ILLEGAL GARAGE APARTMENTS AND OVERCROWDED FLOPHOUSES IN COSTA MESA HAVE TO GO!
On Friday (12/14/07), a fire roared through a garage in Long Beach that had been converted to living space, killing Stephanie Aviles, 6, and her sister Jasmine 10.
U-P-D-A-T-E--Sunday, 12/16--A third sister, age 7, has now died from her injuries from the fire. Officials now say that the cause of the fire is directly related to the cheap spaceheater.
The garage was uninsulated as temperatures dipped into the 40's. Authorities are not sure if the fire was caused by an inexpensive space heater plugged into a power strip or whether an electrical short was the fire's cause.
According to press reports, a man who lives in the home in front of the garage said the family in back was just spending the night in a sleepover. However, city officials say that they were living there.
Although the legal status of those involved was not reported, using garages--and every other bit of roofed space--for living quarters, is common in illegal alien neighborhoods.
When you see a city, such as Costa Mesa, with many charities that serve illegal aliens, and with many day workers looking for casual work, have you ever asked yourself where the illegal aliens and day workers live or how they can afford to pay high rents?
The answer is that they're often living in unsafe garages or are living like sardines in unsafe and unsanitary apartments and single family homes. Rent of a thousand bucks a month for a garage isn't so bad if you split it ten ways. A couple of days of stoop labor and you've got a roof over your head for a month.
The Costa Mesa City Council should get rid of the illegal and unsafe garage living quarters in our city before we have a tragedy such as we saw in Long Beach.
How do you spot possible overcrowded and unsafe living conditions?
Drive through any slum neighborhood in Costa Mesa, especially those with barracks style apartments, about six or seven in the evening on a warm night. Do you see small groups of men sitting outside the apartments or garages?
If you're one of Katrina Foley's supporters you may think they're just relaxing and talking to friends. And, that may be the case.
But maybe, as is often the case, they all live in the garage or in an overcrowded apartment with many other unrelated people and are outside so they won't bother others who are inside sleeping.
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ANTI-IMPROVER KATRINA FOLEY IS RUNNING FOR REELECTION
Katrina Foley is soliciting donations on her Website for her reelection campaign in 2008.
Will Improvement minded citizens send her packing this year or will she be able to fool enough voters into voting for her because of her smarmy and intelligence insulting bake sale level of local involvement that seldom seems to be about improving Costa Mesa?
First, she had her brother's unit of Army mechanics adopted by the city. Then, she collected blankets for fire victims in South County. Now, she's offering a $ 500 scholarship for a school essay.
Okay, so these all sound nice in an Aunt Bee sort of way. But, who the hell does she think she is, the Queen of Planet PTA? Come on, what do these things have to do with making Costa Mesa a nicer place for us and our families? Nothing. Foley doesn't seem to know that she's on the Costa Mesa City Council.
Was it our imagination or did Foley sound tight jawed when the Daily Pilot asked for Foley's view on the ICE enforcement program that has resulted in 520 illegal alien criminals being deported? LINK
“I think the police would be the only ones to know if the program is effective,” said Foley.
Huh?
That would be like saying, "I think that weathermen are the only ones to know if rain is wet."
Look, Ms. Foley, this really isn't very difficult. Any time you take any criminals off our streets and deport them, you have an effective program. You don't need an expert to tell you that. Well, in your case, maybe you do.
Say, Ms. Foley, correct us if we're wrong. Didn't you speak through a translator to a group of suspected illegal alien day workers last year at the Costa Mesa Senior Center and reassure them that you're on their side?
Also, Ms. Foley, weren't you opposed to closing down the job center?
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Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
