Latinos to unveil their plan

Andrew Glazer

COSTA MESA -- After years of feeling they had no political voice, Latino

leaders will present the City Council with suggestions about how to

revitalize the West Side.

“This will be the beginning of a new relationship with the city,” said

Maria Elena Avila, owner of Avila’s El Ranchito restaurants, including

one on the West Side.

The group won’t release any details of their report until tonight’s City

Council meeting.

Avila is a member of the city’s Latino Community Advisors, a coalition of

neighborhood activists, business owners and residents. The advisory group

formed in September after Latino residents living on the West Side

complained that city planners had left them out of the planning process

for their neighborhood.

In 1997, the city hired planners to find a solution to the neighborhood’s

historic landscaping, street and traffic problems. The area features a

mix of homes, industrial facilities and small businesses.

“The city has so much riding on the outcome of this effort,” said

Councilman Joe Erickson. “We need to hear from everyone involved. If the

residents don’t take ownership in the plan, it won’t succeed.”

Students from UC Irvine’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning

helped the advisory group find out who lives in the community and and

what their needs are.

Bill Turpit, a member of the advisory group, said the report reflects

hundreds of conversations the group held with people living in the

largely Latino West Side community.

He said earlier this month that the report isn’t radically different than

what planners have already discussed. But he and Avila said the report

will inject the much-needed voice of the neighborhood’s Latino population

into the planning process.

“Because of the West Side plan, a wonderful group of leaders stepped

forward and were identified,” Avila said. “Now they have faith and trust

the City Council. They say it really does care. This is the beginning of

a new relationship that with time will get richer and better.”

The City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. today at City Hall, 77 Fair

Drive.