Both cheers, jeers at Costa Mesa forum

-- Jennifer Kho

A responsive audience of about 80 Costa Mesa residents filled a

candidates forum Thursday with enthusiastic clapping and undisguised

grumbling.

However, some Latino residents said they were unsatisfied by the

spirited forum, which was sponsored by the Latino Community Network.

“It’s always positive when candidates address issues in Costa Mesa,

but I think the candidates could have been more sensitive to the fact

that it was sponsored by the Latino Community Network,” said Gil Carmona,

a community leader and clinical supervisor at Families Costa Mesa.

“We need to take responsibility and tailor the questions to address

the working poor and the citizens of other ethnic backgrounds. We should

have directed the candidates to address the needs of the West Side Latino

community. But the candidates could have taken the initiative to address

those issues more, too.”

Bill Turpit, a Latino Business Council board member, said the forum

did not focus on issues exclusive to the Latino community. He said all

the issues discussed -- including housing, schools and the budget --

affect the West Side.

“I think people got a good look at what some of the candidates feel

and the positions that they take,” he said. “We were trying to get a

sense of what the candidates really stand for, as opposed to pursuing any

particular agendas or goals for the community.”