Saturday, December 3, 2005
Chief Snowden Speaks Out!
Chief Snowden Speaks Out!
Dave Snowden, Chief of Police in Costa Mesa for more than 17
years before departing for the same job in Beverly Hills in
2003, has signed in with an opinion on the wisdom, or lack
thereof, of our young mayor's plan to have Costa Mesa police
officers certified as immigration enforcement officers. Today he
authored a commentary in our local newspaper, the Daily Pilot,
which pulls no punches. The former chief, who still lives in our
area, is a man who earned great respect in the community during
his tenure. He also thinks the mayor's plan is a very bad idea.
One particular paragraph from Snowden's commentary is especially enlightening. It reads as follows: " Over the years, I have watched some very mean-spirited, and in my opinion bigoted, gadflies at City Council meetings gain support for their effort to seemingly remove the Latino culture and influence from Costa Mesa (a city that has even a Spanish name). Sadly, its residents seem to have finally elected some members to the council who seem to share similar beliefs. This has had an effect, which, in my opinion, is very detrimental to the reputation and future of one of the finest cities in America."
The chief went on to criticize our "leaders" for the pending closure of the Job Center, citing the tremendous negative impact on the Costa Mesa Police Department and the community as a whole.
Thanks to Chief Snowden for articulating this issue so clearly. He managed to slice right through the smokescreen blown by Mayor Mansoor and his cronies and drive right to the heart of the issue, re-affirming what a few of us have known and written about for some time.
I find it extremely interesting that, of the other sitting council members, only Katrina Foley has offered an opinion for publication on this subject to date. Mansoor's pal, Mayor Pro Tem Eric Bever and two former mayors, Linda Dixon and Gary Monahan have all gone underground, choosing not to comment at this time.
The residents of this fine city need to decide if they will permit a small, vocal group of bigots to control the destiny of this city or not. Unless the good people of this city speak up on this issue, the path chosen by those in power - and those who influence them - is clear. Tuesday's City Council meeting is the opportunity to make their views known.
(For those of you interested in some history on this subject, you can find previous writings in the archives listed at the bottom of this page. The following entries may be helpful: 2005.11.27; 2005.10.23; 2005.09.18 and 2005.08.28.)
12:25 pm pst
One particular paragraph from Snowden's commentary is especially enlightening. It reads as follows: " Over the years, I have watched some very mean-spirited, and in my opinion bigoted, gadflies at City Council meetings gain support for their effort to seemingly remove the Latino culture and influence from Costa Mesa (a city that has even a Spanish name). Sadly, its residents seem to have finally elected some members to the council who seem to share similar beliefs. This has had an effect, which, in my opinion, is very detrimental to the reputation and future of one of the finest cities in America."
The chief went on to criticize our "leaders" for the pending closure of the Job Center, citing the tremendous negative impact on the Costa Mesa Police Department and the community as a whole.
Thanks to Chief Snowden for articulating this issue so clearly. He managed to slice right through the smokescreen blown by Mayor Mansoor and his cronies and drive right to the heart of the issue, re-affirming what a few of us have known and written about for some time.
I find it extremely interesting that, of the other sitting council members, only Katrina Foley has offered an opinion for publication on this subject to date. Mansoor's pal, Mayor Pro Tem Eric Bever and two former mayors, Linda Dixon and Gary Monahan have all gone underground, choosing not to comment at this time.
The residents of this fine city need to decide if they will permit a small, vocal group of bigots to control the destiny of this city or not. Unless the good people of this city speak up on this issue, the path chosen by those in power - and those who influence them - is clear. Tuesday's City Council meeting is the opportunity to make their views known.
(For those of you interested in some history on this subject, you can find previous writings in the archives listed at the bottom of this page. The following entries may be helpful: 2005.11.27; 2005.10.23; 2005.09.18 and 2005.08.28.)
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