Houston Claims Latino Backing on Immigration : Politics: Mayoral hopeful stages news conference with five workers who say illegal immigrants tax resources. But few say it should be a focus of campaign.

Mayoral candidate Tom Houston, who has used the volatile issue of immigration to set himself apart from the pack of 20 candidates seeking to succeed Mayor Tom Bradley, visited a group of Latino factory workers Thursday to show that Latinos also believe illegal immigration is straining the city’s resources.

In a discussion on the shop floor, five employees picked by Houston’s staff complained of overcrowded classrooms, runaway crime and a tough economic climate--a dialogue that Houston said shows that certain problems cut across ethnic lines.

“The concern is overcrowding,” Houston said afterward. “That’s what I’m hearing. They’re very concerned about too many kids in the classroom and they agree that more money is needed.”

But it was harder to find a ringing endorsement of Houston’s contention that immigrants who come to the United States illegally ought to be the focus of the debate.

Martha, a mother of two who works at the Body Glove wet suit factory in the city’s Harbor Gateway, told Houston that those who arrive illegally often must work so hard to make a living that they do not have time to properly monitor their children. Such lack of supervision increases the problem of gangs, she said.

But away from the swarm of reporters, another worker, Sam Cividanis, a Guatemalan who came to the United States illegally in 1980, said the mayoral campaign should emphasize other issues.

“It’s not fair to blame all the problems on illegal aliens,” said the 33-year-old father of two who became a citizen in 1985 when he was granted amnesty. “An American guy doesn’t want to clean the toilet. We’ll do that job. Don’t blame everything on us.”

In recent weeks, Houston, 47, a lawyer and former deputy to Bradley, has appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows, where he has raised the issue of illegal immigration as a key element of his campaign in the April primary.

He has been criticized by those who maintain that raising the issue is unwise, especially when ethnic tensions are high. Houston has countered that seeking federal immigration aid is not a racial issue, citing recent polls that have shown a majority of Latinos agree that there are too many immigrants.

The Times Poll conducted in October found that 51% of Latinos in the city said there were too many immigrants in Los Angeles. The same survey found that 3% of city residents and less than 1% of Latinos believe that immigration was the city’s most pressing problem.

“My solution is to go to Washington, D.C., and get the money,” Houston said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with race.”

The issue first arose last month when another candidate, Julian Nava, a former ambassador to Mexico, drew jeers from a mostly Anglo audience when he spoke in favor of voting rights for illegal immigrants. Houston won praise when he argued that the city can no longer cope by itself with the problems caused by those who illegally cross the border.

As television lights glared in their faces Thursday, the workers nodded in agreement when Houston explained his effort to seek federal money to reimburse the city for services provided to illegal immigrants.

But what those employees and others in the plant disagreed on is how much the campaign should emphasize illegal immigrants.

“For me, illegals are not a problem,” said Enrique Gonzales, 31, of Gardena, a Mexican immigrant who watched the news conference as he sorted wet suits. “Why do borders matter so much? People need to work and live. People come here for a better life. Don’t blame us for everything.”

But Lonnie Gallegos of Mar Vista said that those who are in the country illegally bring down the standard of living for those who are here legally. “They are taking our jobs,” she said. “If they’re legal, fine, but there are a whole lot who are not.”

Houston campaign spokeswoman Susan Hunt said later that the candidate has focused on the immigration issue because of media interest. “When you don’t have much money and you need attention, you welcome any opportunity to talk to the media and the media has been interested in this,” she said.