Business, Crime Big Issues in Costa Mesa Race

The high crime rate and the slumping business sector will be key issues here this November as voters go to the polls to choose three City Council members.

Some old themes, including illegal immigration and arts funding, are also resurfacing in the early days of the campaign, reminders of Costa Mesa’s grittier and controversial past.

Three incumbents, Mayor Mary Hornbuckle and council members Joe Erickson and Sandra L. Genis, are fighting to retain their seats against eight challengers.

Hornbuckle is seeking her third term, after a narrow victory in 1988, when she won reelection by about 200 votes.

Erickson faces his first test at the polls as an incumbent after being appointed to the council in 1991. Genis won election in 1988 as a slow-growth advocate.

The challengers are a varied lot, from residents who are getting their first taste of local government to longtime political watchdogs. But whether newcomer or veteran, the common issue in every candidate’s campaign literature is how to help local businesses.

“One of the prime issues for Costa Mesa is business retention,” said Hornbuckle, a preschool manager. “We need to develop and enhance the relationship with the Chamber” of Commerce.

During the last few years, businesses have been hit by construction of the Costa Mesa Freeway, which diverted traffic from downtown businesses, and the recession. The “for lease” signs in the storefronts in several shopping centers are evidence of the downturn.

Recently the council gave the Chamber of Commerce money to help with a “Shop Costa Mesa” campaign, but the candidates believe that more needs to be done.

Political newcomers Kevin Austin and Donald Williams suggest forming a coalition between businesses and the city to help local companies weather the continuing recession.

Gary Monahan, the manager of Henry n’ Harry’s Goat Hill Tavern, whose business endured a long legal battle with the city, says he doesn’t want to see other businesses go through the same thing. He proposes helping businesses by putting a lid on city spending.

“I am very against ridiculous spending of our city money on frivolous and unwarranted litigation,” he said.

Besides sifting through those issues, voters will also have the critical task on Nov. 3 of selecting a majority of the five-member council, a decision that will set the political tone in this increasingly diverse city of about 90,000 people for the next several years.

Central to this future is how the Police Department will tackle crime. After a newspaper story reported that Costa Mesa has one of the county’s highest crime rates, residents came to the council for answers.

Many candidates see this as a call to get tough on crime.

“Law enforcement is a big issue. We need to increase the number of sworn police officers on the street,” said Erickson, who has worked during the last few months with gang members, parents and the police in an effort to bring an end to the violence.

But as the state budget continues to chip away at city funds, questions about how city money should be spent has become a central concern. Candidates are grappling with the question of how to provide the police protection that is needed with limited resources.

Challenger Karen McKenna-Juergens supports starting an anti-gang program for elementary students as one solution.

More conservative candidates, such as Chris Steel and Brian Theriot, support cutting off city dollars to local charities that serve illegal immigrants. Theriot, along with challenger Denis Retoske, supports possible cuts in the city’s upper management.

“I would take a strong look at salary and wages for everyone in the city. I would put stronger controls on contracting,” said Retoske, an attorney who is currently representing former Councilman Orville Amburgey in a legal battle with the city.

Candidate Stephen J. McGuire could not be reached for comment on his position.

Like fiscally conservative incumbent Genis, most of the candidates seem to agree that one way to save money is to slash funding for the arts.

However, Genis takes this philosophy one step further by advocating an end to all support for nonessential services. “Easter egg hunts, Halloween costume contests, we just don’t have the money,” Genis said.