among the agendas for public forums came the idea for carpooling the 55 freeway testing was the direct result of public input. The simple idea of coordinating traffic light is a big project so that

lights changing will be consistent on street to go through a number of different city traffic signal roundtable among cities has been formed to utilize computers to synchronize traffic light speed up traffic annual public reports are an important part of the new strategy. They offer the layperson a chance to see how and where transportation dollars are being spent. The reports also show where revenues are coming from into the county and the way they are being spent to provide maximum overall benefits to move more traffic. A final but important strategy is the push for a state constitutional amendment. It requires a sales tax money from gas purchases would go to transportation use instead of the state's general fund. It could bring up to 80 million dollars a year more to Orange County if it were in place today. Well gentlemen those are just the ten point ten point Draculas. You want to comment on those myths Roosevelt. Well I think they show what a broad question we have before us. Each one of them has its problems. For instance the super is sound like a great idea to carry it out and the

people who might be inconvenient going to want as little inconvenience as possible and that means that they may oppose you if you want to move move them and that's human nature. And you have to you have to coalesce the efforts of 11 cities and cities that have to be pulled together which in itself is a tremendous job and that job primarily. I think at the same time that perhaps I should comment on the one that you mentioned last. Yes. The idea of a constitutional amendment really lies and I think the fundamental principle that if you tax people for something you will get the money that is raised by taxing that something ought to go back into doing the job for that something. And most of these taxes that go into the general fund are spread around about a lot of things that have nothing to do with transportation. Some of it since we now want all taxes that are taken from more motorists than the motoring public can come back into transportation transportation needs. You know that's where the 80 million dollars would come.

Let me read a story about the group today and this is another one of your problems. I know that no plans go without problems. This is the group by Joe Catron an organizer of the drivers for public safety and they say they're going to demonstrate that demonstrating this week and next week against the car lane. They said we want to let public officials know the majority of the people driving the freeway lanes are opposed to the carpool. We think that the carpool lanes would be more effective if they were open to all traffic. Jam because I just wanted to comment on that one. I'd like to say that this morning was rather humorous that they were going to turn on all the headlights of people who were on 55 who didn't like being on 155 because of the car because the car pulled and of course what happened was we had a foggy day and everybody's lives were more and regardless of how I felt about it. So you have people I've seen headlines saying that the public support the idea of the car full and I've seen the other ones like this on this group. We don't like the carpool. What do you do. Jim it might be best to. Actually get the results of the first 30 days is run. I have the official ones here from Caltrans on the 90 day test that we're running. We had a progress report

the end of 30 days for show that during the rush hour commuter express lane was carrying 21 percent more people and 37 percent fewer cars and drivers are still learning how to best use to lanes. This is called It Takes a period of adjustment and education before they actually get used to the word. And also they find that the people that are using the freeway at the very same time that they're used to doing it are saving eight to 10 minutes because of the additional lane there and the number of cars that are coming out of the regular lanes. Remember we didn't take a lane away from anyone. You added a new line. Now there are four lanes instead of three right. And consequently the people that are single car driven are realizing the benefit by the fact that there's another lane that's carrying these people along in here. And we've had calls that are running at least ten to one he lives down to about. What would you say here your

popularity list as for it. Oh it's very high. I mean in terms of public reaction in public we can say like it or I don't like it that dramatically higher for people who are writing us letters and telling the transit district and Transportation Commission and Caltrans that it's working. You have an outside and outside survey team don't you that are there studying my staff that he contracted before we ever went into it. There was a survey done of commuters to ask whether or not we should try it. At that time it got to 75 percent. It sounds like a good idea a response from a from the general public. Let's give it a try. Right. And a. We're doing much better now in terms of usage. Accidents are down the violation rates are down and people that don't quite understand it or are obviously violating the law. Those rates are going down too. So what happens next is it to decide whether to go or no go is whether you put it on the 405 and the other what what happens next. Well we're using this is sort of the area of testing to make

sure that it's possible. Remember when Proposition may failed but it did was to tell us that we had to make do with what we had. And here is a way of utilizing a freeway that's out there it is the cost of it's going to be prohibited yet is providing a new lane. And it's also doing it in a constructive manner because it's asking people to double up and to realize the benefit of some of the freeways require three people or four people in a car to use that lane on 55. We just ask for two people or more in a car to utilize it. I'd like that people in Orange County know what the magnitude of this problem really is on the price tags. So let's look at the at the big list. I could call the shopping list or a project list and see what these costs are really going to be the walk and walking help. Carter has a price tag of 342 million. The Foothill 318 billion. The eastern 198. The Santa Ana Freeway widening and improvements 698 million dollar. We're talking millions of dollars. San Diego Freeway 64 millions of dollars. So if there

could be some magic magic coffer that could open up and confer a fine orange county one point sixty two billion dollars we would have those projects done. Is down. How close are we to having that magic wish list come to fruition. Not quite quote second reality. Secondly on that if you want to call the wish list. I don't think it's a wish. I think it's in the left list right now that they live I think on that list you only show in less than half of the transportation cost this county is going to face the next 15 years. There's no transit costs on that list and a great time bomb in our our infrastructure bank is. There's no money on there for local streets and roads. I think frequently the arterials that you're driving on most of the time are going in and out of your home and in and out of your workplaces are deteriorating almost as fast as the freeways are particularly in the western and southern western north or major new things like the quarter. Yeah but not nothing to do with the surface streets and all the infrastructure you haven't dealt with those issues and they're just as expensive and just as troublesome. No those ones that you issue that you listed. Are we're going to see some

improvements on those in the next five to 10 years. You bet you'll probably see significant construction on the Santa Ana Freeway. The price is significant. That's number one priority number one point number problem in the priority list and on that priority the top number one project will be the reconstruction of the 5:55 interchange where the Costa Mesa intersects with the San and we'll see that within five years. That's an enormously expensive to $65 billion project for that one piece of the Santa Ana Freeway. You probably see the 405 widening in the next five years you'll see construction begin on the San Joaquin Hills corridor in the next five to seven years. The eastern Foothill corridors are a little bit further out simply because where they're standing now in the planning process I believe you'll see significant construction on them within within 10 years. Are you going to see all of those enormously expensive the major public works projects completed within 10 years. I don't think so. Let's take a look at the Mardi Gras people in order who live in Orange County ought to be able to see exactly what we're talking about when they mention these three

quarters. Do you want to explain as we see the one that's near the ocean there the one that's closest to the ocean to San Joaquin. It goes roughly from the John Wayne Airport area cutting across the coastal plain hills to San Juan Capistrano the the middle one up there that runs parallel to the 55 and the 57 is the the eastern corridor that the wind goes up toward the top there goes like that going up straight up north goes from Anaheim Hills to Irvine and then from the intersection where you see that connect with the eastern corridor that's in roughly the test and Callon Heights area. Then you see the full corridor running down along the foothills to Mission Viejo north both the San Joaquin and the the foothill Eastern are providing significant relief valve for the troubles on the Santa Ana Freeway today. And the traffic crunch that we're feeling on the sand and a freeway on Interstate 5 can't be met. We play a double decker and reach it. You have to build those relievers to have any type

of construction or major freeways in which And I think people if you had to go one to three feet and what would be the nearest to completion the second marathon. The furthest away from it. Well first the five percent and freeway project is the closest. But I mean three of the three quarters the San Joaquin is the most developed the foothills the second most developed and Eastern court or is the third most developed in the process. I see and I come back to the private sector again on that map of the scene. There are a lot of construction going on that will generate for all three of those realities about the I think the point needs to be made here for your viewers that we have an antiquated freeway system. Orange County has been short changed with our freeway network the most alarming statistic I've heard in recent months is that Orange County has 67 miles of freeway per million population. That compares with over 100 miles of freeway per million population in San Diego and over 100 miles of freeway per million population in other major

communities like Orange County. We don't have enough arteries to carry or carry our cars. And so what you might liken these corridors to is a sort of a coronary or an artery bypass operation. That's a good analogy. It's kind of scary. What about Mr. Clark here because you want to have the supervisors hat and then your Transit District hat. What about rail bàn as a light rail bomb bons to put in a light rail system. What's really in the cards. What is likely and what is not likely on that the proposition A had a certain contingency in there allowing the fact that there would eventually be a light rail system the possibility of it existed there is a possibility still exists. There is no plans to scuttle it a tall. However whether it would develop into a busways system or be like rail or what ever happens down

the line. We're budgeting money for it. It is in our long range plans and this is the ones that we're collecting that specifically earmarked for that by the very nature of them the money itself the way it's earmarked. We're using the interest off of that right now to put into the regular road funds in the county while we're marking time on that but light rail burial with the yoke cut and we're precedent setting that we're also investigating in there the fact that the private sector can participate in on a light rail project in here that it not be entirely a government thing that we can again utilize this great cooperative effort that we've had between the private sector and the government says that what kind of secret weapon the fact that we've got the private sector the transit district and the commission all working together. Is that at Orange County is the antidote to our problem in our secret weapon because I don't know of any other 58 of the 58 counties that are doing that.

I don't know of any either Jim. And we're very proud of the fact that we're citizens of this caliber that will push for this type of property. But Mr. Rosevelt What would you like to say to the average Puplick of Orange County who don't sit with you on that transportation commission but who are just as vexed that you are about this problem. What we like to say to them. I'd like to say that I think that understanding of the need to know and what can be done if only we will have a little bit and not just say well that doesn't suit me that particular point. We need education and beginning perhaps in the schools and on up the line that this thing can be solved and everybody will work together and not get divided up into little groups that object to this. I object to that object to something. John I must ask you the question because it's come up so often it is this business about the crunch for the quarters and the need for it and the program. Is this also to be confused with the whole question that's going on in this county for a long time of growth versus no growth. Oh I would. How do you see the two issues. I think the point Jim is that the new freeways the new quarters that are planned

have been planned for the last 15 years. They just haven't been built yet and development that has been approved that's already in the pipeline. That will happen was contingent upon the building of these corridors if the corridors aren't built. The growth is likely to occur anyway because people want to live and they want to keep. They want to stay here after they're born. So you know I think we've got to solve the problem. I expect that a lot of growth is going to come from within from births over deaths. Do you see resistance from buyers of these houses by the three quarters who know that are going to have a thousand dollars tacked on to it. And probably the builder will have to pass that along to to the buyer or he still looks like an attractive place to live. You think that answers that then. I think so what about the public part of it. We haven't talked as much as I'd like to hear about the public outreach program. What about some of those I asked Mr. Roosevelt who was interested in this problem but he is not technically equipped to help solve it. What do you say to that guy the guy who's just mad driving down the I-5 freeway every day.

We found it if you if you talk to that guy I mad. He's pretty smart and he has some answers and he has some good ways to help it. So we're doing an extensive public outreach effort right now to try to find out what people think we should do to solve these problems. You know if people think about it and they stop and they consider it it's probably the most important issue in their quality of life today. If you live in Orange County and you want to get around improve your transportation systems is key. So we're asking him for advice on what we should do. I think about the cost. One of the reports is that the badly maintained roads in Orange County right now is costing an extra five cents a mile in car wear and tear on weight. And with that gasoline an extra five cents a mile for a driver who goes 15000 miles a year that's $750 more spending in Orange County because of our bad road that he didn't have to spend. I keep coming back to you. Ralph you're kind of the grand old man in this county about transportation but transit district countless thousands of hours for the Tranda district then do as well as the Transportation Commission. What would you like to say to the average public that you'd like to see them do. We just have about

30 seconds left. Well I would ask everyone to realize the fact that we who are in authority when I say that I mean we who have been elected we've been appointed to these various positions realize the same problems that they do we're on the same freeways we do the same congestion and not for them to think that we're not doing our best to solve this problem. I think it is self evident that we're tackling things that we can that we can do within the budget the money that's available. All right within the money that's available. Thank all of you gentlemen. I know you you are fighting the good fight and on behalf of all of us who is our there with a freeway problem. We thank you. Our time is almost up now and I want to thank our guests for their discussion and the county's most immediate big problem transportation. Please join me next week at the same time and I'll have my special guest Governor George Mason of California. I'm Jim Cooper. Thanks for being with.

Me. A. County is made possible by a grant from the Harian gray steel foundation providing charitable assistance to deserving organizations in the areas of health education and culture by Disneyland parks celebrating 30 years in Orange County by signal landmark incorporated developer of Southern California real estate and builder of Landmark homes and by Robert Half personnel and account gems of Orange County providing permanent and temporary accounting financial and EDP personnel.

Jim Cooper's Orange County is made possible by a grant from the Harian gray steel foundation providing charitable assistance to deserving organizations in the areas of health education and culture by Disneyland parks celebrating 30 years in Orange County by signal landmark incorporated developer of Southern California real estate and builder of Landmark homes and by Robert Half an account temp's providing permanent and temporary accounting and computer personnel with offices in Newport Beach and throughout Southern California. More than 27 million Americans are functionally illiterate. That means they don't have the minimum skilled in reading or writing English to function in everyday life. They can't read the label on

food and medicine products or read a newspaper or locate a telephone number in the directory. They're unable to fill out an application or write a check or even address in Iowa. In California alone there are two and a half million adults who are functionally illiterate. There are 6 million California adults who lacked a high school diploma. That the part of the side of the story. In our county there are literally hundreds of people who care about the problem that volunteer their time and their energies to fight illiteracy. I'm Jim Cooper and today I look into the serious problem. Of. America the richest nation in the world ranked forty ninth in literacy among the one hundred and fifty

eight United Nations country. It's estimated that functional illiterates cost the country 237 billion dollars a year in welfare payments crime unemployment lost tax revenues and remedial education. But perhaps the greatest human sadness in all this is that the 27 million functional illiterates are going through life with Dorice to learning and the treasures of literature close to them. The encouraging side of the picture is that there are two volunteer organizations made up of caring people who donate their time to fight illiteracy. One is called the Laubach literacy action with three separate councils in Orange County where volunteers teach people to read and write. Free of charge. The other group is called literacy volunteers of America with seven affiliates in Orange County doing the same all volunteer teaching. Let's look at examples of both groups at work with students. Hey say it's a

building exercise that goes on three nights a week here at the school in Irvine this unusual class is made up of people who live in Orange County but we're born in one of more than 20 countries throughout the world. They pay no money for the training. All the tutors are volunteers. The training has only one objective to help them read write and speak English. The tutor is Betty camp a former teacher now part of the south coast literacy council Research Council in Orange County using the Laubach method of literacy training. The three Orange County Council last year in classes like this tutored 3400 students most of them from foreign countries in learning English. 622 volunteer tutors in Orange County like Betty can now give thousands of hours to students from Europe Africa Latin America Mexico the Middle East and Asia. Tutors are of all ages. The students stay as long as four years to learn the language of their new home. Onlly Carter 81 a retired teacher has been giving these classes for 13 years in Orange County. After the large sessions. Students

break up into small groups to read and speak English to their tutors on any night. There are up to 80 students and 20 volunteer tutors. Regardless of their native language or are given the same kind of tutoring to properly learn English. Linda Brown of touchtone is a tutor for the last two and a half years. She's a former English teacher what kind of magic happens here. When you're working with these people well so many of these people most of these people come to us without any ability to speak or understand any English or just the basic rudimentary phrases. And to me my joy is being able to work with them and have them be able to live within our society be able to go to the store and be able to drive a car and understand the time they see and really just have a basic understanding and ability to get along at the basic level here in our society. To me that gives me pleasure. Can you tell when you are making headway when when lights go on when you see you're really making some

progress. Yes many times and that again is the pleasure of doing this is that there's an immediate feedback and there many times and I'll be honest with you when I'm sitting here thinking now what's another way that I can explain this so that I will get those lights and then turned on feeling from them. But it's very obvious and just with their smiles and the enthusiasm that the students have for the program and with the things that they've learned. And. Then and then this is one of the weekly 90 minute sessions of a tutor and student team of the Literacy Volunteers of America Huntington Valley affiliate. A different literacy group. This organization only two years old in Orange County uses a different system of teaching students to read and write. All the classes are one on one about the newspaper business with the tutor. Jerry Karlee of Huntington Beach is a retired manufacturing engineer from Douglas. He had to pay for his own text materials to learn to become a tutor a student at David Sallust 25 a

custodian at a local school. Until last August he was unable to read or write though he had to memorize instructions and orders on the job. He is married has two children and likes bicycling. The book he's reading is an interview about the Chicago Bears. He's a native born American separate tutoring is provided for foreign born students but the quarterly you've given up a lot of your time to do this. What is your motivation for it. Well I think it's worthwhile. It is one thing that all Americans should be interested in is solving this problem of illiteracy to think that a country this big and rich should have that many people running around that are functionally illiterate. There's a black mark on the face of America. If I can do that much to help do away with that problem all I'm willing to chip in to bet. What's your personal reward is that seeing your. That are almost before your eyes. So for me to see they do as

well as is doing and compare what you're doing today to what it was just a few months ago. He has really been working hard to bring himself up to the level where he is. David you're 25 years old. Yes. You are 24 years old not being able to read and write. How would your life changing now that you are learning to read and write. It's changed dramatically. I mean I can read better now I can read my bicycle magazines a little better go to the stores and read a lot better than I used to pick up a newspaper read a little better each time. Gradually I learn a little more about reading. And it's changed my life a lot. You know. I've had to work at school work at school it's case dramatically. I can understand a lot more about when teachers are getting a supply order and stuff like that I can read it a little better. It's just it's great. I mean I'm amazed at myself for even learning how to read better now let's meet our guests all of whom have some special perspective on this problem.

Estelle Rosenthal has been a member of the south coast Literacy Council for the past 11 years. She donated thousands of hours of work now serving as vice president of literacy training. She's a tutor trainer and let her see in English for those who speak other languages. And as a presenter for various national state and local in-service workshops Viride Jones has been a student with the South Coast literacy program for the past two years. Although it was not recognised in her school years. I had a disability that prevented her from learning to read and write. She did not. She did her learning from memory. She had licenses in electrolysis and cosmetology and now studies two and a half hours a week on the literacy program. Learning to read and write. Linda Leiter's president of the Huntington Valley affiliate of Literacy Volunteers of America. She has a master's degree in linguistics from California State University Long Beach and a state teaching credential. Her group is one of seven affiliates in the county training more than 200 students. Lorraine Thorsen now in her 40s never learned to read or Although a high school graduate she learned to compensate in many ways to deal with her lack of reading. It was caused by a learning disability which was

diagnosed at the time. For the past eight months she'd been a student and literacy volunteers. I think I'd like to start with both of you because you are recipients of this training. How has your life changed by this businesses of being able to read. You want to start as well. I read about this sixth grade level right now. I've been under different tutors through many many years. The last I would say the last 20 years I've been with several I've made the most progress in the last couple of years especially in this new program literacy around here in America because not only this is the first time the tutor has not only dealt with my reading aspect but she has made me right which I just read it because my reading was like third grade fourth grade my writing was like first grade. I just never did right. And now she makes me. Do writing every single day with my reading. And it just improved a thousand times. And what doors has it opened what sparks of all of that.

I work with handicapped kids. I work with it. We talk to you. And I'm able to read the material that I receive now instead of asking my husband to read it to me. I'm able to write letters that I never that was always a dream of mine was able to write letters by myself. With very little help. Now and a little bit of spelling. And with computers now I think that even in adapting you can put in so I won't even need that eventually. But in those areas I think I've improved a thousand times. Wonderful. So it must have been your life must be much richer now. Well it is. I feel so much more confident in myself and just the fact that when I go someplace I'm the biggest problem. I used to have was when I went to a doctor's office the first time and they give you the long sheet of paper and oh boy I help them out. And Frank Miller and you're like yeah number and and for years I used to say well could I bring it home and bring it back to me. Oh yeah. Then for a while I even got to the point where I said well I can't read. Would you mind helping me because I got tired of asking my husband. And then finally

I'm able to do it now. My reason for wanting to be able to not have to say I can't read. Garrett what about you want to have happen in your own situation. Well like you said I got my license for. Cosmetologists is my child. And I'm able to work which before I can go out and get a job because you can make an application I can do anything around the world if you get your license even through the cosmetology does you have to do a reading path as well. Or did you write I could read I could read a letter with difficulty. Yes. And there was a lot of things that I couldn't understand when I did read it. I started the program the same time I started getting going to school. So it worked to get the teacher worked with me. And how has it changed your life. What are some of the ways that has changed your life now that you're able to rebound self-confident more and more self competent in myself.

I mean I'm proud of myself because I face the fact that I had a problem. And I think this is what. A lot of people don't face the fact that they have a reading problem. And you see both of you apparently had an undiagnosed problem when you were much much younger and because that wasn't addressed at the time or perhaps perceived at the time it has created that difficulty that you had later years by not being able to even. I have. I had been diagnosed last year just last year. So. I know what my problem is. But had you been diagnosed when you were in the second grade I was in a third grade work grade somewhere there then that could have been addressed sooner. That was there I was a student and I just kept quiet. But it's amazing how you could function as well as you have not being able to read lucidly. You have to understand thing about a person who can't read. He doesn't lack basic intelligence and probably has more and that he's able to fool the public and everyone

around him including his family to the fact that he cannot function as well as he liked to. They need people like you like their problem they can find other ways to add to cross-connect that's current paths rather than reading. And I think that's the admirable quality about a person who comes into the program it takes a great deal of courage to admit that they can't. And I'm hoping someone listen to this television program today can hear just what you said as well that they'll say the book is some help for what you said Vera and Lorraine. That there's help out there the community element. Yes. In the Ninu war doesn't diminish you in any way to say I need some help and to get it. That makes you a more whole person. When I said to Vera do you think that you can tell your story to the public at large. She said I can now but I couldn't a year ago that self-confidence and self-esteem and she felt that she needed to spread the message to other people who are really depriving themselves impoverishing themselves by not being able to have these skills. And

what about your experience. One of our students said after he had learned. He had improved his reading at any rate said that it was a lot harder to be a non reader and. Figure out strategy and to cover that up and deal with life to cope with what was the problem once he finally did with it did face it and work with it. He said In retrospect it was a lot harder living that way. We must have monumental problems in Orange County we have almost hundred 100000 for example Southeast Asians who get through 20 percent of our people have Hispanic surnames and no one knows how many of those are totally Spanish speaking people. And the other Mexican We weren't born people are more inclined to come forward if they know someone in their family their neighborhood or their area has had some success in getting into the mainstream of life and becoming able to function. Yeah we you see we have about twelve hundred students in our distant Southcoast Literacy Council that are foreign born. Yes.

And we have about 35 in our literacy program we'd like to have a little more balance and a 35 literacy or the a native born to Anwar Yes perhaps more reticent about coming forward. Right. I can't read I can't be sure that you have free speech on this program. I just wish that you know I'm very thankful that I learned. Now at the age of 14 so I just wished that somehow kids could have been caught at a much younger younger boy I was very very traumatic. I contribute a lot of juvenile delinquency not mine because I was going said you're a good kid. Yeah. But mostly most kids today I would say have a reading problem behind it because the frustration is not great. I graduate high school with a certificate saying I did four years of high school I went out got my beauty license and had to go off and take my test because I couldn't take it. So I did work as a beautician in New York until I came out here and have more

hours and more to come. You could be on your wedding license if you're not reading and maybe you're marrying the wrong guy. But it was very nice dealing with some of the everyday things that we take for granted making an application writing a check addressing an envelope writing to your boyfriend or your or your my little son or daughter going up not to date anybody that I had a right to I would never date somebody in there just because I have to write. Did you have to ask a lot of a lot of devices like that to to read it easier. I was married. And then two years before I had to face the fact that I had a problem I really didn't think I had a problem. But now you well-recognised you had to have a belt with. You know I'm dealing with it head on. Yes. Twice by the way I should tell our viewers that at the end of this program we're going to give a couple of phone numbers to get both of your organizations. So anyone can be referred to them. I understand you're not all on the phone but because you don't have enough money to be an adult. Right. That gets back to what I want to talk about now the fact that all of this tremendous human work. Takes place on

virtually no budget and which you have all of your tutors who not only volunteer their time but have to pay for their own text materials. The men I talked to in the program he said he but he paid for his own text material so he could learn to be a tutor. What about that. How do you get these marvelous people who are tutors who have all this empathy that we see. I can only associate it with the way I feel my parents were foreign born. I came to this country young. What language do they spoke my mother they were both. They both spoke Yiddish. My dad was from Romania. My mother was from Austria. It was their second life. My dad was spoke many languages but still made a very wonderful life in this country. America the golden door and they came to America. They had every opportunity and they are motivated and they learn. I feel that almost as though the circle is closed and I want to get some of that back. Because this is what it's all about this country should be what it's all about and trying to get everybody insulated and to look into.

I think we can say to people you're going to have your language would still enjoy English and more and enjoy the hour with my morning here. Not at all. I started at the question I would ask both of you how do you get these tutors who will come forward and say I'll go out and teach that class two hours a week four hours a week year in and year out. Honestly a marvelous person. But I think young exect of illiteracy tends to draw out those people who love to read and kids they can feel it's not being able to read never mind the numbers that they're saying out there. Twenty 27 million 60 million whatever the actual number is people like me who are addicted to reading. I have to force myself to put books down and they cannot comprehend having to live that way. And they come out whether they're former educators or just never having had a career at all or retired or students even we have people who come out here and try to help somebody get that.

Ability that they have. To read because it's such a wonderful thing to be able to do. So anyone listening to this program who would like to be potentially a tutor in either of your system can also see that same phone number to give the program not a great place for them. Yes. How do you keep it because the people who stay with it year after year. I know that you have 13 years old is that what you're hearing. No we're close to 17 now. Is that right. And what we try to do is during the year we try to have a in-service workshops bringing new material that we bring from conferences that take place on the state and the region at the national level trying to stimulate them with an incentive to go on and do more things. It's not easy you know when you're a volunteer it's very easy to say oh I just don't feel well or I'm having a company or something of that nature. Yes you have all these people that keep doing. And I think the motive of the volunteer is that it's somebody that's just doing busy work to fill the days. But if I were to tell you that our counsel alone has put in 16000

hours in in our just in our fiscal year and no one gets. No no no one has paid for it. We're paid we're rewarded by the success stories that we see. And during one of your success story. Well I was as I said before I'm one of her success stories. What about the relationship the special relationship between the two the tutor and the teacher. What about that. You became very close to my friend. The one thing when I started with this program the lady that I got in contact with she says not you know. If you don't click with your tutor don't give up for finding somebody else because your mother who is along with you both strike it off. Right. How about you Lorraine you know the same thing. Yes. I found out that. You're not. You're not. No no. But I found my tutor through the dyslexia society and dyslexic and finally I went to a support group there and they said you know we have a library that has free reading. Why don't you try it. And I said Well I've paid so many

times that tutors might not get free. And so that's how I tried it and it was just wonderful. And the kind of library system was working with LBJ. So you go we kind of allied with the society we have other members of the society that went to the library sometimes to find me. They can have their reading at the libraries in the library to go to their to read session and that's who we are kind of based in three different libraries are each library somehow in Westminster without going in all the technical differences of the two. They're both methods that tries to bring literacy to people of course. Do you ever regard yourselves in competition or I just made a big point about that is that not when you think that that we as every organization in the United States and our entire organization only reaches 2 percent of the functional literate to one month the other 98 percent or so are they what they are wanting for help for people to come forward and help if we're not getting it from higher

levels we're going to have to do it out and you know what I mean by higher levels are going to have to do it on a on a local basis. What I'm what I want to say is that we want to cooperate we get cooperation the libraries the schools the churches and from LBA. We are a co-operative coalition. And one thing I said at the very beginning are illiterates are no better than you're a leader. And so we're all working together to try and solve this serious problem. And you feel the same way. I think absolutely we refer people who are closer to allow the council to go there you know there especially I want to I want to make an announcement because it is relative to this public broadcasting at the whole PBS system 302 public broadcasting systems are going to keep up with ABC and in September of 1986 they're going to launch a project that's called Plus which means project literacy us plus. And that's going to be a whole raft of programs or all three through the program to wake up

America on this business of A that we have is facing us. I want to get those numbers out because if I don't get them now I may get too close at the end of the program. Anyone who has a pencil and paper please write down what you yourself need the help you may have a friend the Laubach literacy method and they have three councils in Orange County 4 9 3 3 800 That's 4:9 3 3 800 That's both of these are 7 1 4 area code. The second group literacy volunteers and they have seven councils in Orange County seven affiliates you call them 8 4 2 4 4 8 1. These are referral numbers so that they may refer you to another one but they use the magic phone numbers and are not in the phone book. So get those numbers on for 3 3 800 8 4 2 4 4 8 1. So I've got to ask you the question What is your personal reward of your being involved yourself. Tell us your your personal pay off if you want to call her feedback. It's. A connection to people who really need you and you need

them. If all of us in life are looking for something that's meaningful so that we you know we leave this earth in with someplace saying well we did a job and this has been with all the years that it it even as a teenager I did volunteer work. This has to be the most satisfying. And so my reward is what happens to the student. I know that both of you happen to be ladies I want to stress and I hope that you can so many of your volunteers horrific who you saw in the video. What was it. The great majority of our volunteers are women. But. I think the students said oh yes we do. And the students are having and the students are happy. What is your biggest reward Linda. You know when I got into this two years ago I had never really maybe had an inkling of the fact that there are illiterate talk there. They used to say the United States is 100 percent literate. I have gotten myself equivalent of a master's degree in all

kinds of things in the last two years putting this into an organization together and coordinating it and it's doing all these fantastic people who come to us and offer their services and pay $15 for the privilege yet isn't that great except people close my mind and it feels as even after two years your rigorous the program we've got to I'm left like to ask both of you very quickly what do you say to somebody who's in the same boat that you were who's listening to this program saying boy I'm not sure I can handle this. I just say Please don't be afraid to call. Day. It doesn't hurt and you growl. You really do. Crawling along. There. What would you say. I agree with her. I thought that if you want to learn you can do it it's out there to help her. I think that's wrong. Reach out and touch someone is a great thing. Times are tough now and I want to applaud all of our guests today for their part in bringing literacy to more people if you know someone who wants to get involved as a tutor or a student. Remember those numbers that I just gave you.

I'm Jim Cooper. Thanks for being with us. Me. Me. Me. Me me me.

Jim Goober's Orange County is made possible by a grant from the Harian gray steel foundation providing charitable assistance to deserving organizations in the areas of health education and culture by Disneyland Park celebrating 30 years in Orange County by signal landmark incorporated developer of Southern California real estate and builder of Landmark homes and by Robert Half an account tamps provide permanent and temporary accounting and computer personnel with offices in Newport Beach and throughout Southern California.