Seeking answers in cyberspace

Lolita Harper

EDITOR’S NOTE: Two weeks ago, the otherwise little-noticed Costa Mesa

Human Relations Commission erupted into a verbal battle about postings

made by three members to a Web site dedicated to city issues.

The allegations were serious. The emotions that followed were

unchecked.

Articles in the Pilot detailed the charges and countercharges. But it

was a story, we decided, that needed more context and details.

At the root was the Web site and those who for more than a year and a

half have used it as a place to debate and discuss how to make Costa Mesa

a better place.

Over the next three days, we will look at who these people are, where

they fit into the city’s political landscape, how they have been

galvanized by their, at times, hot-tempered and clashing discussions

online, and, finally, what led to charges of racism and homophobia

lurking among people devoted to improving their city.

CYBERSPACE -- Some members know each other on a first-name basis,

others by their screen name only. Some members share the same points of

view regarding city issues, others have fierce exchanges regarding their

differences.

No matter the relationship between the participants, all are invited

to converse on a daily basis with concerns, opinions and ideas as to how

Costa Mesa can be improved.

The Concerned Costa Mesa Citizens Web site was started by residents

Janice Davidson and Jerry Vanus in October 2000 as a venue for other

residents to get together -- albeit in cyberspace -- and discuss possible

solutions to some of the problems they believed plague Costa Mesa. The

founding members of the online chat group were largely members of the

Citizens for Improvement of Costa Mesa, a group that supported Councilman

Chris Steel’s election and continues to agree with many of his platform

views.

Davidson, who is also active with the improvement organization, said

the Web site was started to help people -- regardless of their political

affiliations -- to come together and participate in their community.

“We started this so people could communicate and get involved and talk

about what we can do to help change things for the better,” Davidson

said.

The well-intended Web site has now become a topic of contention as a

young group of activists has questioned some postings made by three

members of the Costa Mesa Human Relations Committee, calling the remarks

homophobic and racist. The postings in question, however, are only a

handful of the thousands that have been written since the site’s

creation.

The Web site has 90 registered members and is open to anyone who logs

onto Yahoo Groups and registers with the search engine. The new user is

given a screen name and password and is welcomed to contribute to the

group chat. The group also has an e-mail subscription in which all posts

to the group are mailed to personal e-mail addresses. Most users say they

communicate with the group via e-mail more often than through the

Internet.

Posts on the site range in topic from academic performance of area

schools or crime to proposed development or social issues. Online

conversations also vary in tone and civility. Some issues spark heated

debate, while others receive uncontested endorsements.

Web site member Paul Bunney said the diversity in issues and opinions

is what makes the site strong. Bunney said he likes to read different

points of views on various issues.

“This is a place where people who are interested in Costa Mesa can go

and have discussions with other people who care about the community,”

Bunney said. “It is an unmoderated venue where people can express their

ideas. I prefer to see that people disagree.”

Bunney said he does not view the Web site as a means to unite one

group of people or organize a faction of similar-thinking residents

toward a specific goal; rather, he sees the venue simply as a means of

dialogue. The best thing about the site is that there aren’t stringent

guidelines or rules regarding what can and cannot be said. There is an

underlying expectation of decorum that members try to abide by, he said,

but there are exceptions. He compared the open public forum to the

alternative of voicing one’s opinion in a community newspaper.

“You don’t have to worry about whether your idea is ‘newsworthy’ or if

there is enough space in the paper to fit your letter or article,” Bunney

said. “Here on the Web site, there is not that kind of control, and you

get the chance to offer your opinion.”

Eric Bever, also a frequent contributor to the site, agreed. The Web

site was established to provide a forum for those interested in Westside

improvement and it has expanded to include Costa Mesa as a whole, Bever

said.

“It has become a clearinghouse for ideas and viewpoints, and allows a

lot of the debate to be aired in a public arena,” Bever said. “The goal

was to create a community forum, and it has succeeded in that.”

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

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

COMING FRIDAY: A look at the issues, both benign and controversial,

and the people involved in the Concerned Costa Mesa Citizens Web site.

COMING SATURDAY: Who and what were behind the charges made about

allegedly racist and homophobic comments on the Web site?