Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Intimidating Voters & Melting ICE Proposals
Two big stories broke in Orange County today that may effect
how voters approach the polls in three weeks.
The first is a report that a letter on the letterhead of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform (CCIR), has been mailed to recently registered Latino voters which may constitute voter intimidation - not an unfamiliar tactic in Orange County over the past couple decades. The following is an English translation of the letter as provided on the Orange Juice! blog this afternoon:
"Greetings,
You are being sent this letter because you were recently registered to vote. If you are a citizen of the United States, we ask that you participate in the democratic process of voting.
You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time, and you will be deported for voting without having a right to do so.
At the same time, you are advised that the government of the United States is installing a new computer system to verify the names of all new registered voters that vote in the October and November elections. Anti-immigration organizations can ask for information from this new computer system.
Unlike Mexico, here there is no incentive to vote. There is not a voter registration card in the United States. Therefore, it is useless and dangerous to vote in any election if you are not a citizen of the United States.
Do not listen to any politician that tells you the opposite. They are only looking out for their own interests. They only want to win elections without any regard to what happens to you.
Sincerely,
Sergio Ramirez"
I saw reports that indicate the CCIR might not be the source of this letter and the blog world is rife with speculation about who is actually responsible.
It doesn't surprise me that the CCIR, and the woman who runs it, Barbara Coe, are suspected. Ms. Coe has been a frequent speaker before the Costa Mesa City Council, where she lauded our young jailer/mayor for his "courage" on the immigration screening issue. She was among the crowd who embraced him when right-wing radical Jim Gilchrist anointed Mayor Mansoor an honorary Minuteman several months ago. At times, Coe makes Gilchrist look like a voice of reason. These are the folks who form the core of support for the mayor in his campaign for re-election.
The second item is the announcement that the Orange County Board of Supervisors has approved a watered-down version of Sheriff Mike Carona's ICE proposal, which apparently will authorize up to two dozen jail personnel to be cross-designated as immigration screeners. I find myself wondering if our young jailer/mayor will be among them. If so, I'll probably have to refer to him, at least temporarily, as our young jailer/mayor/screener. With any luck at all we can drop the "mayor" part on November 8th.
Speculation in the local news media is that this will now provide the motivation for Mansoor and his majority to attempt to move forward with a proposal to ICE of their own. However, it took the Sheriff two years to cobble together an acceptable proposal and, based on the news coverage recently when ICE scaled it back, it appears unlikely that they will approve a local police department to handle those responsibililities - correctly so, in my opinion.
It will be very interesting to see just how these two situations unfold over the next couple weeks - and how they will affect the Costa Mesa City Council race.
***
A reminder - the next candidate forum will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, October 18th at the City Council chambers at City Hall at 6 p.m. My understanding is that this forum will be televised live on Costa Mesa TV, Channel 24 and will also be available for viewing on streaming video. The schedule calls for only one hour, which my sources tell me will be a tightly run event, with moderators ready to ask a handful of tough questions of the candidates. I recommend that you try to either be there to watch the event in person, or catch the action on television or streaming video.
5:18 pm pdt
The first is a report that a letter on the letterhead of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform (CCIR), has been mailed to recently registered Latino voters which may constitute voter intimidation - not an unfamiliar tactic in Orange County over the past couple decades. The following is an English translation of the letter as provided on the Orange Juice! blog this afternoon:
"Greetings,
You are being sent this letter because you were recently registered to vote. If you are a citizen of the United States, we ask that you participate in the democratic process of voting.
You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time, and you will be deported for voting without having a right to do so.
At the same time, you are advised that the government of the United States is installing a new computer system to verify the names of all new registered voters that vote in the October and November elections. Anti-immigration organizations can ask for information from this new computer system.
Unlike Mexico, here there is no incentive to vote. There is not a voter registration card in the United States. Therefore, it is useless and dangerous to vote in any election if you are not a citizen of the United States.
Do not listen to any politician that tells you the opposite. They are only looking out for their own interests. They only want to win elections without any regard to what happens to you.
Sincerely,
Sergio Ramirez"
I saw reports that indicate the CCIR might not be the source of this letter and the blog world is rife with speculation about who is actually responsible.
It doesn't surprise me that the CCIR, and the woman who runs it, Barbara Coe, are suspected. Ms. Coe has been a frequent speaker before the Costa Mesa City Council, where she lauded our young jailer/mayor for his "courage" on the immigration screening issue. She was among the crowd who embraced him when right-wing radical Jim Gilchrist anointed Mayor Mansoor an honorary Minuteman several months ago. At times, Coe makes Gilchrist look like a voice of reason. These are the folks who form the core of support for the mayor in his campaign for re-election.
The second item is the announcement that the Orange County Board of Supervisors has approved a watered-down version of Sheriff Mike Carona's ICE proposal, which apparently will authorize up to two dozen jail personnel to be cross-designated as immigration screeners. I find myself wondering if our young jailer/mayor will be among them. If so, I'll probably have to refer to him, at least temporarily, as our young jailer/mayor/screener. With any luck at all we can drop the "mayor" part on November 8th.
Speculation in the local news media is that this will now provide the motivation for Mansoor and his majority to attempt to move forward with a proposal to ICE of their own. However, it took the Sheriff two years to cobble together an acceptable proposal and, based on the news coverage recently when ICE scaled it back, it appears unlikely that they will approve a local police department to handle those responsibililities - correctly so, in my opinion.
It will be very interesting to see just how these two situations unfold over the next couple weeks - and how they will affect the Costa Mesa City Council race.
***
A reminder - the next candidate forum will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, October 18th at the City Council chambers at City Hall at 6 p.m. My understanding is that this forum will be televised live on Costa Mesa TV, Channel 24 and will also be available for viewing on streaming video. The schedule calls for only one hour, which my sources tell me will be a tightly run event, with moderators ready to ask a handful of tough questions of the candidates. I recommend that you try to either be there to watch the event in person, or catch the action on television or streaming video.
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