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ESCONDIDO: Immigration, future of downtown highlight candidates forum
Council race features two incumbents, four challengers
By DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer | Tuesday, September 9, 2008 5:01 PM

ESCONDIDO ---- The future of downtown Escondido, coping with illegal immigration and whether the current City Council is dysfunctional were among the hot topics at a Tuesday morning candidates forum for Escondido City Council.

Challengers Olga Diaz and Richard Barron attacked incumbents Ed Gallo and Sam Abed for promising $18 million to a downtown hotel developer, not helping local small businesses enough and pursuing an overnight parking ordinance that has been criticized as racist.

In response, Gallo and Abed touted the city's robust economic development in recent years and some sharp reductions in crime. They also said the downtown hotel will be an economic catalyst, and that the parking ordinance is a necessary response to multiple Latino families sharing single-family homes in central Escondido.

Dennis French, a third challenger for the two council seats up for grabs Nov. 4, focused less on specific council actions or policies. Instead, he attacked the council for creating a climate of "animosity" and for failing to provide enough "family-friendly activities."

A fourth challenger, Chuck Voelker, did not participate in the 90-minute forum at Escondido Country Club. Nearly 60 people attended the forum, which was sponsored by the Escondido Chamber of Commerce and moderated by local auto dealer Angelo Damante.

The tone of the forum was mostly amicable, but Diaz and Abed criticized each other specifically a few times.

Diaz complained that Abed often throws out numbers that can't be verified when making policy arguments. And when Diaz said a slow-growth initiative passed in 1998 had helped the city avoid "a couple catastrophes," Abed deliberately echoed her wording when he declared that the initiative "brought catastrophe to Escondido in economic terms."

Another contentious issue was a recent council decision to force organizers of community events, such as the Jaycees Christmas Parade and Fourth of July fireworks, to pay thousands of dollars for security provided by city police officers.

Gallo and Abed said the move was necessary to close a large budget deficit and to make sure the city recovers the costs of any special services it provides.

But Diaz and Barron disagreed. Diaz said it made no sense to "nickel and dime community organizers" and that cuts should have been found elsewhere in the budget. Barron said parades and other civic events improve local quality-of-life and attract new residents to the city, so the city should provide security for free.

The tone of the forum became more contentious when Damante asked the candidates about the proposed overnight parking ordinance, which the City Council will discuss Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Barron said the ordinance would be an example of the council treating the symptoms of illegal immigration instead of the actual problem.

Diaz said the ordinance, which would require permits to park between 2 and 5 a.m. in a 7-square-mile zone in central Escondido, would unnecessarily punish many people to cope with a relatively small overcrowding problem.

She also suggested city officials should delay adopting the ordinance until they analyze water bills to determine how many homes were being shared by multiple families.

But Abed and Gallo said complaints from residents and data provided by local schools show that the overcrowding problem is severe. Gallo also said the parking ordinance is a continuation of an unsuccessful city effort in 2006 to prohibit landlords from renting to illegal immigrants.

"We tried the rental ban, but that didn't work," said Gallo. "Now we're trying the parking ordinance, and that will work."

During the forum, each challenger criticized the council for damaging the city's reputation with controversial legislation, bickering and abrasiveness.

But Abed and Gallo painted a different picture.

"We have a very cohesive City Council that works well together," he said.

Several more forums will be held this fall, the candidates said.

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