Mayor Is Firm on No Funds for Aiding Illegals

Rejecting pleas from more than two dozen charities Thursday, Costa Mesa Mayor Peter F. Buffa refused to back down from his support for a controversial city policy of withholding money from any group that aids illegal aliens.

About 75 people gathered at St. Joachim’s Catholic Church where representatives of various charities argued that the new policy would be a costly, bureaucratic burden and lead to discrimination against Latinos. Under the policy, they said, they would be acting as federal officials because they would be, in effect, enforcing immigration law.

Buffa rejected those arguments and urged the charities to cooperate with the city. After the meeting, however, he said he might reconsider his position if the federal government withholds money from the city because of its policy.

Last Week’s Vote

The City Council voted 3 to 2 last week to withhold funds from any organization--except those providing medical aid--that assists undocumented aliens.

Hugo Hunsinker, a spokesman for the Someone Who Cares soup kitchen, told Buffa that everyone in need should be helped, regardless of where they are from.

“We are going to throw the baby out with the bath water because all of those people are American,” he said. “And it’s un-American to not help your fellow man.”

Judy Green, an attorney for the Fair Housing Council of Orange County, read a statement that said the policy “forces service agencies to make discriminatory assumptions about national origin without training and without criteria.”

And then, David Quezada, the executive director of the Fair Housing Council who appeared in jeans and a pale blue shirt,addressed Buffa in Spanish to illustrate how difficult it would be to identify illegal aliens.

He’ll Consider Arguments

“You cannot reach the conclusion that someone is illegal without forcing these agencies to discriminate or stereotype,” Quezada said.

Buffa, who voted for the policy along with Councilmen Orville Amburgey and Ed Glasgow, said he would consider the charities’ arguments when the council decides how to implement and enforce the policy.

“The council deals in generalities,” he said. “It’s what follows in terms of implementation that is important.”

However, before that can happen, Buffa said, city officials must wait for a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is reviewing the policy for possible conflicts with federal guidelines barring discrimination on the basis of national origin. The policy could jeopardize the city’s receipt of Community

Development Block Grant money.

The city received $809,000 in block grant this year, with about 15% of that targeted

for charities, according to City Manager Allan L. Roeder, who said that if HUD money is restricted, the policy could still apply to organizations receiving funds from local taxes.

Cecile Beaven, a spokeswoman for HUD’s office in Los Angeles, said that the agency has just begun studying Costa Mesa’s policy and that she could not predict when it will be done.

After the meeting, Buffa said HUD’s withholding of funds would be a “very powerful motivator” for him to change his vote.

“I’m not going to continue any policy if it proves to be ineffective or a crushing burden,” he said .

Expects Them to Comply

Representatives of many groups on hand Thursday said they would not sign contracts agreeing to comply with the policy. Buffa, pointing out that the council has not decided what action the city would take in such cases, said he expects the groups to comply.

“I’m not convinced that they are final in their decision,” Buffa said.

Buffa and supporters contend that the policy is needed because the federal government hasn’t been able to stem the tide of illegal aliens. This, he said, would be a way of stabilizing the situation in Costa Mesa.

“It is a total failure of the federal government,” he said. “They deliberately refuse to deal with it. Once they are across the border, it is a local government’s problem. The federal government is off the hook.”

Thursday’s meeting was organized by the episcopal vicar for Hispanic affairs of the Diocese of Orange, the Hispanic Development Council of United Way and the Orange County Human Relations Commission.

Afterward, Father Jaime Soto of the Diocese of Orange said he was “disappointed that we can’t get some more clear answers from the mayor. I’m hoping that it will be in the city’s best interest to change this policy.

“People do not volunteer their time to then be burdened with bureaucratic duties,” he said.

The American Civil Liberties Union has considered legal action but is waiting for the HUD report, according to attorney Rebecca Jurado.