MAILBAG - Sept. 3, 2006

Where is the mayor’s support coming from?

What with all the back-and-forth talk regarding our mayor, Allan Mansoor, I have noticed that recently in the Daily Pilot there have been pro-mayor letters touting Mansoor, but am curious about something. These letters were written by residents of Orange and Chino Hills. I didn’t realize the Daily Pilot had such a wide circulation?

So I wonder, with the November elections coming right up, is the mayor soliciting friends and relatives to jump start his campaign?

RALPH ROLLINS

Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa needs real leadership

For the past 10 years I have been observing the people who support Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor’s idea that the root of all of Costa Mesa’s troubles is the illegal immigrant population. This group now speaks the politically correct language of the blame game.

It was not always that way; I know because I served on city committees with them. Ten years ago they spoke in clearly biased, categorical and prejudicial statements, but they quickly learned from other committee members that there was no tolerance for their intolerance of Latinos and that their voice was tuned out and discounted as insignificant. So they adapted and used vague and broad language to spread their intolerance and hatred. The use of politically correct language did not negate their underlying motives so bluntly stated previously. When rational people called them out for speaking in vague innuendo they were quick to say, “I have no hidden agenda of intolerance or prejudice; are you calling me a racist?”

No matter how you mask it, intolerance of other human beings should not be condoned.

I love the story that was inspired by the events of World War II. I will paraphrase: They came for this kind of people and then that kind, but I did not speak out against the injustice, and when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out against injustice. Intolerance is insidious — it happens in small ways and is persistent until people finally wake up and take action.

I have not seen any statistics by a credible source that links illegal immigration to all crime or even a major portion in Costa Mesa. Anyone can use innuendo, but I need proof. And if it can be proven, let’s formulate a reasonable and measured plan to change it and not blame groups of caring people but instead go after the criminal element. Criminals are what they are not because of job centers, soup kitchens or rental units.

Am I sure that there is a portion of crime in Costa Mesa committed by illegal immigrants? Sure, there is an element. But the bashing of all people who don’t look like us is not the answer. I am sure that the criminals are not interested in jobs, soup or rental units.

Speaking of rental units, let’s not place the blame of overcrowding on the tenants. People are naturally resourceful, and if you can’t afford market-rate rents for a dump of a unit on a minimum wage job or two, you do the next best thing: You share rental space. Owning rental units is the business of making money. The making of money comes with responsibilities. If you want to protect your business, you have the responsibility to manage the asset. Unit overcrowding is due to the lack of management. There are management techniques that can legally restrict overcrowding of dwellings. Identify an overcrowded, under-parked complex, and I will show you a lack of management skills.

Instead of complaining about these problems and spending large amounts of money for code enforcement, how about directing some of those funds to create an economic development department that in part educates property owners in management principals that will enhance property values, eliminate overcrowding and ultimately increase profits for the owners? Instead of beating people into submission with more laws, how about thinking outside of the box? Let’s not use limited, short-term solutions for long-standing problems but be innovators and leaders. Give leadership a chance.

Here’s a novel idea: Costa Mesa could become a leader in Orange County by crafting a logical, unbiased, humane and effective plan in the area of illegal immigration. This plan could be transportable to others regions of the country, and Costa Mesa would gain national notoriety for leadership instead of knee jerking, ill-conceived, highly inflammatory policies that are ineffective as long-term solutions.

Supporting “reasonable” people on the ballot in November is a first step in crafting and implementing a long-term successful solution to our problems.

Elected officials at the local and regional levels are the most responsive to the electorate, so let’s be collaborative and deliberate about how we address this problem. I see no reason for the 30-plus cities of Orange County to each have a staff of police officers to check immigration status of accused felons. All felons are processed through the county jail system, so wouldn’t it be more efficient for the county to charge a processing fee to the cities for every felon transported by a city to be checked for citizenship status. The fee could be based on the number of felons a city arrests and charge with a crime. It seems that the county could end up with 30-plus officers to do the work, one for each city, not several in each city.

Now that kind of a plan I could support. It sounds much more cost effective to me. Have we had open discussions with our elected officials, the county supervisors, on this subject? I haven’t heard anything about this kind of solution. Wow, that sounds reasonable to me!

I am confident that there are talented and intelligent people in Costa Mesa willing to lead, not blame so called “magnets” for our lack of creative solutions and planning.

MARK KORANDO

Costa Mesa

Changing community at core of immigration fight

Perhaps the real issue underlying the great immigration debate is actually more simple than we’re making it out to be. Some are looking at Costa Mesa’s mayor, some are looking at businesses who employ “illegals.” Deep down I think it’s because Newport-Mesa, until recently, has been an affluent to middle-class, and most important, white community. With the influx of Latinos, this is changing, and some people don’t think that’s good. They don’t pay into the Social Security system; they clog up the medical system; they don’t speak English; they don’t contribute.

But we don’t mind them gardening, house keeping and basically making things right for us. Do we really want the police going to car washes to check the green card status of employees? Working mothers hire illegal immigrants to care for their children everyday. We wait patiently at fast food places for the same folk to give us our food. And yet at the end of the day, they’re a problem?

It is no surprise then why there’s incessant conflict in the Middle East, when we can’t talk about immigration without foaming at the mouth. I’m not saying there are easy answers to the issue, but let’s reexamine the real motivation for our insisting that the very people keeping our service industry afloat are the same people we view as criminals for not having the right paper in their pocket.

JENNIFER BIOCHE

Newport Beach

Joseph N. Bell column hit on proper freedoms

Thank you, Joseph N. Bell. Thank you for having the courage to use one of the freedoms that makes our country great. The freedom of speech. Especially for exercising this freedom in our great Orange County.

Thank you for the Aug. 3 column (“800-pound automobile,” The Bell Curve) about SUVs and oil consumption. I hope we all listen to your message and take steps to reduce our ridiculous consumption of oil and all of our earth’s resources.

TRACEY DASCHBACH

Costa Mesa