Two resign from human relations committee

Lolita Harper

Two alternate members of the Human Relations Committee, a group

that recently has been forced to tackle hard-hitting topics like

homophobia and racism, will ask tonight for full-time appointments

after two members resigned.

Council members will consider the applications of alternate

members Russ Ramirez and Judy Stone to fill the seats vacated by

regular members Cindy Brenneman and Karen Sager.

Both Ramirez and Stone were at recent Human Relations Committee

meetings that included emotional, turbulent and heartfelt discussions

about three members who were accused of spreading intolerance on a

local Web site. Although both were alternate members, they were

invited to join in the discussion and offered opinions about the

allegedly racist and homophobic postings.

The city committee has also hosted a special dialogue with

organizers of the lesbian pride event -- the Dyke March held Saturday

afternoon -- and reviewed a charge of unlawful arrest during

Ramirez’s and Stone’s alternate tenures. Committee members undertook

all those issues within a two-month span.

Brenneman -- who is a member of various boards and the president

of the Mesa Verde homeowners’ association -- said she simply did not

have adequate time to devote to the committee that, before June, had

concentrated on essay contests and picnics. She said her resignation

was not a result of the recent controversy and the timing was “just a

coincidence.”

“I just couldn’t give it the time that I felt the committee

needed,” Brenneman said. “It was just hard and I felt that I wasn’t

contributing. And if I’m not speaking up and not contributing, then I

am not part of solution and then why am I here?”

Brenneman said she felt she accomplished quite a few goals while

serving but then the committee “got stalled.”

Sager could not be reached for comment about why she chose to step

down.

Ramirez had initially applied for regular membership but was

awarded an alternate position because the 11 seats were filled. In

his application dated March 27, Ramirez wrote that he “would like to

invest [his] time and energy in helping the city find new ways to

better incorporate the diverse ethnic and cultural groups, which

visit, work and live in the city.” Advancement of cultural and ethnic

interests is fundamental to the enhancement of the city’s attributes,

he wrote.

Stone applied on the same day and stated she was familiar with

issues pertaining to diversity from working at the Orange County

Transit Authority. A four-year resident of the city, Stone wrote it

would be “an honor to serve on the Costa Mesa Human Relations

Committee and take an active part in assisting others in my

community.”

The mission of the Human Relations Committee, established in 1987,

is to “encourage interaction, sharing and understanding of the

various cultures residing in Costa Mesa,” according to the city Web

site.

In recent years, council members have called its effectiveness

into question, saying no tangible goals were being reached. As a

result of the discussion in the past two months, Councilwoman Libby

Cowan said she had renewed hope that the group will continue to

confront the complex issues of racism, homophobia, hatred and

intolerance in the city.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

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