Police, immigration dominate debate

The need for more police officers and how to handle illegal immigration are becoming usual topics in this year’s Costa Mesa City Council election.

On Friday, affordable senior housing was on the lips of the six candidates vying for two spots on the council.

The reason? Their latest forum was held after lunch at the Costa Mesa Senior Center on Friday.

But while the candidates all agreed that more needed to be done to address the growing need for affordable housing for seniors, it was the usual topics that fired the panel and riled the audience.

“Cops aren’t just retiring, they are leaving our city,” former Councilman Mike Scheafer said of the state of the city’s Police Department, which he called “deplorable.”

Scheafer noted that he has a son who is a police officer in Irvine and accepted the job because the city offered a better package than Costa Mesa.

Along with Scheafer, the candidates vying for the two seats in the Nov. 7 election are businessman and author Chris Bunyan; business owner Mirna Burciaga; planning commissioner Bruce Garlich; parks and recreation commissioner Wendy Leece; and Mayor Allan Mansoor.

All agreed that something needed to be done to attract and retain more police officers.

Garlich said the city has to offer a more competitive package to police officers.

Mansoor said that on Oct. 3, the City Council will discuss approving funds for police recruitment.

Bunyan said the city needs a better marketing plan to attract officers.

Questions at the forum came from audience members. Among those asked were one to Scheafer and Garlich about the support they are receiving from the Return to Reason group — both adamantly said their votes would not be swayed by their connection to the political action committee; one to Burciaga about how, as a business owner, she would find the time to serve — she pointed out she knows how to manage her time; and a question to Garlich about his support from industrial business owners on the Westside — he denied there would be any conflict as a result and dismissed the idea that they are polluting the city.

And then there was a question about how illegal immigration has affected the city. The candidates unanimously voiced opposition to illegal immigration, but only Mansoor and Leece said they support the city’s plan to train police officers to check the immigration status of suspected felons.

The rest of the candidates said officers should focus on other crimes in the city instead of illegal immigration. All four argued that the job of apprehending illegal immigrants should be left to the federal government.

Scheafer said the Police Department is already 17 officers short and cannot afford to tackle illegal immigration enforcement.

Bunyan also pointed out that if Mansoor’s plan went into effect, lawsuits would follow from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Before the city puts Mansoor’s plan into effect, Bunyan added, it should wait to see what the federal government does first with illegal immigration.

“Why would we want to wait, wait, wait,” Mansoor said. “It’s time that we uphold our laws so that you are kept safe.”

Burciaga said she is opposed to illegal immigration and opposed to Mansoor’s plan. Protests were held outside her business earlier this year for speaking out against his plan.

“Personally, I have been living in hell,” Burciaga said about a protest Minuteman Project co-founder Jim Gilchrist held outside her restaurant. “I was in fear of myself, my family and my employees.”

In their closing speeches, all candidates said if elected they would focus on public safety. The differences, as always, were in the details.

Leece said she would work on revitalizing the city so criminals would not want to live there.

Scheafer pushed for stabilizing the Police Department by hiring a permanent police chief.

Improving the city’s infrastructure, including upgrading playing fields for young people, was part of Garlich’s message.

Bunyan took a slightly different approach and said he had enough of “wedge politics” and would work on highlighting the positive things in the city.

As for the mayor, “Upholding our laws for your safety is my No. 1 concern,” Mansoor told the seniors.