EDITORIAL ENDORSEMENTIn Costa Mesa: Philosophy change

It may sound naive to suggest that a single City Council election truly can represent a turning point for a community, but that is exactly what this fall’s Costa Mesa City Council election will do. Depending on whom voters choose, the city will continue in the direction it has been headed for the past two years — toward fear, divisiveness and discord — or it can return to a more moderate, considered and, yes, reasonable philosophy of governing that does not drive wedges into the community and, intentionally or not, does not target wide swaths of people as the root cause of city problems.

In this election, it will take just one seat — the one being vacated by Councilman Gary Monahan because of term limits — to set Costa Mesa back on a better path. We believe that a vote for either planning commissioner Bruce Garlich or former Councilman Mike Scheafer is the right choice for the city. With either, or both, of those men on the dais, a number of policy decisions we strongly oppose can be righted.

The most obvious policy, and the single biggest issue in the election, is the proposal to train Costa Mesa Police officers to enforce immigration laws.

We believe this proposal, championed by Mayor Allan Mansoor, Councilman Eric Bever and Monahan, is wrong for many reasons. Most simply put: It does nothing. Costa Mesa officers do not need to be trained to handle criminals’ immigration status. That already happens at the county jail, a point made repeatedly by respected former Police Chief Dave Snowden. The city’s most recent chief, John Hensley, estimated that a handful or so of illegal immigrants would be subject to the policy each year.

Do not be fooled or tricked by scare tactics about dangerous criminals or sex offenders being loose in Costa Mesa. The immigration enforcement will not make the city safer. In fact, it arguably — without even being in place — has made the city less safe.

Latinos in this community — and they now make up about one-third of the city — have said they feel targeted by the proposal. And while their fears of massive immigration sweeps, thankfully, are unfounded, the impression that this proposal has left — that immigrants, especially Latino immigrants, are unwelcome in Costa Mesa — has made the Latino community less likely to talk to police about crimes and potential criminals. Does anyone believe the police can do the job we all want them to do if thousands of people in this city are afraid to talk with them?

Finally, and amazingly, despite the three councilmen’s Republican Party affiliation, this do-nothing proposal is a waste of government spending. The money that would be spent on that training could be put to better use shoring up the numbers of officers on the force, which is understaffed, fighting gangs or bringing officers onto school campuses or toughening the city’s already strong drunk-driving enforcement.

The money should be spent more wisely, and we believe a council with Garlich or Scheafer would spend that money in a better way.

But the city is not solely defined by the immigration issue. There is a great and growing need for playing fields for young people and adults. This council has not addressed that issue — beyond Mansoor and his running partner, Wendy Leece, making the unpopular suggestion that the city’s golf courses be redone to make room for fields along Harbor Boulevard. Scheafer’s long commitment to youth sports, in particular, makes him a strong, expert candidate to address this need.

The city’s Westside also is in need. The council recently put together a new zoning plan for that area, one that seems designed to push out the industrial businesses that operate in that part of Costa Mesa. While a mix of urban housing and businesses is an attractive idea, more could have been done to create a sense of energy and enthusiasm for redeveloping the Westside. The ideas we have heard from Garlich and Scheafer about creating a “downtown,” for instance, seem far more creative and innovative than what we have heard from Mansoor, Bever and Monahan.

Finally, this council, with Mansoor, Bever and Monahan acting as a majority, does not seem to listen to its constituents when they come before it. Perhaps members do speak with a number of residents before the meetings, but if so, the sad result is that it appears that all too often minds are made up before the council members settle into their seats. While preparation and discussion are important, so too is having an open mind and being willing to be swayed by an argument made during council proceedings.

We believe the present council does not listen enough. Garlich and Scheafer would do better.

Scheafer and Garlich, we believe, would do better because they understand what really matters to the majority of Costa Mesa residents. That majority cares about more playing fields, a strong police force and construction of skate parks. And those residents are not after the divisive politics of the present council. They do not want Costa Mesa to be known as the city that argues about illegal immigrants.

They want it to be known for its new, world-class performing arts hall. They want leaders who talk positively about what Costa Mesa can be, not leaders who stridently stick to what they think has to be done. It is that strident leadership that has led Costa Mesa to this critical moment, and it is the need to alter that leadership that makes this election so important.

For all of these reasons, we believe voters should pick either Garlich or Scheafer, or both, when they cast their ballots.

That said, were this election not so critical, we would be supporting a different candidate. Chris Bunyan, who serves on the city’s cultural arts committee, impressed us more than any single candidate we interviewed for any of Newport-Mesa’s races. The 33-year-old brought a positive message about Costa Mesa as a united city. He raised cutting-edge ideas such as citywide wireless Internet access. He talked about wise, planned and managed growth of the Westside. He knew details about senior issues and specifics about the police force. He seemed wise and professional beyond his years. A worker in the city’s Sobeca district, he also clearly is a voice for a slice of the city — those in their early 30s and younger; the new high-tech and hip clothing companies; and the youth-oriented businesses that are increasing in the city — that is not well represented now.

Bunyan, indeed, has a bright future. We believe he immediately would make a terrific planning commissioner and, in two or four years, would be an ideal candidate for the City Council. We just worry that he does not have the name recognition and deep ties to the community to win this election, and a win by a moderate, positive candidate is absolutely essential. Were he to be victorious, we would be pleased, and the city would be fortunate.

Like Bunyan, Mirna Burciaga also is a voice for a part of the community that is poorly represented in City Hall right now. We hope she continues to speak for the Latinos in this community and maintain her activism. Her time to serve on the council may still come.

Leece, too, speaks for a conservative core of the community. Leece understands the issues in the city, having lived here for more than 30 years. She has integrity and commitment to her principles. In her last race, four years ago for reelection to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board of trustees, we endorsed her. But then our backing was, in part, because Leece was the outsider on that board, a lone voice that questioned the majority. We cannot endorse her in this election, when she would be another vote for the many policies we oppose.

Nor, in the end, could we endorse Mansoor, for the same reasons. While he has served admirably, although contentiously, we disagree with too much of his philosophy — and the divisive results we believe his tenure has caused. We do not doubt that Mansoor believes he is doing the best for the city. We simply — and honestly and respectfully — disagree.

We deeply believe Garlich and Scheafer are the right choices at this crucial time.