Thread: Landlord ordinance draws more than 300 foes to vigil

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Escondido, CA Focus Campaign
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Landlord ordinance draws more than 300 foes to vigil


By J. Harry Jones
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 4, 2006



ESCONDIDO –Hundreds of men, women and children participated last night in a silent candlelight vigil and prayer session to show their opposition to a proposed city ordinance that would penalize landlords for renting to illegal immigrants.
It was a solemn, quiet protest, in stark contrast to recent immigration rallies around the county. More than 300 people carrying candles walked single file from Grape Day Park on Broadway the short distance to City Hall, where they prayed for common sense to prevail.

No counter-protesters were present.

The City Council is expected to adopt the ordinance tonight at a meeting beginning at 7. Three of the five council members – Marie Waldron, Ed Gallo and Sam Abed – have expressed their support. They say the ordinance is designed to partially deal with an issue that the federal and state governments have failed to resolve.

Last night, fliers were passed out encouraging people not to vote for Waldron, who is running for re-election.

One man held a sign that featured a photo of Waldron with a red line running across her face. “Stop Racism!” it read.

Under the ordinance, after a complaint to the city, landlords would have to give documentation of their tenants' immigration status. The city would then ask the federal government for verification.

If tenants are found to be illegal immigrants, landlords would be given five days to evict them or face suspension of their business licenses. Repeat offenders also could face misdemeanor charges.

If the ordinance is enacted, Escondido would become the first city in the state, and the largest city in the nation, to pass such an ordinance.

Protesters representing both sides of the issue are expected to gather at City Hall tonight. Police said they are anticipating the crowds.

“We're in touch with other law enforcement organizations and are preparing to have enough resources available for whatever may happen,” Escondido police Lt. David Mankin said.

Latino activists organized last night's gathering.

“We wanted to demonstrate our profound sadness that this city has chosen to take this course of action,” said Bill Flores, spokesman for El Grupo Sin Nombre, a coalition of civil rights, educational and other North County organizations. “The purpose of the silent vigil is to protest the proposed ordinance that we believe is unproductive, anti-family and represents inhumane treatment of this targeted group of people.”

Flores, who retired after serving as an assistant sheriff under county Sheriff Bill Kolender, said he never planned on becoming an activist.

“I wanted to be retired, but I can't allow what is happening here in Escondido to go unanswered,” he said.

Flores said families were asked to participate last night for a specific reason.

“The effect this ordinance will have is to evict families . . . families whose children may be citizens of the United States,” he said. “These children may well be paying for the sins of their fathers.”

Flores said it is ironic that the city has coincidentally declared this to be Family Week.

“This proposal is tearing this community apart,” he said. “It's a terrible situation. The wounds that this proposal has already caused are deep and may well be long-lasting. The city right now is not a healthy place to be.”

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

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Last modified Wednesday, October 4, 2006 12:36 AM PDT

Families, community members hold vigil to protest Escondido rental ban

By: DAVID FRIED - Staff Writer

ESCONDIDO ---- Hundreds of opponents of a city law that would bar landlords from renting to illegal immigrants turned out for a candlelight vigil Tuesday night, hoping that their silence would demonstrate their fears and frustration over the proposed ban.

More than 300 parents, children and other community members gathered in Grape Day Park for the half-hour vigil to protest the proposal that the City Council will vote on tonight.

Bill Flores, spokesman for El Grupo, a coalition of civil rights and Latino activist groups from around North County, said the silent protest was meant to show the community's "profound disappointment" with the council majority that supports the measure.


"We want to protest the (expected) passing of this ordinance, that we feel is anti-family, un-American and contrary to the best traditions that this country was founded upon," said Flores a retired assistant sheriff.

If the ordinance passes, landlords would be required to submit documentation of their tenants' immigration status to the city, which would then pass along the information to the federal government for verification.

Landlords whose tenants are not legal residents or citizens would have five days to remove the renters or face penalties, including a suspension of their business licenses and misdemeanor charges for repeat offenders.

The city would only investigate cases based on written complaints from residents, officials and businesses. Complaints based primarily on a tenant's race, ethnicity or national origin would be discarded, the ordinance says.

The city's business license division, which handles the required licensing process for property owners who rent more than three units, would be responsible for investigating complaints.

With just candles lighting their faces, the protesters marched from the park down the street to City Hall, where a local minister led the group in prayer beneath the rotunda.

Many demonstrators came to the park with their children, cousins and other family members, and said the proposed law could be detrimental for families with mixed immigration status.

That was the case of Luis Araujo, a resident of Escondido for 11 years. The 36-year-old printer called the proposed law "an injustice," and said it was generating anger and fear in the community, as people tried to figure out where they would go if the council approves the ban.

"We're not doing any harm here," said Araujo, 36. "We're not hurting anybody. We all came here to work."

"And we all have children," interjected his wife, Leticia Araujo, 40.

Organizers said they were pleased with the modest turnout, which was just a fraction compared to spontaneous immigration rallies that erupted this spring.

"Whether or not it's a big showing, it's the type of people who are here," said Claudia Smith of the California Rural Assistance League. "These are the people who are affected and their families."

Tuesday's vigil promises to be just the beginning of a potentially heated debate over the law to be discussed tonight.

Protesters on every side were gearing up for the council's meeting, including the Minutemen, human rights activists and people who say they plan to bring all kinds of other immigration issues to the table, including illegal immigrants and crime.

And if it passes, the rental ban will probably face numerous legal battles from housing and civil rights groups.

Already, civil rights groups have promised to bring lawsuits aimed at halting enforcement of the ordinance, if it is passed.

On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to city officials stating that the rental ban, as drafted, could result in landlords refusing to rent to potential tenants based on their national origin, something that would be a violation of federal housing laws. And the organization said the city's resolution would likely be pre-empted by federal law that already prohibits individuals from harboring illegal immigrants.

City Attorney Jeffrey Epp has said that the proposed ordinance is consistent with federal law and legally defensible.

The council's meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 201 N. Broadway.

City officials announced that, because of the anticipated crowds for the meeting and limited number of seats in council chambers, two TV monitors will be placed outside for community members shut out of the meeting. Seating inside chambers will open at 6 p.m.

-- Contact staff writer David Fried at (760) 740-5416 or dfried@nctimes.com.

Anyone ever witness the rats & roaches that infest some of these OVERCROWDED buildings where Ilegal Aliens reside? Not that they're the only ones, by no stretch of the imagination. However, they're packed with so many people, garbage thrown around many times, that the buildings become infested beyond control. Besides the fact that landlords who rent to these people don't give a damn anyway or they wouldn't rent to them in the first place.

YES, living like this is very beneficial to FAMILIES

Why the hell should our cities put up with this when we have enough on our plates caring for American citizens?