On Friday, Oct. 18, Mayor John Stephens gave opening remarks at the OC Japan Fair and presented a Certificate of Recognition to Kimono Con for hosting the Nakamise Street Stage.

Kimono Con demonstrated the rich tapestry of Japanese performance arts, with renowned performers from Asakusa and a diverse lineup of local talent, that enriches our cultural landscape, with 22 remarkable acts—including taiko, ikebana, sumo, karate, traditional instruments, and dance.

On Saturday, Oct. 19, Mayor John Stephens attended the Newport Beach Film Festival. The Mayor presented the Film Festival a Certificate of Recognition for its 25th anniversary.

The Newport Beach Film Festival is one of the largest luxury lifestyle film festivals in the United States. The event brings an internationally curated collection of films and vibrant cultural gatherings to the beautiful Southern California coast.

Committed to championing the work of original storytellers from around the globe, the Festival celebrates contemporary screen culture and cinematic excellence, engaging the community in compelling conversations with filmmakers and artists. 

Mayor John Stephens attended a Grantee Meeting, hosted by Supervsior Foley.

The meeting was held to discuss how grantees expended their funds that were provided through the Supervisor’s discretionary funding.

The City of Costa Mesa received $3.2 million for two projects: Lions Parks Café Project and the Skate Park Expansion.

The Public Works Department is pleased to announce the completion of an update to the City’s Engineering & Traffic Survey (E&TS) which legally establishes speed limits on City streets.

Based on the updated E&T survey, the speed limits on 76 street segments throughout the City will be reduced. 

These speed limit reductions were possible through California Assembly Bill No. 43 which was signed into law in October 2021 and which provided the City with additional flexibility to lower speed limits.

Staff will be replacing speed limit signs on all applicable street segments in the coming weeks. All sign replacements are expected to be completed by the end of November. 

City staff will be communicating these changes over social media channels and through the use of digital message boards on selected major arterials.

These speed limit reductions will benefit all travel modes by improving safety and operations along major corridors and local streets throughout the City.

For a complete list of the street segments which will have the speed limit reduced, please visit our webpage here.

Election Day is coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 5., and early voting by mail is already underway.

To ensure your Vote-by-Mail ballot is counted, here are some helpful tips when filling it out:

✍️ Use black ink when filling out your ballot.

✔Check your ballot for any damage, tears, or unclear marks.

🗳 Remember to sign the envelope before you mail your ballot or drop it off at a Ballot Drop Box, a Vote Center or the Registrar of Voters Santa Ana office. 

📬 Mail ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 5, so submit your ballot on or before that date.

For more information, please visit ocvote.org.

The Costa Mesa Police Department would like to remind everyone that National Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday, Oct. 26. Take this weekend to go through your home and collect all your expired, unused, and unwanted medications.

✅ 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 Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., bring 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 so other nearby police departments will also be participating.

If you can’t make it on that Saturday, the Walgreens on Superior has a drop box where you can dispose of non-controlled medications year round during business hours.

Keeping your valuables safe doesn't need to be expensive or complicated.

Doing simple things can make a huge difference to protect your assets.

Assess your property and determine how to implement these seven tips to enhance property safety.

On Wednesday Oct. 23, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue attended and participated in the most recent Newport Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) College and Career Fair.

This event, featuring over 100 colleges, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, had over 1,000 students attend who were exploring their future career options. 

CMFR represented strong with their own table which featured Fire Protection Specialist Ryan Meadors, Fire Protection Specialist Ben Castillo, and fire crew Captain Lily Gary, Engineer Harrison Schwab, Firefighter/Paramedics Taylor Scavo, and Morgan Cain, and fire crew Captain Nick Cerciello, Engineer Scott Purcell, Firefighter/Paramedics Chad Pregizer, and Spencer Hibbard. 

Various members of CMFR were about to have thoughtful discussions students who were interested in the fire service throughout the night.

The table featured information for both the fire prevention and the fire suppression field, encouraging dialogue regarding the different types of career paths you can take in the fire service.

As Halloween approaches, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue wants to help you stay safe while enjoying the festivities. Keep these essential safety tips in mind:

• Be cautious with decorations and always maintain a clear exit path for emergencies.

• Opt for battery-operated candles whenever possible, and if using real candles, teach your kids the "Stop, Drop, and Roll" technique.

• Remember that common decorations like hay, dried flowers, and cornstalks are highly flammable and should be kept away from heat sources.

• Choose safe costumes, review fire safety rules with your children, and provide trick-or-treaters with flashlights or glow sticks for visibility.

Click here for a short video about Halloween Safety.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Recently, members of Costa Mesa’s Executive and Leadership teams joined hundreds of leaders from all sections of city government at the 2024 League of California Cities (Cal Cities) Annual Conference, which was held at the Long Beach Convention Center this year. 

Attendees included mayors, council members, city managers, city clerks, city attorneys, fiscal officers, fire chiefs, police chiefs, and other city staff.

The City of Costa Mesa was well represented by City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, Assistant City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly, Deputy City Manager Alma Reyes, Finance Director Carol Molina, Government Affairs Manager Jay Barkman and Fire Chief Dan Stefano.  

This year’s conference included high energy general sessions, interactive workshops related to current issues, legislation and timely topics, and networking events, which were all focused on local and regional governmental leaders looking to take their organization(s) to the next level and to help develop the future leaders of tomorrow.  

During the Cal Cities Board of Director’s meeting, Chief Stefano was recognized by the Board of Directors and the Fire Chiefs Professional Department for his service with Cal Cities representing the California Fire Chiefs and the City of Costa Mesa, most recently serving for the past few years on the Cal Cities Board of Directors, representing the California Fire Chiefs statewide.  

The California League of Cities is a membership organization representing California’s cities and advocating for their local interests at the state and federal levels.

It provides resources, education, training, and a platform for collaboration among city officials and city leaders to address common issues and promote effective governance.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue’s recruitment continues.

This past week and over the course of three days, over 100 of the top current prospective firefighter candidates were invited and participated in oral panel interviews. 

This top group of candidates were provided the opportunity to move forward in the testing process based on successfully meeting the extensive screening requirements to be professional firefighter, including successful completion of an accredited fire academy, EMT or EMT-P certification, high scores on the comprehensive written test and the successful completion of a demanding physical abilities test.

These oral interview panels consisted of representatives from the City of Costa Mesa’s outstanding Human Resources Team and members of the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department.  

The next phase of the Firefighter recruitment process will bring the top candidates in for Fire Chief’s interviews in the coming weeks and then on to the background and medical phases for those individuals who will move on from there.

Have you seen the new bollards that have been installed on Placentia Avenue and along various bike lanes around Costa Mesa?

These bicycle-friendly installations are used to create a vertical separation to prevent the unintentional encroachment of motor vehicles into the bicycle lane.

The increased safety resulting from this vertical separation is vital to reaching the goal of a Citywide bicycle network that is accessible to all ages and riding abilities in our #CostaMazing community.

Check out a special Costa Mesa Minute highlighting the new bollards along Placentia Avenue HERE.

Please join Public Works and Police staff for a Bike Safety Workshop on Saturday Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Balearic Community Center, 1975 Balearic Drive.

Learn new bike skills, get free helmets and bike repairs. We look forward to seeing you there!

Form more information, please visit https://walkmorebikemore.org/costa-mesa.

Mark your calendar!

The Barktoberfest pet adoption event is Saturday, Oct. 26, from 11am-2pm, at TeWinkle Park (970 Arlington Drive) Enjoy a spooky day with your family and meet some wonderful adoptable animals. Dogs are welcomed to attend the event but must be on a non-retractable 6-ft leash at all times. Enjoy music by DJ Kaboom! and other activities like a caricature artist, face painter, pet costume contest, and more! Come see the CMPD K-9 Unit put on a demonstration! Come hungry, a food truck will be available at the event! We hope to see you there!

¡Marque su calendario!

El evento de adopción de mascotas Barktoberfest es el sábado 26 de octubre de 2024, de 11 a. m. a 2 p. m., en TeWinkle Park (970 Arlington Dr.). Disfrute de un día espeluznante con su familia y conozca algunos maravillosos animales adoptables. Los perros pueden asistir al evento, pero deben llevar una correa no retráctil de 6 pies en todo momento. ¡Disfrute de la música de DJ Kaboom! y otras actividades como un artista de caricaturas, un pintor de caras, un concurso de disfraces de mascotas y más! ¡Ven a ver la demostración de la Unidad Canina (K9) del CMPD! ¡Vengan con hambre, habrán loncheras disponibles en el evento! ¡Esperamos verte ahí!

Costa Mesa ARTventure 2024 Abstract Art winner Ryan Schwartzkopf is a visual based artist with over 20 years of experience creating innovative fabric-based sculptures.

His recent work explores how we make meaning and how ideas get formed and communicated within our very physical world, and his award-winning entry "Death Shall Bring Waffles" features colorful fabric forms which are starched and inflated within wooden structures.

As the 3-D form, including a body of text, gets flattened and distorted, communication ges complicated and meaning gets altered. Ryan wants the things he makes to have a powerful ambiguity; to be chock full of paradox, both playful and challenging.

To learn more about ARTventure and the lineup of artists featured in this year's juried art show visit artventurecm.com.

Check out CMTV’s profile on Ryan HERE.

The Utility Box Art Application is now open until Dec. 31, 2024.

Utility Box art designs and vinyl wraps are applied to utility boxes beginning January through the end of June. Apply online today!

Artist: Danica Mendiola

Title: Everybody Loves Music

Year: 2024

Check out the Google Map to view all completed Utility Art Boxes and learn more about each artist here.

The City of Costa Mesa is looking for its first Poet Laureate and has reopened the application to expand the search.

The new Poet Laureate will promote the literary arts, while also increasing appreciation for the reading and writing of poetry and self-expression. Could this be you?

Important Dates for the Poet Laureate Program:

The application opens: September 9, 2024

Deadline to apply: October 28, 2024

For more information click here.

The City's Teen Program achieved a milestone on Friday, Oct. 18, as their Spooktacular Pumpkin Palooza and Movie Night drew a record-breaking 78 participants.

The event, which featured a screening of "Five Nights at Freddy's," marked the highest attendance in the program's history.

Click here to see a slideshow from the night.

Young attendees gathered under festive purple lights to enjoy an evening of community building, pumpkin-themed activities, and entertainment. The event showcased the Teen Program's commitment to providing safe, engaging spaces where local youth can forge friendships and feel connected to their community.

Local businesses stepped up to support the celebration, with Raising Cane's providing food, Sprouts Farmers Market donating pumpkins, and In-N-Out contributing gift cards for activity winners.

"This event perfectly demonstrates our mission to create meaningful experiences for local teens," said Recreation Coordinator Jose Guzman. "We're excited to build on this success with upcoming teen excursions and events."

For information about future Teen Program activities, visit costamesaca.gov/teens.

Access Costa Mesa was proud to host the second annual Wicked Dance at the Costa Mesa Senior Center this past Friday.

Dancers showed up in costume ready to dance the night away to beats spun by DJ Noah and capture each moment at the photo booth.

With over 100 attendees, we made new friends, reacquainted with old ones, ate our weight in candy, and most importantly, had a wicked good time.