Costa Mesa council candidates sound off on issues

FOR THE RECORD

In a story in Monday’s paper, “Costa Mesa Council Candidates sound off on issues,” an answer submitted by Bruce Garlich was inadvertently replaced with another candidate’s response. Here is the Daily Pilot’s question and Garlich’s original response.

Question: Why should voters choose you?

Answer: Why choose me? Trust!

Trust to govern in the interests of all Costa Mesans. I serve no outside interests and seek no higher office.

Trust to make our city safe as exhibited by the confidence and support of Costa Mesa’s police and fire professionals.

Trust earned through 35 years as a hands-on aerospace executive with a record of getting things done.

Trust earned through six years as a fair and accountable Planning Commissioner.

Trust earned through decades of community service to the Senior Center, Boys & Girls Clubs, The Lions, educational institutions, homeowners groups and the Chamber of Commerce.

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The Daily Pilot asked the six Costa Mesa City Council candidates to answer two questions about their qualifications and city issues. Here are the questions and their responses.

1) Why should voters choose you?

2) Which council decision made in the past two to four years would you change and why?

Chris Bunyan:

1) The reason that I am asking Costa Mesans for their vote is because my campaign is the most balanced. I have put forth policies that would drastically reduce the surging crime rates, detailed programs that would assist our growing senior community, a comprehensive strategy to promote green issues in Costa Mesa, and a clear roadmap that will lead to Wi-Fi being available for Costa Mesa. I have a vision for an efficient, stronger and cleaner city, and a goal of bringing a sense of community back. Costa Mesa is a small town that dreams big; I want to enable residents to bring their dreams into existence.

2) The ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) proposal. Nearly $200,000 was allocated from our city’s budget to fund the program; that money is desperately needed in other areas of crime — tangible crime i.e., gang enforcement where we only have four officers. The money for the ICE proposal should have gone into an increased marketing budget for our police department and its hiring campaign. The ICE proposal gives our understaffed officers even more work, and it causes more red tape on our level. If you have a business that is understaffed and your employees are overworked then the last thing you want to do is give them more duties; this would only equate to higher attrition. The ICE proposal could lead to possible litigation from immigrants rights groups or the ACLU, and this would be extremely costly to taxpayers. I still have faith that our federal government will correct the problem of illegal immigration.

Mirna Burciaga:

1) I will make neighborhood safety a priority by strengthening our neighborhood watch programs and develop our neighborhood associations to improve our quality of life.

I will protect our open spaces; implement smart use of our land and promote opportunities for youth sports. I will demand transparency on the council, ensure all segments of the community are represented; cut waste and focus on accountability; and promote a business-friendly environment. I will strengthen our school-community partnerships to raise academic achievement. I will be accessible and fight for your interests.

I am a consensus builder and an experienced civic leader who has the best interests of working families. We need reasonable representation on the council and I have a history that demonstrates that I will focus on issues not personalities.

2) The mayor’s immigration proposal. Local government should not address or enforce immigration laws. The federal government is responsible for keeping the control of our borders and locally elected officials have no jurisdiction in this area.

I am concerned about the divisive climate plaguing our city and that is one of the reasons why I am running. Safety is the priority and at the core of having a good quality of life. Our police department is understaffed. We need to create incentives to attract and keep our experienced police officers.

We don’t have to spend our resources trying to enforce what our federal government representatives are not capable to do. Our police officers have to arrest any criminals regardless of their immigration status and transport them to Orange County jail where there is already an immigration process in place.

Bruce Garlich:

1) While there are several decisions that I would change, one that clearly stands out is the decision to eliminate the Human Relations committee. The big issue this year, illegal immigration, has created a huge division and has polarized our city. The retention of this committee would have given folks a meaningful venue to discuss the issues. A lot of the fears and anger could have been eliminated had people had a place to discuss the issue. Diversity is a cornerstone of Costa Mesa, the HR committee needs to be in place.

2) The council majority has made a real mess of the immigration issue.

The decision to seek approval to cross-train Costa Mesa Police officers as immigration screeners was made for political reasons, not for public safety. It has brought outside activists of all kinds into our community. It has changed the focus of the council’s efforts away from essential city services such as parks, road maintenance and economic revitalization. Even worse, it has accomplished nothing.

I oppose illegal immigration as does virtually everyone I know in this city. I support strong federal action to strengthen security at our borders and I support the Orange County Sheriff’s plan to screen foreign nationals at the central jail. What I don’t support is political grandstanding and wasting taxpayer dollars on training that should be done at the county level.

The reason the Mansoor proposal is wrong is best summed up in the Daily Pilot editorial of Oct. 7 — “Simply put: It does nothing.” Former Chiefs Snowden and Hensley are opposed to this political scheme. Nearly every law enforcement agency in the Orange County is opposed. They know the Mansoor political proposal has distracted from the real mission of fighting crime.

Wendy Leece:

1) Leadership is what Costa Mesa needs at this pivotal time.

I love our city but, as a parent and resident of Costa Mesa for 34 years, I am deeply concerned about our public safety.

I support Mayor Mansoor’s proposal to deport illegal aliens who commit major crimes and am the only candidate endorsed by the mayor. I was appalled to learn that three illegal-alien sex offenders were recently found in Costa Mesa and that not all illegal aliens are deported after serving their jail time.

I will fight to add more police, especially anti-gang task forces.

I have also received endorsements from Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Assemblymen Van Tran and Chuck DeVore and former Mayor Jack Hammett USN (Ret.) and former Mayor Pro Tem Orv Amburgey.

Like you, my main concerns are the community’s safety, traffic congestion, street repair, youth sports fields and good schools. Less traffic must be a priority when we negotiate future developments.

I oppose eminent domain. I will vote against tax increases. I am not beholden to any interest groups. I am not afraid to stand up for principles.

I have a plan to make Costa Mesa the beautiful coastal city it should be. Years of neglect have led to downtrodden sections of our city. I will work hard every day to put forth plans to revitalize our city. Easing traffic congestion by synchronizing lights, supporting our seniors by increasing affordable housing and repairing our sports fields are some of my priorities. I want to see our potholes repaired quickly and entrances to our city beautified.

Costa Mesa deserves exemplary leadership. I am that leader. Together we can fight for a safe and prosperous community. Please vote for me and visit my website: www.wendyleece.com.

2) [Did not respond]

Allan Mansoor:

1) Having lived in Costa Mesa most of my life, I am honored to serve as your mayor. I am an Orange County Deputy Sheriff with over 12 years of law enforcement experience.

During my term on council, I have worked with citizens from all parts of Costa Mesa to improve our city.

To reduce crime, I put forward a proposal for our police to work with Immigration Customs Enforcement to deport illegal immigrants who commit major crimes. We implemented overlay zones to revitalize our neighborhoods without eminent domain or additional traffic impacts. Our council made developers mitigate their traffic impacts to reduce traffic congestion. We increased sports field opportunities and added more police to decrease crime.

My goals are clear: We need tough gang enforcement. I will support property rights and oppose eminent domain and oppose new taxes. Affordable senior housing and increased sports fields that do not have a negative impact on neighborhoods are key to improving our city.

Repairing our streets and synchronizing our traffic signals to move traffic efficiently will improve our quality of life. Beautification of our neighborhoods and streets will help make Costa Mesa as nice as our neighboring ocean-oriented cities.

2) The worst decision made by Council and Planning commission has to be 1901 Newport, which two of my opponents voted for. This double-density project has a parking structure and over 140 condominiums in a parking lot at the second worst traffic intersection in the county. We had no legal obligation to approve this project.

We need to improve Costa Mesa, not boggle it down in traffic. I respectfully ask for your vote. www.allanmansoor.com

Mike Scheafer:

1) Voters should chose me for a variety of reasons. I have the experience, leadership ability and dedication needed to serve this city. Unlike the current “maligned council majority” where decisions are made based on the select opinion of some, I believe that citizens have the right to be heard and considered. I am well known as someone who weighs all options before deciding.

I am not afraid to change my mind if the consensus and common sense say I should. I encourage the public to let me know how they feel, and even if I disagree, I won’t label them as being wrong. I will use a common-sense approach to work for the entire city.

2) While there are several decisions that I would change, one that clearly stands out is the decision to eliminate the Human Relations committee. The big issue this year, “illegal immigration,” has created a huge division and has polarized our city. The retention of this committee would have given folks a meaningful venue to discuss the issues. A lot of the fears and anger could have been eliminated had people had a place to discuss the issue. Diversity is a cornerstone of Costa Mesa, the HR committee needs to be in place.