Architect of Costa Mesa illegal-immigration crackdown wins GOP Assembly nomination

June 9, 2010 | 8:23 am


The man behind Costa Mesa's controversial resolution on illegal immigration appears to have won the Republican nomination for an Orange County Assembly seat.

Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor was leading Tuesday night, with the results showing him likely to beat Long Pham for the Republican nomination for the 68th Assembly District seat being vacated by Van Tran, who is running for a U.S. House seat.

Mansoor was the key backer of a resolution approved by the City Council last month declaring Costa Mesa a "rule of law" city. "Costa Mesa is not a sanctuary city and is in fact a Rule of Law City in regards to upholding our immigration laws," the resolution said.

The vote garnered national attention amid a national debate on Arizona's illegal-immigration crackdown.

Mansoor told The Times earlier this month that illegal immigration has been a "growing problem" in his city for decades, one that has burdened public education, healthcare and law enforcement.
In the November election, Mansoor will likely face Democrat Phu Nguyen, a businessman who was leading federal court translator Joe Dovinh on Tuesday night.

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