Scope of housing dispute broadens - Anaheim's battle over resort land use is now a debate on a city's role in mandating housing that workers can afford.

But as the yearlong dispute has droned on -- through the courts, neighborhood meetings and civic center discussion -- what was once a small-town squabble has grown into a passionate showdown over low-cost housing.

Housing advocates, labor chiefs and, now, religious leaders have joined the debate, overwhelming Disney's argument that its interest in reserving the Resort District for tourism should not be turned into a forum on housing for low-wage earners.

Despite attempts by Disney and some Anaheim officials to steer the conversation, dozens of maids, switchboard operators and janitors have steadfastly kept the focus on what they call the city's "housing crisis" -- urging the City Council with often emotional testimony to consider the benefits of the project's low-cost housing element.

Three weeks ago, about 500 members of Anaheim's religious community showed up at a housing forum, a clear signal that the neighborhood zoning quarrel between Disney and SunCal Cos. had become a genuine movement in the state's 10th-largest city.

At the next night's council meeting, religious leaders delivered 200 letters from Roman Catholic families seeking lower-cost housing on a different piece of property -- 53 acres of undeveloped, city-owned land next to Angel Stadium.

"Our families are in a crisis," said Freddy Hernandez, a leader at St. Boniface Catholic Church. "Many parents and children are enduring the heavy burden of living in overpriced, substandard, overcrowded conditions.

"There is a sense of urgency, but working together we can find solutions to this crisis. We also wanted to let you know that we are here to stay."

Lorri Galloway, the only council member to attend the forum, said she welcomed a "new demographic of support" to the issue she has championed since being elected three years ago.

"That room [the forum] was just the beginning of a movement," she said. "It was a signal that the housing shortage isn't just affecting the working poor. It's become a cause for everyone in Anaheim."

So far, the issue has failed to gain the attention of a majority of the council. Mayor Curt Pringle believes the city's 2-year-old affordable-housing strategic plan, which calls for 1,328 low-cost units to be built over four years, will meet the community's needs.