Thread: Housing ordinance major topic in Escondido council race

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7 vie for 2 seats on


Housing ordinance major topic in race
By J. Harry Jones
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 1, 2006

ESCONDIDO – These are interesting times in the city. A new hospital and major hotel are coming, the downtown business core is thriving, crime is down and condominiums are going up all over.

And then there's that “Escondido is being invaded by Mexico” thing, to paraphrase Councilman Ed Gallo, that has almost everyone upset, one way or the other.

On Nov. 7, voters will be asked to elect two people to the City Council. Incumbent Marie Waldron is running for a third term, while Councilman Ron Newman is not seeking re-election.

The big issue: an ordinance proposed by Waldron three months ago that would punish landlords for renting to illegal immigrants. It's a small way for local government to do something about illegal immigration, proponents say, because the federal government has failed to address the problem in any meaningful manner.

The ordinance is scheduled to be presented to the council Wednesday for a vote. Should it pass – and there are strong indications it will – it undoubtedly will be challenged in court, as similar ordinances in smaller communities on the East Coast are being challenged. Some predict the legal fees could reach into the six or even seven figures.

Most of the seven candidates oppose the ordinance, and two say it is the reason they decided to run.

The candidates are:

Darol H. Caster, 48, chief financial officer of a bank. Community involvement: 10-year member of the Planning Commission, former chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and a past president of the Rotary Club.

A council candidate six years ago, Caster said he is ready to take the next step from an advisory role on the Planning Commission to a decision maker on the council. He said the controversy about illegal immigration is shifting attention from more important issues, such as raising the median income of the city's residents and attracting higher-paying jobs.

“It goes beyond the scope of what Escondido as a jurisdiction should be dealing with,” Caster said.

Dick Daniels, 64, owner of a public relations business. Community involvement: former chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, current member of the Downtown Specific Plan Committee.

Daniels said that as a council member he would try to keep Escondido on the right track to becoming a strong and healthy economic center by balancing residential development with more office, commercial and entertainment projects to provide more services and jobs.

On the proposed housing ordinance: “I am unalterably opposed to illegal immigration because it is an illegal activity that by its very definition is against the law. At the same time, I would have to know whether any proposed ordinance banning the rental of housing to illegals – an ordinance which does not yet exist – can be enforced legally or administratively before I could take a position on it.”

Olga Diaz, 30, owner of a downtown coffee shop. Community involvement: member of the Downtown Business Association's board.

Diaz said she wants to bring logic to local government and guarantee an unbiased approach to decision making.

“I want to make sure 100 percent that all the people have a voice,” she said.

The biggest issue facing the city is an image problem brought on by the immigration issue, Diaz said. The city is being viewed as racist by the outside world, she said, “and that's directly attributable to the current council.”

Diaz strongly opposes the housing ordinance. “It doesn't seem compassionate, not even feasible,” she said.

Elizabeth Gabrych, 55, programmer/analyst/systems engineer and a business owner and manager. Community involvement: chairwoman of the Housing Advisory Commission, board member of the Escondido League of Women Voters, volunteer for a regional task force on homelessness.

Gabrych said she has quietly been working to better the city for many years. She said she advocates “smart growth.”

“I'm concerned that in Escondido's rush toward becoming a first-rate city we don't destroy that distinct feeling we have now,” she said.

Gabrych is opposed to the proposed housing ordinance, and said it was the “tipping point” in her decision to run. She said the current council has become so political that it is hurting the city, and two new members are needed to bring a more rational balance.

Carmen Miranda, 37, an alternative-education bilingual assistant. Community involvement: blood and platelet donor, contributor to local charities.

“The reason I decided to run is because of the ordinance that is being proposed,” Miranda said at a recent forum. “I think it will take Escondido back rather than forward, and I want to be a positive direction for Escondido.”

She said the ordinance “is of course racist,” and she doesn't believe in throwing people out of their homes.

Miranda also said local government must limit its use of eminent domain: “It should only be for the purpose of benefiting the general public and not for the purpose of advancing the economic interest of private parties.”

Erik Richard, 29, president and chief executive of the Citizen's Development Corp., which owns the Lake San Marcos Country Club. Community involvement: board member of the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, member of the San Marcos Creek Specific Plan Task Force, past member of the school board in Portland, Maine, his hometown.

Richard said he will bring his business skills to the council if elected.

“As a business leader, I have always tried to take something good and make it better,” he said. “I will focus on our image and how we portray our city in the press and to the public.”

Richard said he agrees with Newman that the proposed housing ordinance is politically motivated, and that if it passes, it will cost the city hundreds of thousands or perhaps even millions of dollars in legal bills as challenges are brought in the courts. That money would be better spent on improvements to the city, Richard said.

“The first thing I would do if elected is try to fix the bruise we have suffered in the past six months,” he said.

Marie Waldron, 46, downtown business owner and City Council member since 1998. Community involvement: member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business Association, the California Women's Leadership Association and the Police Community Awareness Academy.

Waldron said her top priority is protecting taxpayers, creating quality jobs, revitalizing Escondido's urban core and fighting overcrowding in the city's neighborhoods. Public safety and improving roads are also important, she said.

“I love Escondido and I want to continue to make it a better place to live,” she said.

Waldron proposed the housing ordinance to the council in July and appears to have the support of two of her five colleagues. She contends the ordinance is necessary to reduce severe overcrowding and poverty in some Escondido neighborhoods, largely because of a large population of illegal immigrants.

Waldron finished second, with 32 percent of the vote, in the June Republican primary for the 74th Assembly District seat. Her campaign was focused largely on illegal immigration, and she was endorsed by the San Diego Minutemen.

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J. Harry Jones: (760) 737-7579; jharry.jones@uniontrib.com

I got my emails written to all of them, hope it passes!