Costa Mesa Council Blocks City Funds to Serve Illegals

In a move that could affect groups ranging from the Girls Club to the Opera Pacific, the Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday adopted a policy that would bar city funds from groups that serve illegal aliens.

Only health clinics were exempted from the new policy, which council members said was designed to reduce the influx of illegal immigrants into the Orange County city. The measure passed on a 3-2 vote.

“We find fault with the Immigration and Naturalization Service for not protecting our borders, but at the same time local social programs are encouraging them to come, saying ‘We’ll feed you, we’ll house you,’ ” said Councilman Orv Amburgey. “Morally, we owe it to our taxpayers . . . to do whatever we can to discourage people from violating the law.”

Last year the city disbursed more than $266,000 to 30 organizations, according to the city manager’s office. Those groups included the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Clubs, and Opera Pacific.

Mayor Pete Buffa conceded that the measure will be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce. A section that would have given the city access to records of agencies receiving city funds failed to pass. There is also no provision outlining what measures an organization should take to ensure that city funds are not used to support illegal immigrants.

Father Jaime Soto, chairman of the Orange County Coalition for Immigrant Rights, called the policy “ill-advised, ill-conceived and very imprudent. It seems a very uncivic spirit that motivates the policy.”

Shirly Cohen, executive director of the Feedback Foundation, said she was “personally offended” by the measure.

The foundation, which has food programs throughout the county, receives both federal funds and city money. Cohen said the Costa Mesa policy places her program in an untenable situation because federal rules prohibit it from discriminating against anyone.

The City Council’s action comes only a week after release of a report which found that more than 150,000 illegal aliens reside in Costa Mesa and are not likely to leave. Sponsored by the Orange County Human Relations Commission and the Hispanic Development Council of the United Way, the report suggests that local officials make a more concerted effort to accept and deal with illegal immigrants.