Steel blasts council, immigrants

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- A public forum at Vanguard University designed to gather

input from city leaders and address local problems did more than merely

take the pulse of the community Thursday -- it raised the heart rate.

Members of the Outreach Network, an organization that strives to unite

and mobilize faith-based community services, invited a member of the

Costa Mesa City Council to shed some light on what they can do to answer

the community’s challenges. Councilman Chris Steel accepted the

invitation.

Steel stayed true to his usual platform and gave an impassioned speech

about how community leaders must step up to the plate and take action

against the magnets that draw undocumented immigrants to the community by

offering free food, as well as medical and dental services.

Immigrants’ inability to adjust to American culture results in lower

standardized test scores, which results in lower property values and a

subsequent domino effect that worsens the quality of life in the city, he

said. Their actions are unintentional but still have a highly visible

effect on the community, Steel said.

“I am not scapegoating immigrants!” Steel said loudly and repeatedly,

at times pounding the table to emphasize his point.

Steel spoke to an audience that included representatives from the

Shalimar Learning Center, the UC Irvine Community Outreach Partnership

Center and various churches. Some audience members visibly reacted to

many of Steel’s comments by shaking their heads or whispering to

neighbors. At other times, his words were met with nods or laughter.

Jesse Miranda, the director of Vanguard’s Center for Urban Studies and

Ethnic Leadership and moderator of Thursday’s forum, questioned Steel’s

view on undocumented residents.

“I am having a problem here,” Miranda said. “You say they are not the

scapegoat, but every answer you have given correlates to immigrants.”

Steel defended his position, saying his statements were based on truth

not opinion.

“I am not merely scapegoating; these are facts,” Steel said. “It’s not

racism; it’s reality.”

Immigrants were not the only topic of discussion. Steel launched

criticism at his fellow council members, the liberal media, slumlords and

the Save Our Selves charity.

“Our city councils -- past and present -- are well-intendedbut very

naive, very liberal, very permissive,” Steel said. “They have an attitude

of denial, indifference and silence that frustrates the electorate.”

Steel admitted the City Council did not have the direct power to force

the large charity out of the city but lamented that none of his fellow

leaders shared his views.

Some worried that Steel’s rationale for opposing Save Our Selves could

be transferred to their own network if it were to become too successful.

Cindy Vosseller, a member of the Outreach Network, said the goal of

the organization was to come together as churches and send these

immigrant children to universities so they can be returned to the

community as doctors and lawyers.

“We need the opportunity to get in there and do that, not be shut down

by the City Council,” Vosseller said.

Steel said he supported that kind of outreach but questioned its

effectiveness.

“I applaud that, but is it realistic? Is it happening?” Steel

questioned. “In the meantime, I have to deal with reality and represent

the citizens who elected me.”

Vanguard University student Jarred Rowland, who regularly attends the

Outreach Network meetings, said he was disappointed in the councilman’s

presentation. Steel was invited to represent the council as a whole and

instead succeeded in demonizing his colleagues.

“He seemed interested in exposing personal vendettas and pointing out

who the enemies are,” Rowland said. “The focus was really negative today,

which is not the point of the network.”

Rowland said he would like to discuss the same issues with other

council members to get a better take on the city’s leadership position.

Steel suspected his words would be hard to swallow and acknowledged it

during his closing comments.

“I know that I may have offended you, but we’ve got a problem here,”

Steel said. “We have a lot going for us here in Costa Mesa, but unless we

address and abate these trends, we are deluding ourselves.”

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .