Chamber takes on big job

Andrew Edwards

Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce President Ed Fawcett expects he and

his organization will take heat for leading a group of private

interests looking to find a new home for the Costa Mesa Job Center.

“I have to run over to Ceradyne and get some body armor,” Fawcett

said. Ceradyne Inc. is a Costa Mesa military supplier that supplies

protective gear to U.S. troops.

Because he expects controversy, Fawcett declined to name other

groups participating in the effort.

“I don’t want them under fire,” he said.

The Westside’s Job Center opened in 1988, and supporters view the

institution as a helpful tool to prevent day laborers from roaming

Costa Mesa in search of paying jobs. Some opponents see the center as

a compromise with illegal immigration.

The Costa Mesa City Council voted in March to shut down the

center, which connects day laborers to employers. In April, the

council voted to extend the deadline for the Job Center’s closure to

year’s end.

A memo sent Wednesday by Costa Mesa City Manager Allan Roeder to

City Council members stated the chamber-led task force has already

held its first meeting. Assistant City Manager Steve Hayman has been

assigned as a liaison to aid the group, which is a private group of

community members and is therefore not required to hold open

meetings. City staffers will not be able to direct the committee’s

actions.

Fawcett said the group is considering other locations for the Job

Center, and members want any new center to be run on private money.

“I’m hoping there’s no need for public funding because the more

public funds you have the more strings you have attached,” Fawcett

said.

Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor voted in favor of closing the Job

Center, but credited the chamber with stepping up to the plate. Since

March, Mansoor has said he believes the center’s functions should be

handled by the private sector.

“It’s my intent to get the city out of this business,” Mansoor

said.

Separating government from the Job Center is also a goal for

Councilman Eric Bever, who does not want the city to face any legal

problems if illegal immigrants use the center.

“I will be very happy to not have the city involved because there

are legalities I do not want the city being involved in,” he said.

Roeder’s memo stated that the chamber-led group is expected to

report on their ideas to the council by August. During the group’s

discussions, Fawcett said he is not interested in input from die-hard

Job Center opponents.

“Starting up a new business is much like giving birth,” Fawcett

wrote in an e-mail. “To be successful, you do not ask Dr. Kevorkian

to assist.”

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at andrew.edwards

@latimes.com.