Tony Dodero -- From the Newsroom

If those of you living on the Westside of Costa Mesa haven’t heard of

UC Irvine professor Kristen Day, you probably will soon.

Even if you don’t, you probably should. Because amid the name calling

and divisiveness that has stirred the Westside debate so far, she has

been quietly studying ways to shape the future of this embattled side of

town.

As I said in this space a week ago, there are some who wish to blame

the ills of the Westside on one group. But it’s always easier to point

fingers and blame others than to roll up your sleeves and fix the

problems.

Then, last week, I met Day and learned her efforts have the potential

to make positive changes in the area’s political landscape, a landscape

that, according to the latest census figures, is being deluged with

myriad cultures and ethnicities.

Day, an associate professor in UCI’s department of urban and regional

planning, is creating a connection between the university and the

Westside.

Dubbed the Community Outreach Partnership Center, the initiative is

designed to bring university and community leaders to the table to come

up with ideas and solutions to crime, safety, educational and cultural

problems, and on how to fix the racial and cultural tensions between

Latinos and whites.

If this all sounds kind of pie-in-the-sky, you’re right, it does. Just

how much can a university program do to fix such heady problems?

I must admit I’m a little skeptical.

Day understands that and her answer is that UCI should not be viewed

as a savior.

“It’s important to be realistic,” she says. “These are often very

difficult problems. I don’t think the university can solve problems but

it can be one of the partners. We can be a neutral party.”

Day began her relationship with the Westside back in the fall of 1999,

when she met local restaurateur Maria Elena Avila at UCI.

Avila had learned of the university’s urban planning department and

was seeking answers to some of the problems that she knew were tearing at

the Westside’s very fabric.

“It was a perfect match,” Day says. “I was looking for a project and

she was looking for someone to help. That’s how I got hooked.” So Day

added a special focus to the graduate course that she teaches on urban

design and behavior -- the Westside.

Her students now study the Westside as a project. They’ve assessed

whether there is adequate recreational needs and park areas on the

Westside and they’ve studied other communities with similar issues and

even made suggestions on the city’s now-scrapped plans for revitalizing

the area.

Day says the outreach program, which will ultimately result in a

university-staffed office on the Westside, is modeled after other

successful programs that have taken place in other parts of the country.

For example, Day notes there is a very large community outreach center

at UC Berkley. The center has done a lot of work with the city of

Oakland’s African American community in the areas of economic development

and job training.

The center even supported a local museum on the history of

tap-dancing, she said. But even more, it brings the poorest factions in

touch with a concept they often have little knowledge of -- university

education.

Day emphasizes that no outreach program can be successful unless the

community members embrace the concept and take leadership roles.

“The university can be involved but community members need to rise up

and work together,” she said.

Day also notes it would also be wrong to equate this outreach program

as one solely centered on the Westside’s Latino community.

Likewise, she’s aware that not all the factions on the Westside are

eager to come to the table.

If they did, though, what they find may surprise them, she says.

“Many of the Latino residents have the same concerns as other

residents,” she says. “It’s a misperception that there is a lot of

difference. What people will find is everyone has a lot in common. Nobody

likes living in a place that is unsafe and rundown.”

Day spoke about the outreach program to a breakfast gathering at UCI

last week and outlined her hopes and goals for its success.

She would be the first to tell you that she doesn’t have all the

answers.

In fact, she thinks you do.

If you think she’s right then give her a call at 949-824-5880.

**TONY DODERO is the editor. His column appears on Mondays. If you

have story ideas or concerns about news coverage, please send messages

either via e-mail to o7 tony.dodero@latimes.comf7 or by phone at

949-574-4258.