Editorial

It would take a lot of imagination, and frankly a lot of dishonesty,

to label Costa Mesa as a crime-ridden city.

But that of course is what some, who can only be called opportunists,

will be trying to do with the latest crime statistics released from the

state attorney general’s office.

The statistics showed a massive spike in robberies in 2001 and much

smaller increases in burglaries, thefts, assaults and rape.

Make no mistake, any rise in crime should be alarming. And Costa Mesa

Councilman Gary Monahan got it right when he said the council is wasting

too much time on trivial issues and not enough time on making sure it’s

doing everything in its power to protect its residents.

Indeed, Costa Mesa police officers have responded to the spikes in

crime and report that the crime figures for 2002 show the robberies have

already tapered off.

Also, an earlier jump the year before in car thefts has been reversed,

so much so that the city saw a downward trend in that category in 2001.

All thanks to the efforts of the Police Department to step up

enforcement. Costa Mesa continues to be high on the list of the safest

cities in the nation with 100,000 or more population.

Still, fingers are being pointed since this latest round of crime

stats and Councilman Chris Steel and his supporters are pointing them in

the general direction of one of their favorite targets, the

city-sponsored Job Center.

We remind these folks that crime existed in Costa Mesa long before the

Job Center existed and if the Job Center goes away today, it will exist

long after that.

The two have little to do with each other and using that example only

fans the flames of anger toward the mostly Latino men who line up daily

looking for work at that site, anger that is already simmering

dangerously near the surface of raging City Hall debates.

Do people who use the Job Center commit crimes? Perhaps. But crime is

not, nor has it ever been, exclusive to one economic class of people.

Much is being made of Costa Mesa’s desire to change its image and be

more like its more affluent neighbor Newport Beach (see the Last Word

below).

Newport Beach, of course, is not without crime either. In fact,

Newport Beach often deals with white collar crime that involves fraud and

embezzlements that reach the millions of dollars.

All without the help of a job center to attract such white collar

thieves.

So let’s stick to finding innovative ways to help improve the safety

and well being of all residents through community policing and maybe more

resources directed toward crime prevention and enforcement.

Most of all, quit the stereotypical finger pointing that doesn’t

improve anything.