Activist writes his history of local politics

Political activist and professor Humberto Caspa’s new book about Costa Mesa politics was inspired by recent turmoil at City Hall.

“There was a lot of stuff going on in the community, and a lot of problems in the local government, things that I wasn’t aware of even though I lived here for 15 years,” Caspa said. “My goal is to raise consciousness.”

Caspa will talk about his new book, “Terror in the Latino Barrio: The Rise of the New Right in Local Government,” Thursday at OCC.

In the book, the one-time Daily Pilot columnist gives a history of immigration issues in Costa Mesa and rebukes some city council members for policies he says are racist and aimed at changing city demographics.

The immigration debate in Costa Mesa has calmed down in the last year; but when the adjunct political science professor at UCI was writing the book, several local controversies made national news.

Caspa focuses on these issues, including the closing of the Westside job center, the criminal and civil trials of Benito Acosta — who was arrested during one meeting as the City Council debated then-Mayor Allan Mansoor’s proposal to have local police enforce immigration laws — and proposals to change the infrastructure of Costa Mesa’s Westside.

Aside from interpreting the history of the city’s immigration debate over the last 30 years, Caspa criticizes many local politicians and activists such as Mayor Eric Bever.

Bever has not yet read the book, but he said Caspa is one of many extreme voices in Costa Mesa who are on the fringe of the community.

“The things I’ve seen from Caspa have a lot of information that is inaccurate and unsubstantiated, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of the same,” Bever said. “He’s got an agenda, and he’s going to pursue it.”

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.