Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for Mayor John Stephens final State of the City luncheon.

The them is "Reflecting on Progress, Shaping Our Future," and the luncheon will take place at the Hilton Costa Mesa at 3050 Bristol Street in Costa Mesa.

Mayor Stephens will be joined by a panel that includes his fellow Council Members, Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez, Council Members Arlis Reynolds and Andrea Marr, Police Chief Joyce LaPointe, Interim Fire Chief Jason Pyle, Director of Public Works Raja Sethuraman and Neighborhood Improvement Manager Nate Robbins.

The panel will look back at the major accomplishments by the City Council over the last 10 years.

Reserve your tickets now by clicking here.

Please join us this Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Lions Park Event Lawn as we officially open Café Mesa. 

The café is made possible from $1.2 million in funding from the office of County Supervisor Katrina Foley’s and the additional $1.1 million that the City Council allocated to this project.

Café Mesa will be operated by the owners of Neat Coffee, Ally Garvin and her husband David. Neat Coffee has been serving Costa Mesans from a Pomona Avenue storefront since 2015.

We hope to see you all there.

Construction is still underway at Shalimar Park, but today City Parks & Community Servies and Public Works staff added something special to the sidewalks.

We celebrated four talented Costa Mesa kids who won our Sidewalk Poetry Project contest by stamping their original poems into the park’s sidewalks for the community to enjoy for years to come.

In attendance was Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez, Council Member Arlis Reynolds, Arts Commissioner Charlene Ashendorf, and dedicated staff and contractors, who are working hard to bring this upgraded park to life.

In honor of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, we come together to shine a light on domestic violence.

The 5th annual vigil was held inside on Wednesday evening, Oct. 21, for Shine the Light due to weather conditions. The Costa Mesa Police Department hosted this vigil in solidarity with victims and survivors of relationship violence.

Thank you to Assembly woman Cottie Petrie-Norris and Councilmember Arlis Renolds for attending and for their dedication to raising awareness and supporting victims.

Human Options is a non-profit organization that connects anyone who is threatened by domestic abuse to countywide services to help them.

This organization is a resource for shelter, intervention programs, counseling and referrals that officer’s hand out when responding to domestic violence calls.

There are other amazing organizations, like Human Options, that we work with including Share Our Selves and Laura’s House and nearby hospitals. All these organizations are there for the community in their time of need.

We stand against domestic violence, and we are here to help and connect those in need to valuable resources.

Last weekend, Police Chief Joyce LaPointe accepted a generous donation from the Nauti-Gals of the Newport Harbor Elks Lodge #1767 to help us fund the 2026 Shop with a Cop event to be held in December, along with other community outreach programs, including National Night Out. 

This donation came at the perfect time as we start planning for Shop with a Cop.

This annual event allows the Costa Mesa Police Department to partner with as many as 20 local students from families in need to shop for Christmas gifts for their families. It is a special and heartwarming event.

Thank you to the Newport Harbor Elks and Nauti-Gals, and a very special thank you to Geri Ghiselin, a CMPD volunteer and Nauti-Gal, for their dedication and generous donation again this year. It means so much to so many.

The City of Costa Mesa Office of Emergency Management reminds residents to be prepared for all emergencies.

Check out this recent “Let’s Talk Costa Mesa" interview with Emergency Services Manager Delcie Hynes who provides some important tips regarding the ongoing El Niño season and the importance of being prepared.

Our downloadable all-hazards Emergency Preparedness Guide is available in both English and Spanish at costamesaca.gov.

This helpful resource empowers residents to take ownership of their personal preparedness and be ready when disaster strikes.

As a reminder, the effects of an unusually strong El Niño condition,such as unseasonably warm weather, strong winds and rain may continue to affect us throughout coming months.

The Costa Mesa Senior Center, public libraries, community centers, and other public government buildings are considered cooling centers during normal business hours.

Please continue to be safe and remember, disaster ready residents contribute to the ongoing safety of our City while helping us to be Costa Mesa Ready!

CMFR probationary firefighters completed their four-month practical skills assessment at the Regional Training Center.

The assessment focused on engine company operations, including establishing a water supply from a fire hydrant, deploying hose lines in a stairwell during a simulated multistory building fire, conducting firefighter Mayday and rescue operations, and using forcible-entry techniques.

These exercises evaluate essential skills for protecting the community.

Probationary CMFR firefighters are assessed at four, six, nine, and 11 months, with each evaluation increasing in scope and complexity.

The Orange County Registrar of Voters will open the Costa Mesa Senior Center as an 11-day Vote Center from Saturday, Oct. 24 through Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Stop by to vote in person or drop off your completed ballot. We’re happy to offer a convenient location for our community to participate in the election

Then on Oct. 31, the Registrar will open five more Vote Centers will in the following locations:

• Balearic Community Center
• Costa Mesa City Hall 
• Norma Hertzog Community Center
• Orange Coast College Student Union
• Sofia University

Vote Center Hours

• October 24 – November 2: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• November 3 (Election Day): 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Have questions? Contact the Orange County Registrar of Voters at 714-567-7600 for more information.

National Drug Take Back is happening Saturday, Oct. 24. Now is the time to go through your home and collect all expired, unwanted, and unused medications to discard.

Accepted: prescriptions, over the counter medicine, vitamins, supplements, pet medicine, and liquid medicine

Not accepted: needles and sharps, inhalers, illicit drugs, chemotherapy medication, mercury thermometers, bulk pharmaceutical waste  

On Saturday, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., bring us your expired, unused, unwanted medications and we'll take them off your hands, so they don't fall into the wrong hands at home.

Stop by Costa Mesa PD at 99 Fair Drive to dispose of the drugs. This is a national event meaning other nearby police departments will also be participating.

Recently, members of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue attended a Statutes and Regulations training course to further strengthen their understanding of the laws, regulations, and responsibilities that guide fire prevention and enforcement.

Assistant Fire Chief/Fire Marshal Ryan Bohr, Assistant Fire Marshal Nikki Johnson, Fire Protection Specialist Luke Senger, and Fire Prevention Intern Christian Cucinotti participated in the training, which focused on the legal framework surrounding fire and life safety, including code enforcement, regulatory authority, and the application of state laws in daily operations.

Continuing education plays an important role in maintaining a knowledgeable and effective fire prevention team.

By staying informed on current statutes and regulations, our personnel are better equipped to make consistent, informed decisions, uphold fire and life safety standards, and continue serving and protecting the Costa Mesa community.

At its Oct. 20, meeting, the City Council approved the City’s first Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP).

Costa Mesa is one of only a few three cities in Orange County to demonstrate its commitment to climate action and adaption by approving a CAAP. The other two cities are Buena Park and Laguna Beach.

The CAAP establishes a flexible roadmap for the City through 2045 to reduce its contributions greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The City’s Energy and Sustainability Services Division will lead plan implementation. To learn more about the CAAP, the City’s sustainability efforts, or the division, please click here to visit the Energy and Sustainability Services Division website or here to see the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan website or email us at sustainability@costamesaca.gov.

Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue CERT will host a community meeting Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 6-8:30 p.m. to discuss pet emergencies and evacuation,

The meeting will take place in the Community Room located at City Hall, and will feature guest speakers from SoCal Animal Response Team (SCART). 

Please join us and learn how to better prepare your pets for emergencies, explore animal evacuation and sheltering basics and hear from guest speakers about animal disaster response. 

The City of Costa Mesa hosted the Costa Mesa Repair Café at Balearic Community Center on Saturday, Oct. 17, in partnership with regional nonprofit Cool OC, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris’ Office, and Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley’s Office.

The City prioritizes sustainability and this event was another step in the right direction.

This free event gave residents the opportunity to bring items in need of repair and extend their useful life.

Some items may still be usable but need a little TLC. Reuse is an important part of sustainability, as it supports resource conservation and waste reduction. The event also helped residents save money by avoiding the cost of purchasing replacement items or paying for repairs.

Cool OC coordinated the repairers and welcomed participants upon arrival. Each repairer was a skilled, dedicated volunteer who spent a little over four hours of their weekend helping fellow residents.

Repair stations included mending, knife sharpening, appliance and general repair, bicycle repair, and garden tool sharpening. Representatives from Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris’ Office and Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley’s Office were present to provide essential community information and food for the volunteers.

The city prioritizes sustainability and waste reduction, and this event was another step in the right direction while helping keep many items out of a landfill.

Quick highlights from the event:

• 110 attendees
• 22 volunteers
• In total, 118 items were repaired or maintained
• 66 knives sharpened
• 29 garden tools sharpened
• 8 bikes were fixed
• 8 items were mended
• 7 appliances were repaired

Costa Mesa seniors had a boo-tiful time celebrating with an afternoon full of laughter, fun, and festive memories.

From singing their favorite tunes at karaoke and testing their knowledge with Halloween trivia to showing off their spooky, creative, and fun looks in our costume contest, there was no shortage of Halloween spirit.

Guests also captured silly smiles and unforgettable moments at the FunPhotos photobooth, enjoyed delicious catering from Stonefire, and made the most of spending time with friends and great company.

A huge thank-you to everyone who helped make this event such a memorable celebration.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support pet adoption and our Animal Services Unit and K9s at the annual BarktoberFest event.

We loved the creative costumes, which made for such a fun atmosphere. The cooling station on that hot Saturday was a hit with the furry friends.

Thanks to HEART, Forever Puppy, Stevie Cruz Photography, Anaheim Feed, Kahoots Feed and Pet, and all the other vendors for participating in the event!

Thank you for the amazing turn out and we will see you next year.