Illegal Aliens Cause Safety Concerns, Council Told

Complaining of increased crime and voicing concern for citizens’ safety in neighborhoods where day workers congregate, several frustrated Costa Mesa residents told City Council members Monday that something must be done about the city’s growing illegal alien population.

“These people are acting like they have their heads stuffed in the sand,” Patrick Dolan said of the council. “This illegal alien issue has to be addressed now. It’s a major issue.”

His comments came during a meeting at which the council unanimously endorsed the findings of a 12-member task force set up in response to complaints about groups of men who congregate daily on street corners near Lions Park in southwest Costa Mesa, looking for work.

Recommendations Criticized

Dolan criticized a host of recommendations by the Day Workers Task Force, of which he was a member but from whose findings he and three others dissented because of the task force’s “too-narrow focus.”

The majority’s recommendations included:

- Providing foot patrol officers in the area where workers gather.

- Promoting cultural awareness through information in the Spanish-language news media about city ordinances.

- Finding a better location for employers and laborers to meet.

- Using city newsletters, churches and social organizations to encourage communication between the community and workers.

- Using videotapes to educate workers on acceptable and unacceptable social behavior.

During his comments to the council Monday, Dolan was repeatedly warned by Mayor Donn Hall to limit his criticisms to the task force report.

When Dolan alleged that the city was “aiding and abetting” illegal residents, the mayor said: “That’s it. Sit down.”

Hall and other council members urged residents to “be tolerant” of the day worker situation, “at least for the next two months until we work out a solution.”

“We’re not ignoring it. We intend to do something about it,” Hall promised.

Dolan said he and the other dissenters, Dawne Burt, Jeffrey R. Evans and Ava Readdy, refused to “be clones” and came to different conclusions than the rest of the task force members.

Day Workers, Not Illegals

“Right from the start, we were told that we couldn’t call them illegal aliens,” Dolan said of instructions received from city officials. “We had to call them day workers. We felt it was our duty to address the problem as it relates to our city.”

Said Hall: “Mr. Dolan, we have told you time after time after time we’re dealing with day workers. You’re the only one who is talking about or who has mentioned that day workers are illegal aliens.”

Another resident, Jan Luymes, told the council that her home, which is located near Lions Park, had been burglarized and that she fears for her safety.

“Every night I worry now about what’s going to happen when I open my front door,” she said.

Last month, the minority faction on the task force issued its own findings, detailing the “negative” effects of allowing illegal aliens to congregate at street corners. Those findings cited an increase in crime and prostitution and lower property values attributed to the city’s illegal alien population.