LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

For the record: A letter to the editor in Thursday’s Daily Pilot included an incorrect quotation attributed to Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley. Foley earlier had told the Pilot: “I think the number of shootings in this city this year is unprecedented and we need to make crime prevention — gang or otherwise — a top priority. We need our cops working on real crime instead of stopping kids from playing soccer in the park and preventing people from using shopping carts.”

News story: Fatal drive-by on Baker street; one dead, four injured.

Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor’s reaction: remove welcome mat for criminal elements, revitalize slum areas, and quit holding hands with hardened gang members.

This get-tough statement apparently bothers the Daily Pilot staff and “Return to Reason” folk. (Too popular of a reaction?) They think it is more appropriate to just issue another canned statement expressing sorrow for the victim and his family. Unless we get real about what is going on in our city, we are going to be issuing countless statements of condolences. Reading your paper, it appears that there is more outrage at our fine mayor than at the criminal and the crime. I stand with Mansoor.

City Councilwoman and “Return to Reason” member Katrina Foley’s reaction: “the number of shootings this year is unprecedented … we need our cops to stop preventing people from using shopping carts.” Well, there are always a few abandoned shopping carts in the triplexes where the shootings occurred but I don’t know how continuing to allow that blight would stop the shootings. I expect better out of a council member.

Councilwoman and “Return to Reason” member Linda Dixon: Mansoor must be stopped. His (and his “string of puppets”) immigration policy is going to result in a “lily white” community. Hmmm … she voted on this item. She is aware that it calls for screening only those who commit certain aggravated felonies. She knows that it would result in the deportation of these felons rather than paroling them back into our city. Is she saying that all people of color in our city are illegal alien aggravated felons? That is the only way it would result in a “lily white” community. Maybe she does not mean to say such a racist remark (both to the lily white and people of color communities), I am just “reasoning” about what I read in her hate letter.

Former Costa Mesa Police Chief Dave Snowden and “Return to Reason” member yearns for the simpler days of just concentrating on filling potholes and establishing parks. Filling potholes, establishing parks and sports fields, putting utilities underground, getting traffic flowing, having adequate parking on projects, beautiful landscaping in medians and along arterial highways are all excellent actions. But you cannot ignore other quality-of-life issues. You cannot ignore the illegal alien presence, ignore the graffiti, the abandoned shopping carts, congregating day laborers, and the overcrowded slums.

That’s what former mayors and “Return to Reason” members Joe Erickson and Mary Hornbuckle did while the city went into a downward spiral. They were in denial about the growing problems and basically ignored the good people of Costa Mesa who were outraged about lack of action on quality-of-life and community-values issues. This city needs leaders who can multi-task and deal with all the issues and at the same time respect differing views rather than resort to the race card when they have no valid response. That is why we need to elect Wendy Leece and Allan Mansoor.

It appears that “Return to Reason” wants to repeal the illegal immigrant aggravated felon deportation policy, reestablish the job center for illegal aliens and possibly reestablish the Human Relations Committee (a.k.a. “The Thought Police”). Remember them? They called former planning commissioner Joel Faris a “racist” even though he and his wife had adopted several Latino children. You see with this group of “leaders” and their cronies, one needs to think like they do and react to issues like they do or some “Return to Reason” member will call you a racist or a bigot. Do not be fooled by their smiling faces and catchy slogan. Their agenda stinks.

JIM FISLER

Costa Mesa