Cut back affordable housing, Steel says

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- More expensive housing would improve the city by

bringing richer people into its borders, Councilman Chris Steel said at a

community meeting Wednesday.

“I want to attract people who can really afford to live here,” Steel

said. “It would improve our property values, improve our schools. That’s

been my goal from day one. I’m not in favor of subsidized housing or

affordable housing. We’ve got to get serious about the people we’re

letting live here.”

Rezoning, illegal immigration and charities were among the many topics

Steel and Councilwoman Karen Robinson discussed at the community meeting

Wednesday.

The meeting, held by Mesa Verde Community Inc., was the first of three

set up to give residents a chance to ask city officials questions.

Written on index cards, the mostly anonymous questions were read by

former Mayor Peter Buffa, who is also a Daily Pilot columnist.

One person asked if the city should station an Immigration and

Naturalization Service agent at the city jail. Steel said he favored it;

Robinson said she would need more information before deciding.

Police on Thursday said INS agents already come to the jail every day.

Steel raised the topic of affordable housing, saying he wants to use

zoning to lower housing densities and raise property values.

Mayor Libby Cowan on Thursday said she disagrees with Steel and thinks

that affordable housing is important for the city.

“We’re talking about teachers who teach our kids who cannot afford to

live in Costa Mesa,” she said. “Are we going to force them out to

Riverside and San Bernardino counties just because we don’t want to allow

moderate housing that can be termed affordable housing? What a great loss

to our community. Do we want all the nurses in town to have to move out?

Do we want the people who check our groceries not to be able to afford

any type of housing in the community in which they work? I don’t think

so. It’s a backbone of our community -- our neighbors.”

Robinson did not address affordable housing but said she wants to

rezone the bluff area -- now a commercial area -- for residential use to

improve the Westside.

Another resident asked if the city’s charities are “magnets” that

attract illegal immigrants.

“I don’t know if we have more nonprofits than we can handle, but we do

have some, well-intended as they may be, that undeniably . . . have a

negative impact on our schools, which in turn brings down our property

values,” Steel said. “These nonprofit organizations have had a definite

impact and have hurt our overall quality of life.”

Robinson said she doesn’t know if the nonprofits are magnets, but said

the city should think carefully before adding more charities.

“I think Costa Mesa has more than its fair share of charities when you

consider the county at large,” she said.

Councilman Gary Monahan declined to comment on the issue, and

Councilwoman Linda Dixon was not available by press time. Cowan said she

did not agree with either Steel or Robinson.

“I believe if we didn’t have private charities, the burden would begin

to fall to the local government,” she said. “I fully support the local

charities. I don’t think they are magnets.”

Charities are not supported by city taxpayer money and bring federal

money into the city, Cowan said. She added that the funds are used to

repair streets.

QUESTION

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