Council Panel Straddles Ditch Issue, Wants U.S., Mexico to Negotiate

Sidestepping pleas by opponents to postpone construction of a ditch to thwart drug traffic and alien smuggling along the border, a San Diego City Council committee Wednesday called on U.S. officials to negotiate a political truce with Mexico on the controversial project.

The council’s Rules Committee voted unanimously to urge President Bush and federal lawmakers to “continue consultations” with Mexico toward a satisfactory solution to the issue.

“Anything along the border has an impact on both sides,” said Councilman Wes Pratt, a committee member. “The best way to deal with that is in the spirit of cooperation.”

In approving the resolution, the committee watered down a staff recommendation that called on the city to push federal authorities to postpone construction of the 4.2-mile ditch until the concerns of opponents are addressed.

Critics have blasted U.S. officials since the ditch proposal first surfaced in January, suggesting authorities were trying to sneak the plan through before opposition could be mounted.

Roberto Martinez, a Latino activist and foe of the ditch, told the council committee Wednesday that the need for the project seems dubious, saying the United States and Mexico don’t need “more barriers, but rather more bridges of communication.”

But other residents said the ditch had been given a bum rap by opponents, arguing that it would help hinder the flow of drugs and illegal aliens across the border.

“Aliens and drug smugglers are the only ones who will be inconvenienced by this ditch,” said Dan Emrich, a supporter of the plan.

The committee’s decision came after officials from three federal agencies suggested that the ditch proposal had been unfairly undermined by a rash of misinformation.

Dale Cozart, the Border Patrol’s regional chief, told the council he wanted to “clear up . . . misperceptions and disinformation surrounding this whole situation,” saying the ditch was meant to block the 350 to 375 cars that dash across the border each month along a 4- 1/2 mile stretch near the Otay Mesa border crossing.

‘Not Backing Off’

Although immigration officials are eager to construct the ditch, the project is also being considered by federal authorities as a method to channel Otay Mesa water runoff.

Aside from Cozart, officials from the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the International Boundary and Water Commission said a decision to construct the ditch would not be made until an environmental assessment is completed and talks with Mexico go forward.

“We’re not backing off, we’re going through the process that we have to go through,” James Kennedy, an assistant INS commissioner in Washington, said after the meeting.

After the meeting, Narenda Gunaji, chief of the federal boundary commission, pulled out photographs of a demonstration ditch that was dug in an effort to prove to reporters that the project was far more humble than some critics have envisioned. The pictures showed a man standing in an earthen ditch about 4 feet deep and about 14 feet wide.

Although several issues are higher on the agenda of continuing talks between the two countries, consultations between the United States and Mexico on the ditch “have to be concluded” before the project is built, Gunaji said.

He added, however, that a “meeting of the minds” on the proposal “could be that we agree to disagree on the ditch.”

Mexican officials, who have publicly denounced the project, have said they felt misled about the channel’s initial intent and believed it was designed solely for drainage.

Apology to Committee

But a Mexican official played down such hostilities during the committee meeting Wednesday. Hermilo Lopez Bassols, consul general of Mexico in San Diego, told the committee that “through diplomatic channels” he felt that the two countries “can find a diplomatic way to solve the problem.”

Gunaji, meanwhile, apologized repeatedly to council members on the committee for the failure of federal officials to attend a March session on the ditch. He said the invitation came at the last minute and during a period of intense budget discussions by the federal agencies involved.

Moreover, he said, authorities had planned to release information to lawmakers and the public about the ditch, but news of the proposal leaked to the press before federal officials had a chance to make their pitch.