Need to buck trends in Costa Mesa

Regarding Friday’s story (“Scheafer to run for reelection”) a pattern

seems to be emerging among the liberals and good-old-boy candidates

for Costa Mesa’s city council. They’re all suddenly “fiscal

conservatives,” and they’re all “going to revitalize the Westside.”

Of course, most of these folks have been on the City Council or on

the Planning Commission or otherwise involved in matters that have

given us Costa Mesa as it is at present. So what will any of these

folks do differently if they get elected or reelected?

Nothing.

Most of them don’t have a clue. And, when they do get a clue, they

refuse to see it lest they upset out-of-town interests who support

them. Let me help them with a few clues:

1. Costa Mesa has too much of our land dedicated to industrial

zoning. By contrast, Newport Beach has much less of its land

dedicated to industrial zoning, and it’s shrinking. Huntington Beach

also has less of its land dedicated to industrial zoning, and it’s

shrinking. Only Santa Ana, of the cities that surround us, has more

industrial zoning than Costa Mesa.

2. Costa Mesa has too many renters versus homeowners. Again, by

contrast, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach have more homeowners

than renters. 3. Costa Mesa’s crime rate is higher even than Santa

Ana’s, and less than Huntington Beach’s and Irvine’s. . I could go

on and on. The point is Costa Mesa trends more like Santa Ana than

like any of the other cities that surround us and touch some part of

our land. These cities are Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Fountain

Valley, Irvine, Santa Ana.

Costa Mesa is being controlled by special interests who want to

keep our city downscale so that it can serve as the cheap labor pool

and other side of the tracks for Newport Beach. So, what should be

done?

Elect some smart and competent people to the City Council who

understand that to improve Costa Mesa we should be modeling ourselves

on cities that have better qualities of life for their residents and

who are dedicated to improving our city, not feathering their

personal nests by being surrogates for Newport Beach interests.

Specifically, we improve Costa Mesa by looking at all of our

statistics and doing what is necessary to get them in line with the

nicer cities.

For example, we should cut our industrial zoning about in half .

This should be done on the Westside bluffs, which offer some views

and an ocean influence. This is prime land for homes. By building

homes on this land, we’ll bring in people to the area with more

disposable income. Their incomes will be reflected in demographic

reports, and quality national retailers will fight to be in the area

to get some of their business.

* M.H. MILLARD is a resident of Costa Mesa.