Los Amigos Asks Garden Grove Mayor Dalton to Rescind Endorsement of Allan Mansoor for Assembly

Dear Mayor Dalton,

I am writing to bring an important matter to your attention. Your endorsement of Allan Mansoor for the 68th Assembly District greatly concerns the members of Los Amigos of Orange County. As a leader of a wonderful city comprised of nearly 40% Latinos (and over 30% Asian), you have demonstrated a great respect for diversity and have a strong record of promoting inclusiveness and cross-cultural tolerance.

We therefore believe it vital that you fully understand the record of bigotry of Allan Mansoor, who as mayor and city councilman, has fomented a very ethnically conflicted community in Costa Mesa by promoting divisive policies such as the controversial ICE program. The League of United Latin American Citizens has denounced Mansoor’s  plans as “opening the doors for deputies to proceed in a racial profiling mode for certain population groups, denying them full constitutional protection.”

Mr.Mansoor claims that he is not bigoted and that he is only interested in deporting undocumented immigrants.  Yet his actions as a councilman show his true colors. Although there are many examples of his bigotry, Mr. Mansoor’s  active involvement in denying a permit for a youth basketball league called the “Aztec Basketball League” and founded by a US National Guard Army recruiter named Rigoberto Bautista is a case worth examining. 

Geoff West, editor of the popular Costa Mesa “Bubbling Caudron” has documented the troubling story. Mr West explains that  Rigoberto Bautista, a decorated Marine and Army veteran, was only looking for a temporary home for his league while the Santa Ana gym it had been using was under repairs. He discovered the Downtown Recreation Center basketball courts in Costa Mesa were generally empty on Sundays, so he went to the city recreation department confident he had a win-win proposal which would bring $40,000 to the city’s strapped coffers. Mansoor, meanwhile, had a problem with the Aztec Basketball League name. He said he feared residents would be confused into thinking it was a Latino-only operation. He got Bautista to promise to change the name to the “Costa Mesa Sunday Basketball League.”

West concludes “At every turn city officials threw up barriers in front of Sgt. Bautista–a decorated Marine and Army veteran and recruiter–and every time he met their unreasonable demands with dignity and compliance,” West writes. “There may be no better example of how the racial agenda has affected the way our elected leaders conduct themselves. . . ”

One only wonders if a future “Assemblyman” Mansoor would ask the fine residents of Garden Grove to consider changing the names of the La Quinta High Aztecs, Santiago Cavaliers, Los Amigos Lobos, Rancho Alamitos Vacqueros, or Bolsa Grande Matadors.  Where would it stop?

For Mr. Mansoor’s continued acts of bigotry, Minuteman founder, Jim Gilchrist bestowed upon Mr. Mansoor “honorary” Minuteman status. 

Yet, for all  Mr. Mansoor’s touting law enforcement and his most recent proclamation of Costa Mesa as a “Rule of Law” city, he has no endorsements from actual law enforcement organizations.  Although he says he is a deputy sheriff, the man is currently unemployed. 

We hope that this information is enlightening to you and strongly urge you to further investigate Mr. Mansoor’s record.  You may also want to examine his relationship with a man he appointed to a city commission, Martin Millard, author of a racist blog and an identified hate monger by the nationally renown Southern Poverty Law Center.

As mentioned in my opening, we at Los Amigos appreciate your record of leadership for a diverse city like Garden Grove and hope that upon reflection you reconsider and withdraw your endorsement of Allan Mansoor for 68th Assembly.

We look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Please feel free to contact me at my address and telephone shown above.

Sincerely,

LOS AMIGOS OF ORANGE COUNTY

Amin David, President

Editor’s Note: As of the date of this post, Garden Grove Mayor Bill Dalton has not responded to Amin David’s letter.