Editorial:

We favor governments focused on issues within their purviews. Cities, counties, states and the federal government each play clearly defined roles in serving taxpayers. So it’s distressing when one branch of government wants to venture into areas where it has no formal role. Such forays are even more distressing when the goal is to tap into an emotional firestorm rather than create meaningful change.

We could be talking about Arizona, but we’re referring to Costa Mesa, where Mayor Allan Mansoor has issued a call to arms on illegal immigration. Rather than focusing on issues within the city’s wheelhouse, such as sidewalk repairs, drunken driving or code enforcement, the mayor wants city staff to investigate what it can do to combat illegal immigration.

Our aim today is not to debate illegal immigration. Like City Hall, the Daily Pilot shouldn’t be wasting ink on issues beyond which it has any influence. Our goal is to encourage Costa Mesa to keep its eye on local matters, not national headlines.

Costa Mesa is doing enough as it is. Though criminal suspects who are arrested here have their immigration status checked in city and county jails, a practice we consider appropriate, the mayor sees plenty of “loopholes,” such as routine traffic stops that do not lead to arrests or document checks. However, any move in that direction could lead to racial profiling.

Mansoor also wants employers to voluntarily screen workers’ immigration status using a free federal system. It is, however, already illegal under federal law to employ undocumented workers.

Though he is running for the state Legislature, Mansoor is stepping outside of his present role as mayor of a moderately sized city, and we encourage the rest of the City Council to avoid following his lead by entering into policy debates that should be taking place in Washington, D.C., rather than at 77 Fair Drive. This just isn’t Costa Mesa’s fight.