COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:

Since the Costa Mesa City Council’s December decision to train members of the city’s Police Department as federal immigration agents, our once-tranquil town has been overrun by out-of-town freaks, political movements, and immigration militias. Frankly, the affairs of Costa Mesa are nobody’s business except that of those who live, work or operate a business here.

So here’s a challenge: I urge all City Council candidates to refuse to accept campaign contributions from non-Costa Mesa residents, or from any business, political party or other organization not located in Costa Mesa. Any City Council candidate who has received campaign contributions of this kind should return those contributions immediately.

If we are to have a local election predicated upon local interests and issues — and not steered by outside interests — then we should insist that our candidates not accept money from the very outside interests they bemoan. If any candidate refuses such a pledge or does not return contributions already donated, then we expect them to stop whining about the “outside” interests that are supposedly dragging this town into a chasm of Third World demographics, social rot and crime.