LETTER TO THE EDITOR:Mansoor deserves community’s respect

People continue to make ill-founded pronouncements and to rail against Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor.

The latest condemned our three male council members as being the root cause of the recent violence and deadly shooting. How the writer arrived at this point of illogic stretches (my) credulity to the limit. He apparently viewed the now-defunct Costa Mesa job center as a panacea for all the ills surrounding the illegal immigrant conundrum and its elimination as the underlying reason of all continuing problems.

As I live only a block away from the now-closed job center, I have had a front-row seat and ample opportunity to witness, first-hand, what it did to my neighborhood. I am glad that our city is no longer in the job center business. By my calculation, well over $1 million of our city’s tax money was spent on this albatross over the past 17 years. Since its closure, the quality of life in my neighborhood has improved.

Next, the writer attacked the new Westside plan. His view seems to be that any change on the Westside will come to no good. I spent a few years of my life as a member of both the Community Redevelopment Action Committee and Westside Revitalization Oversight Committee. These were the committees formed to improve the Westside of our city. I believe that I am better qualified to critique the intent of these committees’ recommendations than someone who was never a member of either group. The committee members’ consensus was meant to be a “recommendation” to the City Council; we contributed our ideas to this committee knowing that the final result would be a recommendation, not a mandate. We were all aware that the City Council might, and probably would, change some of the specifics of our suggestions. No one can dispute the fact this was not a document written in stone.

This is a plan that will not cost the taxpayers anything, and will greatly improve the Westside. It employs a zoning overlay that will allow each property owner to do as he wishes with his property within the bounds of the overlay’s rules. He is not forced to change anything. If he doesn’t want to take advantage of the zoning, he is not required to, and he may continue his business as long as he desires. What other major change to our city’s zoning could possibly be more equitable?

Finally, our mayor is accused of “grandstanding” for calling a news conference to announce the city’s $10,000 reward to help solve the recent horrible killing of Israel Maciel. The writer’s inference is that there was no motive to that substantial reward, other than political posturing.

If we are to judge from the recent outcry from the residents of our city, Mansoor’s response to this tragedy is nothing less than responsible governance. His announcement of the reward is what is done when the police have few leads to pursue, and hopefully, it may lead to the apprehension of the killer. In that event, the mayor’s response would certainly seem appropriate and timely.

It’s interesting how everything is a matter of perspective, and mine is that Mansoor is telling us the truth. He says he wants a safer city, and he is determined to do something about it. Mansoor’s efforts are making a difference. It’s easy to attack someone when you don’t put yourself up for public scrutiny 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I respect a person like our youthful mayor, who steps up to the job, endures the slings and arrows of his detractors, and continues to try to solve the problems our city faces daily. Anyone who incites fear and finds fault with those who are doing the heavy lifting while sitting on the sidelines hurling epithets and using fabricated facts, should find a more receptive audience.

CHRIS ERIC

Costa Mesa