ORANGE COUNTY IN BANKRUPTCY : On-Line County Taking Government to People : Information: Via Internet, residents with computers and modems will be able to air views on such matters as the bankruptcy, or draw from a wide array of data.

SANTA ANA — Responding to public demands to make government more accessible and responsive, Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gaddi H. Vasquez today will drive the county onto the ever-expanding information superhighway.

Soon, anyone with a computer, a modem and an urge to vent about the county’s bankruptcy or any other issue will be able to link up directly to officials at the Hall of Administration via the Internet.

Vasquez, who spearheaded the project, said the county will not charge for the service. He said he hopes the computer network will “make government more open” to county residents. The service will be officially unveiled at the Board of Supervisors meeting today.

Starting today, computer users will be able to sign on to the worldwide service and retrieve a wide array of county information. Everything from the Board of Supervisors’ agendas and county press releases to profiles of supervisors will be at their fingertips.

Computer users familiar with the electronic networks can reach the county via the Internet at its World Wide Web site, https://oc.ca.gov, or at its e-mail address, @[email protected].

Eventually, they will be able to direct queries and comments personally to any county supervisor and many other county officials.

The prospect of direct community access is very exciting and somewhat daunting, Vasquez admitted.

He said he is looking forward to mingling with constituents in cyberspace “as long as the volume is manageable. . . . I think this will open the door for a lot of great opportunities.”

Just as the public will be able to retrieve information from the county, Vasquez said supervisors may be able to get input from constituents on vital issues facing the county.

“This has the potential to save a lot of staff time,” he said.

Joshua Wallingford, a senior systems manager who is organizing the county’s service, said Orange County will be one of just a handful of communities in the nation that provide the public computer access to such information.

Wallingford said the county has worked out an arrangement with two computer information firms to get the service at no cost.

Irvine-based Maximized On Line will provide the county with computer hardware and expertise to maintain the service, while another Irvine firm, Network Intensive, has agreed to provide the county with the networking means to support the “traffic” of users accessing the service. In exchange, both companies will be given free advertising space on the service.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Surf the Government

The Orange County Board of Supervisors is going on-line with Orange County and the world. What information will be available:

* Board of Supervisors agendas

* Meeting notices

* Press releases

* Supervisor profiles

Electronic Addresses

* Internet e-mail: @[email protected]

* World Wide Web site: https://oc.ca.gov

Source: Orange County Board of Supervisors