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1 of 1 DOCUMENT The San Diego Union-Tribune August 3, 2000, Thursday

County delegates are caught up in the spirit of unity; Sizable local contingent reflects on fresh optimism, elements of change
BYLINE: James P. Sweeney; COPLEY NEWS SERVICE SECTION: NEWS;Pg. A-22 LENGTH: 530 words PHILADELPHIA -- Steve Castaneda, a Chula Vista land-use consultant, came to see for himself whether the Republican Party has changed. "We had heard a lot about Governor Bush's desire and commitment to reach out to minority communities and it was important to me that I heard that kind of theme throughout the week," said Castaneda, a delegate attending his first political convention. Roxana Foxx, chairwoman of the San Diego County Republican Party, hopes to take home commitments from a few big names to help raise money for the home stretch of this year's presidential campaign. John Hoy, a San Diego businessman, and Bud Wilson, a Bonita insurance man, said they would be happy merely to mingle with old friends before they bring forth their votes for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. California's delegation includes a sizable contingent from San Diego County, starting with Gerald Parsky, a Rancho Santa Fe businessman who is leading the 324 delegates and alternates. Parsky is also the co-chairman of the Bush campaign in California. Like much of the handpicked delegation, most of those who hail from San Diego County are established political figures -- like Foxx and Assemblywoman Charlene Zettel of Poway -- or have connections with some of the GOP's biggest political hitters. As residents of a region that was ground zero in the contentious political brawl over illegal immigration, some of them have been asked to reconcile the party's current overtures to minorities not so long after it backed divisive initiatives like Proposition 187, which infuriated many Latinos. The 1994 initiative barred undocumented immigrants from receiving most public services, most notably public education. It passed by a wide margin, but was thrown out by the courts. The Bush campaign, Foxx explained, is not encouraging illegal immigration. "They're encouraging legal immigration, taking care of immigrants who are already here and not alienating them," she said. Castaneda said the sizzling economy and tight labor market has diverted attention from illegal immigration. But he also said Bush brings a far different approach from Texas, where he established a strong rapport with Mexico and local Latinos. "I've been able to meet a lot of people from Texas, a lot of them Hispanics, a lot of them in key positions," said Castaneda, a former aide to San Diego County Supervisor and mayoral candidate Ron Roberts. "That wasn't the case in California." Likewise, Wilson said he likes what he has seen at his fourth GOP convention. He attended his first 40 years ago in Chicago. "The Republican Party needed to show the nation that it is inclusive," Wilson said. "I think the party, in the past, has said things that drive people away." Hoy, a former executive director of the California Republican Party, is attending his fourth convention, but his first as a delegate. He said he has been struck by the level of unity and optimism inside and out of the convention hall.

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"There have been prior elections where that has not always been the case," he said. "From someone who has been through these conventions on the staff side, it's pretty amazing."

LOAD-DATE: August 7, 2000 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH GRAPHIC: 1 PIC; Eduardo Contreras / Union-Tribune; Delegate John Hoy, a San Diego businessman, applauded from the convention floor. Hoy, attending his fourth Republican convention, said he was impressed with the unity and optimism this year. Copyright 2000 The San Diego Union-Tribune

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