Supervisorial Hopefuls Focus on Immigration : Politics: First debate also stresses crime, welfare, jail crowding. Two of the three candidates support airport at El Toro.

In their first debate, the three candidates vying for Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder’s seat on Friday agreed on priorities--each listed crime, illegal immigration and welfare reform. But they split on political hot potatoes such as jail construction and the conversion of El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to civilian use.

The candidates--Huntington Beach City Council members Linda Moulton-Patterson and Jim Silva and businesswoman Haydee V. Tillotson--spoke before about 120 people gathered at an Orange County Public Affairs Assn. luncheon at the Irvine Marriott.

Tillotson called El Toro “a godsend opportunity to the economy of Orange County,” and said an airport on the site would provide jobs and commerce that would benefit the whole county.

Silva echoed that sentiment, saying an airport is necessary now that Orange County is “no longer a little brother to L.A.”

Moulton-Patterson, the mayor of Huntington Beach, said it is too early to take a stand on El Toro. Instead, she said, her goal as supervisor would be to lead a strong exploration of all options. “The most important thing is the county have a leadership role,” she said.

Moulton-Patterson drew some groans from the audience when she also took an unclear stance on the issue of building a satellite jail in the 2nd District, which includes Huntington Beach, Garden Grove and Seal Beach.

“I’m not trying to hedge, but we don’t really have the money to do it anyway.” She said only that she would review any jail proposal, including contracting service with jails in other counties.

Silva, a teacher and businessman, said he would support a jail in the district if a proper site could be found. Tillotson endorsed expanding the county’s existing jails to handle more inmates.

The three Huntington Beach residents cited cracking down on illegal immigration as a priority, citing what they called a drain on social services and government budgets. Each mentioned deporting illegal immigrants and curbing their access to government programs.

Moulton-Patterson also said she would push for a two-year limit on welfare benefits to all able-bodied residents, and try to create a tamper-proof identification card that would be required to register for welfare programs.

On the crime issue, Tillotson, who was recruited by Wieder, said she would make a priority of getting longer jail sentences for “hard-core criminals,” and try to find ways to have police officers spend less time doing paperwork.

Silva noted that the board has no authority over law enforcement or court sentences, but he said his record in Huntington Beach politics shows his support of a hard stance on crime. He said he would work to ease inmate crowding by deporting illegal immigrants in county jails.

Wieder, who will retire after her current term, watched from the audience and said afterward that the candidates dwelled on issues--such as immigration and welfare--that are beyond the direct control of the board.

“They can take a leadership role on those issues, but I think it may also show that some of them have a lack of knowledge about the job,” Wieder said. She added that she was surprised there was not more attention to the future of the fragile Bolsa Chica wetlands or health care issues.

“I think they might not recognize what the issues are that people think are significant,” the 16-year veteran of the board said.

Steven E. Malone, a fourth candidate who entered the race last week, attended but did not participate in the debate. Malone was chief of staff to longtime Supervisor Don R. Roth until Roth resigned last year after pleading guilty to state ethics violations.

“I was told that the program had been set and time limitations prevented me from joining the panel,” Malone said. “I’m not satisfied, and I hope there will be another chance for me to debate these issues with (the other candidates) sometime soon.”