Costa Mesa Plan Shows Sensitivity

The City of Costa Mesa is looking at what to do about Latino workers, many of them here illegally, who gather on street corners each morning waiting for employers to pick them up for a day’s labor.

The City Council, at the urging of Councilwoman Mary Hornbuckle, is taking a sensitive approach that doesn’t include inviting police and immigration agents to roust the men. The council has ordered the creation of a task force that will include church representatives, city government, residents and employers. That’s an attitude more cities ought to have.

The City of Orange last year formed a similar task force but called in the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to make neighborhood sweeps before any plan could be worked out. Costa Mesa in the past has also called for INS sweeps.

Costa Mesa’s new plan is much better. It builds trust by paying attention to some residents who don’t like the large numbers of men congregating on street corners, but also considers the rights, safety and problems of the workers whose only desire is to find an honest day’s work.