Conversations with a certain Costa Mesa councilman

I have learned four major lessons from Costa Mesa Councilman Chris

Steel:

1. Republicans and conservatives are not the same thing.

2. Illegal immigrants are not criminals.

3. Scapegoating is not the same as saying an increasing number of

a certain kind of people are responsible for lowering test scores,

property values and the overall quality of life.

4. Never trust cell phones.

Steel and I have had a very, uh, interesting relationship over the

past two years. It has consisted of one-sided, late-night phone

calls, discussions in the parking lot in the wee hours of the morning

after City Council meetings and the occasional laugh.

Considering the rumors I had heard about the unusually,

nonpolitically-correct councilman before arriving in the Pilot

newsroom, I was surprised to find him, well, endearing. In a weird,

I-know-that-somehow-you- think-you-mean-well kind of way.

Since I started writing this column, however, our relationship has

been a bit strained. While he still smiles at me and throws a

polyester-blend-covered arm over my shoulders when he greets me in

public, his angry, 45-minute messages on my voicemail tell a

different story.

The most recent one, left at 10:41 a.m. April 21, told me I had reached “crisis-level” in misrepresenting his thoughts and comments.

It is a common occurrence for the editors and publishers of the Pilot

to start down the dangerous path of misinformation, Steel contends,

but now I have apparently followed. And he demands corrections.

OK. I give. Republicans and conservatives are not the same thing.

In a Closer Look on partisan politics, I wrote that Steel was looking

for a Republican to fill the seat of former Mayor Karen Robinson

based on his statements in a letter to the editor calling for a

“conservative” replacement.

Another voicemail, left at 5:41 a.m. April 19, started like this:

“Hello, Lolita, you know who this is, how about we call it the

‘Unthinking Allowed’ column?” Steel said. “It’s about ... My God, I

can’t believe it is 5:30 a.m. I haven’t even been to bed yet.”

I know it doesn’t sound so mean, right? Toward the 32nd minute, it

gets into his feelings about my most hurtful column to date, “Where

has all the rhetoric gone?”

“I’m not looking for controversy,” he said in the April 19

message. “I hate to have people upset at me. I am very sensitive

about that.”

Steel was a prominent player in that column in which I called to

question whether views on citizenship and immigration held by certain

politicians and vocal residents had changed after the tragedy of

fallen Marine Jose Garibay, who was not a U.S. citizen when he died

fighting for the country.

“I’m still kind of ticked off about that, as pretty as you are and

as lovely as you look these days,” Steel said in his early morning

message.

This message was mild compared to the original message he left on

the subject. I would quote from it, but I’ve been told numerous times

we are a “family newspaper,” so I don’t think it would be

appropriate.

Steel claims I never called for comment. If any of you are avid

council watchers, or you have happened to have a conversation with

Steel since March 31, you would have heard him call me a flat-out

liar.

“She never called me,” he says.

I called the man on his cell phone because he was in San Diego on

“city business” and left a message that was never returned. That’s my

version of how it went down, but there are always two sides to every

story.

But since many of our so-called conversations have only one side

anyways, I will stick with that theme and offer Steel’s own words in

my defense.

“If you called me on my cell, and that is very possible, if you

left a message, it should still be on there and I will have to figure

out how to access it,” he said.

Steel said he was under the impression his cell phone was not set

up to receive voice messages, but he would have to get over to

Irvine, where he bought it, and have someone help him figure it out.

“On March 27, I got a call on my cell phone, but I couldn’t get to

my phone because ...” I will spare you all the reasons he gave me. “I

saw the number on the caller ID. I will call that back. It was late

in the afternoon and I will call that back. It may be a Pilot number,

but you couldn’t have left a message. I don’t doubt that you called

me, I’ll take that back, but you should have left a message on my

land phone.”

Point taken.

Oh, and Steel said his view on illegal immigrants -- whom he does

not in any way, shape or form consider criminals -- has not changed.

He has always believed they are wonderful people who just happened to

get a bad deal in life. They are hard working and will be rewarded by

a higher power when they are finished struggling here in the secular

world, Steel said.

Garibay was a hero and should be honored, Steel said. And he went

to the family’s home, on his own, to tell the grieving mother just

that. He found a translator and spoke with the mother, uncle and

cousins of the fallen Marine. Steel stayed at the family home for

hours, even after he admittedly wore out his welcome, because he felt

at ease and comfortable around such hospitable people.

He does not blame immigrants for the city’s problems, he said. But

he cannot support organizations and city-funded projects that

continue to attract such diligent would-be heroes.

And I wonder why there is an information gap.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.