Mayor John Stephens, Mayor Pro-Tem Jeff Harlan, Economic and Development Services Director Jennfer Le, Deputy City Manager Alma Reyes and members of City staff this week took part in the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) annual event in Las Vegas. 

This is ICSC’s premier regional event that takes place annually at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year the dates were May 21-23. It is a gathering of dealmakers and industry experts, who are driving innovation and evolution in the Marketplaces Industry.

Making connections at this show has, in the past, brought Raising Cane’s, Crack Shack and soon-to-be Shake Shack to our #CostaMazing City. #CostaMesaNews #ICSC

Thank you from the bottom of our heart for all the love this past Saturday at the sixth annual Love Costa Mesa Serve Day.

We greatly appreciate the hundreds of volunteers who worked so hard to improve this community.

See you next year! 

The City of Costa Mesa is hosting a Spanish language housing seminar on Thursday, June 1, from 6-8 pm.

The Public Law Center will have a presentation on various topics, such as tenant rights, protection from eviction, housing discrimination, rent increases, and much more. Light refreshments will be provided.

La ciudad de Costa Mesa está organizando un taller de vivienda en español el jueves 1 de junio de 6 a 8 pm.

El Public Law Center tendrá una presentación sobre varios temas, como los derechos de inquilinos, la protección contra el desalojo, la discriminación en la vivienda, los aumentos de alquiler y mucho más. Se proveerán refrescos ligeros.

Join Council Member Arlis Reynolds at the Walk and Roll Festival this Saturday, May 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Estancia High School.

There will be a group walk, bike skill courses for kids, e-bike safety training and free bike helmets and bike tuneups. 

Bring your own bike, skateboard or scooter, or use one of our demos.

For details and to register to win a free e-bike: go to www.walkmorebikemore.org/costa-mesa.

The City of Costa Mesa honors our employees who are being celebrated during May's Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

We are grateful for their many contributions to our City and community.

Due to the observation of the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 29, there will be no residential street sweeping the entire week as Costa Mesa Sanitary District also observes this holiday pushing trash collection back one day.

This results in residential gutter lines being cluttered with trash cans making it difficult for street sweeper operators to do an efficient job. Street sweeping will resume back to normal schedule starting the week of June 5. No parking citations will be issued during this time.

The following are a list of task that Clean Street’s operators will be conducting next week.

• City wide alley street sweeping
• Sweeping of park parking lots and other city-owned facilities
• Accident call outs and special requests
• Night route sweeping on all arterial streets

For more information, residents can call the city’s street sweeping hotline at (714) 327-7471, which has been updated with this information.

Costa Mesa City Hall will be closed Monday, May 29 in observance of Memorial Day, which honors those members of the military who lost their lives while serving our country.

They should never be forgotten.

This week CMTV partnered with the Parks and Community Services team to produce a special Costa Mesa Minute inviting the community to join us for a FREE concert at the Costa Mesa Senior Center this Saturday at 1pm when the Pacific Symphony brings their mobile stage for a "Symphony On The Go!" brass quintet performance! To learn more visit PacificSymphony.org.

Thanks to County Supervisor Katrina Foley, whose office provided the funding for this concert.

Watch this special edition of the Costa Mesa Minute at the link below: 

Mr. M is a Costa Mesa resident who has taken care of his son for many years but ran into some hard times. 

The City of Costa Mesa’s Network for Homeless Solutions (NHS) outreach team and partners, including the Lighthouse church, Share Our Selves, and Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, have invested in assisting and supporting him for years.

Mr. M entered the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter and worked very hard toward searching for and getting housing.

Mr. M’s goal was to secure housing so that his son could come back and live with him again. After getting settled into his new home, Mr. M hopes to return to the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter to encourage others in the shelter to remain hopeful and actively engaged in their housing.

Mr. M is currently enjoying the silence in his new home that he hadn’t felt in a while and is spending quality time with his son. 

The Costa Mesa Police Department held a Coffee with a Cop, the first one this year, on Friday, May 19. The event took place early in the morning at Shirley’s Bagels on 17th Street in the City of Costa Mesa.

Police Chief Ron Lawrence and Deputy Chief Joyce LaPointe were there to meet and connect with community members who stopped by to have a chat with them over coffee, including Mayor John Stephens.

Plenty of officers, detectives, and professional staff were also there to answer any questions the public might have.

The department appreciates Crime Prevention Specialist Jenette Martinez for putting this event together for the benefit of the community.

The Costa Mesa Police Department would like to congratulate Sgt. Joshua Kuo, who graduated today from the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute.

The institute is “a program designed to stimulate personal growth, leadership, and ethical decision-making in California law enforcement front-line supervisors,” per Police Officers Standards and Training (POST).

Sgt. Kuo was one of many from various California agencies to graduate after eight months of study and hard-work.

The department also congratulates all supervisors in the graduating class!

The Costa Mesa Police Department’s Traffic Safety Bureau would like to remind drivers to buckle up during the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) national Click It or Ticket campaign, which coincides with the Memorial Day holiday, from May 22 to June 4.

Motor officers will be on the alert to issue citations if someone is not wearing their seat belt.

According to NHTSA, in 2021, there were 11,813 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States.

In that same year, 57% of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night were not wearing their seat belts. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.

We can all do our part to keep everyone on the road safe, including yourself and your loved ones riding as passengers. Click It or Ticket isn’t about citations; it’s about saving lives.

Is your child’s car seat installed correctly? It is estimated that 73% of car seats are not used or installed correctly. 

The Costa Mesa Police Department in partnership with Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris and the California Highway Patrol will host a free Car Seat Safety Check-Up event on Saturday, June 3 from 9am-Noon, where specially trained technicians will be available to inspect car seats and make sure that they are properly installed and equipped.

For more information and to RSVP, call 949-251-0074 or visit a73@asmdc.org

Recently personnel from Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue attended the California Fire Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Disaster Conference hosted in Indian Wells.

As the department continues to expand its EMS Program, personnel participate in a range or training opportunities and events throughout the year, including this event. 

This conference is a multi-day training that included speakers and presentations that provided increased awareness of the continuing challenges in healthcare, making this conference a premier training for Fire, EMS and Nurses/Nurse Educators.

Representing CMFR was Battalion Chief Chris Coates, Captains Justin Horner, Chuck Torres, John Heunemann, Engineer Donald Soldan, and Firefighter/Paramedics Morgan Cain and Taylor Scavo and topics covered included:

• Cal Chiefs Wildland and EMS Summits

• California Fire Service EMS Issues

• Pediatric Care Concepts

• Mental Health

• Organizational Assessment

• Community Paramedicine

• Sports Related Cardiac Arrest

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue was proud to be a part of the recent Love Costa Mesa Day 2023, on Saturday May 20. 

CMFR joined the hundreds of people who gathered for the sixth annual service day to show Costa Mesa love.

CMFR helped kick the day off strong and finish strong, most importantly, embracing our strength with our highly valued community partnerships.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue’s probationary firefighters were tested earlier this week during their nine-month exam. 

The probationary firefighters were tested in the areas of Engine and Truck work through a series of evolutions designed to test their current skill set and knowledge base.

Each one was evaluated by a Fire Captain and must earn a passing performance to achieve completion of their probationary period. 

This testing is conducted throughout the firefighters 12-month probation period at three-month intervals.

Their final test will be taken at 11-months. 

The elevator modernization project is completed with the renovation of the east elevator. 

Both of the cabs on the elevators have been upgraded, and a new controller, motor, hoisting mechanisms, wiring, door operators, electrical circuits, and safety components have been installed. 

The new elevator had its final state inspection this past week and is operating efficiently and smoothly.

Public Works appreciates everyone’s patience and cooperation during the elevator modernization project.

This Public Works Week May 21-27, the City of Costa Mesa is honoring our many talented engineers, maintenance crews and arborists.

Public Works keeps our streets in working order and bikeable, our traffic flowing, our storm drains clean, our sidewalks walkable, our trees pruned, our parks and parkways properly maintained and our City sustainable.

We are grateful for their dedication to our community. 

Symphony on the Go! is a mobile community concert experience. Pacific Symphony brings a traveling stage to communities around Orange County.

The City of Costa Mesa is thrilled to host two concerts in the coming months. Thanks to County Supervisor Katrina Foley, whose office provided the funding for this concert.

All concerts are presented weather permitting. The public is encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to the free outdoor concerts. Each concert is 50 minutes long.

Symphony on the Go! will perform for the Costa Mesa community on two dates and at two different locations:

• May 27 at 1 p.m. at the Costa Mesa Senior Center Parking Lot
• June 18 at 7 p.m. at the Balearic Community Center Lawn

Two new exhibits are being featured in Costa Mesa by the City's Arts staff.

The first exhibit features artwork from the Parks & Community Services LEAP program. That exhibit is now on display in the City Hall lobby.

Come check out masterpieces created by pint-sized Picassos!

The next exhibition titled, Celestial Makers of Fame and Fortune is on display at the Costa Mesa Senior Center through Aug. 30.

The astrology charts featured above are by local artist Alan Mayeda.

Five new utility boxes have been wrapped with art and are located on:

Box #120 on Fairview Road and Monitor Way by graphic designer Kevin Holder titled: Celebrating 75 Years of Orange Coast College

Box #97 on Fairview Road and Adams Avennue by graphic designer Christopher Yageraman titled: Celebrating 75 Years of Orange Coast College

Box #26 on Fairview Road and Merrimac Way by graphic designer Chauncey Bayes titled: Celebrating 75 Years of Orange Coast College

Box #25 on Fairview Road and Arlington Drive by graphic designer Alicia Triche titled: Celebrating 75 Years of Orange Coast College

Box #17 on Harbor Boulevard Baker Street by artist David Levy title: Costa Mesa Dragon     

Check out the Google Map to view all completed Utility Art Boxes and learn more about each artist at the link below:

Immerse yourself in the graceful movements and rhythmic beats of Hawaiian Dance at the Costa Mesa Senior Center.

Experienced instructor will guide you through a series of energizing exercises. Discover the beauty of hula, feel the spirit of aloha, and experience the joy of dancing alongside fellow community members at this free class.

This class not only promotes physical fitness but also celebrates the diversity and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures. It's a wonderful opportunity to learn about Hawaiian traditions and connect with the larger AAPI community during this meaningful month.

Visit www.costamesaca.gov/seniorcenter to learn more about this class and how to sign up to become a Senior Center Member. Membership is free.          

Join us at the Costa Mesa Senior Center every second and fourth Monday at 12:30 p.m. to check out a free movie that you might have missed in the theater.

Check out "Where the Crawdads Sing" on June 12, and "Jurassic World: Dominion," June 26.

Other popular showings we have had are "Elvis," "Easter Sunday," "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and so many more! Snacks are provided.         

Students heading into their senior year of high school are invited to join a two-day workshop to get a jumpstart on their college applications.

Students will be learning about various college application platforms, including CSU, UC, and CommonApp. Building a balanced college list, application strategies, the CommonApp essay, and Personal Insight Questions will also be discussed.   

Students should bring a laptop and come prepared to work.

Two workshop options are available:

August 7 – August 8 or August 14 – August 15

Register online at cmclassesonline.com.

Space is limited, register early.

Koda is a 3 year old, male, Akita.

Koda is perfectly fluffy and cuddly and even resembles a giant toasted marshmallow. He is known to be a little quiet but will surely warm up to people soon.

Koda looks forward to meet you! Koda is neutered and is current on his vaccines.

If you are interested in meeting Koda, he is available at The Orphanage – Costa Mesa (1536 Newport Blvd.), for other adoptable pets, visit www.pricelesspetrescue.org.