Mayor John Stephens issued a statement on the passing of former Mayor and City Council Member Norma Hertzog, who died Monday at the age of 94 at her New Jersey Home.

Hertzog was the first woman Council Member and Mayor of Costa Mesa.

Read the statement below:

Earlier this week, we initiated a soft launch of TESSA, the City’s new cutting-edge, one-stop-shop electronic permitting and licensing application system.

TESSA allows members of the public to submit permit and license applications electronically, track progress, communicate with City staff, make payments and much more.

Visit the new TESSA website here: https://permits.costamesaca.gov/energov_prod/selfservice?fbclid=IwAR0BvvfXUgEPDLWApuq9e0MAQTrnHL9sFBF8yuU5sROSCOtUt6iK1kijfIY#/home

Watch this video here to learn how to create a TESSA account.

If you need any help with the new system, our front counter staff have been trained to help you use TESSA. Please reach out to the appropriate Department for the application you want to submit:

• For a Business License, please call: 714-754-5235.
• For a Building Permit, please call: 714-754-5273.
• For a Planning Application, please call: 714-754-5245.
• For a Public Works-related permit, please call: 714-754-5323.

If you are not sure, call our Concierge Desk and they will assist you: 714-754-5000.

Council Member Arlis Reynolds had the honor of speaking to 66 College Corps fellows at their orientation last week at Vanguard University of Southern California.

These students will be volunteering with local organizations during the year, emphasizing work focusing on K-12 Education, Food Security and Climate Action.

Council Member Reynolds welcomed the students to our community, and shared her own personal journey from growing up in Costa Mesa to currently serving on City Council. 

She also provided crucial information to help them better understand our community needs and culture, and offered words of encouragement as they prepare to embark on their admirable journey of service to our community.

City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison presented Senior Management Analyst Hadassa Jakher with the City Manager Leadership Award for the month of August.

“Hadassa is the consummate utility player and supports the City Manager’s Office in various tasks including public relations, outreach, finance, and budgeting capacities,” Farrell Harrison said. “She is a pleasure to work with and is an exceptional member or our team and our entire CostaMazing family.”

Click here to read more.

During last weekend’s tropical storm, several City teams remained active to monitor for potential damage and provide sandbags to residents in case of flooding.

Over 150 tons of sand was delivered to the City Hall parking lot station, the equivalent of 9,000 bags. To put that in perspective, the City normally goes through 16 tons of sand in a weeks worth of winter storms and about 7,000 bags for a whole season.

The weekend also included an operational activation of the City’s Emergency Operation Center as well as establishing interactive and dynamic contact with the countywide EOC.

MESAC radio operators reported from their respective neighborhoods and CERT team members also worked in their respective neighborhoods to support those local needs.

The public safety, public works, and building inspection teams were active, including a number of calls for service for down branches and trees down as well as wires.  

Costa Mesa police and fire staffed up during the weekend. Fire crews continued to lead one of the countywide/Cal OES Type 3 Strike Teams that was pre-positioned for this storm response. They were active all day patrolling the mountain canyon areas within the county.

The first general Community Workshop for the Fairview Park Master Plan Update will take place on Thursday, Aug. 31, from 6 to 8 pm at Norma Hertzog Community Center.

The workshop will include an overview of the process and timeline to prepare the updated Fairview Park Master Plan. Participants will have an opportunity to take part in interactive discussions to learn about key environmental and planning elements of the site, and share their ideas for Fairview Park.

To learn more, visit https://www.costamesaca.gov/community/fairview-park/fairview-park-master-plan

Check out a special Costa Mesa Minute promoting the workshop below: 

For Flashback Friday we not only took a look back at highlights from Savor: Latin Rock Band / Santana Tribute at this summer's Concert In The Park, but we also featured some of the amazing and free events sponsored by the Costa Mesa Parks & Community Services Department. 

Recreation Supervisor Ashley Thomas gives a CostaMazing rundown on some fun family events available as the we wrap up summer and prepare for the fall and upcoming holiday season.  

Check out the video below: 

For this Flashback Friday video we saluted all of the CostaMazing food vendors who helped make this summer's Concerts In The Park series a sweet success!

A few weeks ago we caught up with representatives from Descanso Mexican Restaurant and Handel's Ice Cream who were on hand to keep the crowd fueled up and energized as they danced to 80's hits performed by The Reflexx band.

You can watch the video below: 

On Sunday, August 20, the City partnered with Trellis (aka Love Costa Mesa) to implement a temporary storm shelter at The Crossing Church in the wake of the tropical storm that hit the area.

Trellis volunteers were onsite throughout the night to provide homeless individuals with food and respite from the harsh weather conditions. The following morning, Trellis shuttled individuals to the Lighthouse Church for breakfast and connection to resources.

About 20 volunteeers provided sleeping mats donated by Lighthouse Church, dry clothes through clothing donations at the Check In Center, dinner donated by community members and Great Mex, a coffee bar hosted by Genesis Church, a dry space to sleep at The Crossing Church and breakfast at Lighthouse Church.

In all, about 40 individuals used the storm shelter. Many thanks to Trellis, The Crossing, Lighthouse Church and the myriad volunteers who came together to ensure the health and safety of our unsheltered community.

Newport-Mesa students returned to school this week and were joined by two of our School Resource Officers (SRO), Officer Sapida and Officer Ashby.

We would like to wish all the NMUSD students and faculty a wonderful and exciting school year!

On Aug. 2, members of the Costa Mesa Police Department located a vehicle with stolen license plates driving in the area of Bristol and Anton. 

A vehicle stop was conducted and the driver was detained. During the investigation, officers located a floor jack, a cordless saw, and four catalytic converters in the trunk of the car. The driver was arrested for possession of the stolen property.

During the investigation, Officer Santos recalled that a catalytic converter had been stolen earlier in the day, so he met with the owner of that car. 

One of the catalytic converters recovered from the suspect’s car was determined to belong to her vehicle. The stolen part was returned to her, thereby saving her from having to spend over $1,000 to replace the converter.

The victim is in her late 70’s and was extremely thankful to Officer Santos and the Costa Mesa Police Department for their help. She explained that at her age she still holds a job because of financial necessity, and would not have been able to afford the replacement cost for a new catalytic converter. 

The victim in this case was so appreciative of Officer Santos recovering her stolen property and the personal attention he showed when he returned it to her.  

The Costa Mesa Police Department is proud of the hard work and dedication Officer Santos demonstrated during this investigation by not only making this arrest and recovering stolen property but also taking the extra time to personally help a community member in her time of need.

In honor of Fire Prevention Month, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue (CMFR) invites you to our annual Community Open House and Fire & Safety Expo event 2023.

This is a great FREE community event, and all are welcomed. Come out and meet CMFR’s fire-fighters, learn about the fire service, participate in simulated firefighting drills, fun activities and see live Fire, Rescue and EMS demonstrations and learn how we run emergency calls. 

There will also be special surprises throughout the day, including our first ever interactive Earthquake education and demonstration, in partnership with Cal OES!

The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., at Fire Station no. 4 at 2300 Placentia Ave. Free parking is available at Estancia High School. 

We hope you all come out and, we can’t wait to see you there!

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) has opened registration for the next weekend course, taking place Friday, Sept. 29 through Sunday, Oct. 1. Class will meet Friday evening 5:30- 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. 

CERT weekend course will cover earthquake awareness and preparedness, disaster fire suppres-sion techniques, disaster medical operations, team organization and management, light search and rescue, community preparedness and disaster simulation. 

Those interested in registering are encouraged to contact Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue CERT coordinator at (714) 327-7406 or via email at Brenda.emrick@costamesaca.gov.

Another great opportunity is Citizens Fire Academy, registration is now open. The academy begins Sept. 20. Registration available online at the city website or by calling 714-327-7400.

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue (CMFR) sends our prayers up for the family, friends and colleagues of CAL Fire Assistant Chief Josh Bischof, CAL Fire Captain Tim Rodriguez and contracted Pilot Tony Sousa, who lost their lives tragically in a midair collision while fighting the Broadway Fire in Riverside County. 

CMFR extends our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of these men.

The Memorial Services for each individual took place separately throughout this past week.

CMFR sends our heartfelt prayers, thoughts and aloha to all of our neighbors in Maui who were impacted by the devastating wildfires. 

Federal and State Fire, Rescue, & Recovery resources are continuing to be sent, which includes California’s deployment of 201 specialized personnel, 25 vehicles, and more resources to help our neighbors in Hawaii and Oregon.

We will continue to keep Hawaii and everyone impacted in our thoughts and prayers. 

For more information, please visit the following link:

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/08/15/california-sends-wildfire-response-and-recovery-teams-to-hawaii-and-oregon/

For those that are interested in donating, please visit the following links:

• Hawaii Community Foundation Maui Strong fund: Focusing on rapid response and working with local nonprofits to understand community needs: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/strengthening/maui-strong-fund.
• Maui Food Bank: Collecting and distributing food to help the hungry in Maui County: https://mauifoodbank.org/about/. 
• Maui United Way: Providing direct relief to families and nonprofits: https://mauiunitedway.org/Maui-United-Way-Program.
• The Salvation Army Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division: Providing food and resources for evacuees: https://westernusa.salvationarmy.org/usw_thq/mission_and_impact/.
• American Red Cross: www.redcross.org.
• Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation: Partnering with the state Department of Education to support school communities in West Maui through Oct. 1: https://pshf.org.
• Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement: Working to match every donation to Maui fire victims as of Friday evening: https://www.hawaiiancouncil.org.
• Maui Humane Society: Supporting shelters for displaced people and animals, and caring for injured animals: https://www.mauihumanesociety.org 
• Hawaii Chamber of Commerce Hawaii Business Relief Fund: Assisting the business communities on Maui: https://www.gofundme.com/f/hawaii-chamber-foundation-business-relief-fund.
• World Central Kitchen: Providing meals to people in need by partnering with local organizations:
• https://donate.wck.org/give/508200/?_gl=1*myfpte*_ga*MTM0ODA5MDUwMS4xNjkxNzA3MTEy*_ga_5WKVY8503C*MTY5MTcwNzExMi4xLjEuMTY5MTcwNzI1Ni42MC4wLjA.#!/donation/checkout?c_src=reliefpage.
• Hawaii Lions Foundation: Matching up to $25,000 in donations for Maui disaster relief efforts: https://www.hawaiilions.org.
• Hawaiʻi People’s Fund: Providing immediate relief to those directly impacted by the wild-fires on Maui Island:
• https://hawaiipeoplesfund.networkforgood.com/projects/200566-maui-aloha-the-people-s-response-fund?utm_source=Waiwai+Collective&utm_campaign=5dd8887036-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_07_08_08_32_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6432cb7f83-5dd8887036-361779857. 

As the Hilary tropical storm event passed through, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue personnel recently returned home after being a part of the statewide Cal OES pre-positioning deployment.

As the region and the state transitions out of the Hilary Storm operations and moves into recovery opera-tions statewide, CMFR’s Cal OES Type 3 Fire Engine and Crew (Captain Nick Cerciello, Fire Engineer Dave Kearley, and Firefighter/Paramedics John Glasgow and Robert Rondinella), led by Battalion Chief Chris Coates (Strike Team Leader) returned home earlier this week from their multi-day, pre-positioning deployment within our region.

Just prior to CMFR’s Type 3 (Wildland/All Hazard) Fire Engine returning earlier this week, CMFR was requested and deployed our Cal OES Type 6 (Wildland/All Hazard Patrol) Fire Engine as part of a mixed Orange County / LA County Type 6 Strike Team.

This strike team includes Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Orange, Long Beach and Arcadia, and units were deployed to the Happy Camp Complex Fire in the Klamath National Forest, near the California/Oregon border.  

The Happy Camp incident started late last week as a result of multiple pre and post “Hilary” related impacts in Northern California, where they experienced a substantial number of lightning strikes.

The lightning strikes combined with the strong winds from the thunderstorms caused multiple wildfires throughout the area that ultimately merged into the Happy Camp Complex Incident.  

As a side note, when two or more active wildfire incidents are burning in near proximity, they are frequently merged into a “complex” incident, creating a more streamlined management of the incident under a unified command structure.  

For additional information and updates on the 2023 Happy Camp Complex Fire, please visit:   https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2023/8/16/happy-camp-complex or https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/caknf-2023-happy-camp-complex-klamath-nf.

Sports Field Renovations at the TeWinkle Athletic Complex officially began on July 18 on the baseball field and on Aug. 7 on the softball fields.

The infield and warning track areas received a total of 150 tons of infield mix to replenish material lost during last winter’s rainy season. 

The infields will have Hilltopper Clay to renovate all batters’ boxes and pitching mound areas. All four fields will be laser leveled, and backstops will be painted with a fresh coat of paint once the infield renovations are completed. 

New pitching rubbers and home plates will be installed, and new bases will be placed once the season starts.

Approximately 3,750 square feet of turf will be removed from the infield and replaced with new sod. The newly sodded areas will be hand-watered and monitored for several weeks until the complex is ready to be re-opened for the start of the new season.

All the turf in the complex, including the remaining infield turf, has been removed, aerated and top dressed with a mixture of sand and organic material. 

Maintenance staff took advantage of the annual renovation period to coordinate the installation of additional safety netting to all four fields. This extended netting will help protect spectators from foul balls. 

In addition, all burned-out bulbs will be replaced on the existing Musco Lighting. This will improve visibility and safety on the field when the season begins. Ultimately, all of the lights will eventually be upgraded to new, energy-efficient LED lighting.  

In an effort to ensure that the City’s public transit system is clean and accessible, Public Works staff has coordinated with the City’s bus shelter maintenance contractor to repaint all of the bus shelters within the City.

Twenty-six bus shelters have been repainted to date since May and will continue at no additional cost to the City.  The following eight shelters were repainted within the past two weeks:

• Northbound Fairview Road, south of Baker Street

• Southbound Fairview Road, south of Adams Avenue

• Eastbound West 19th Street, east of Pomona Avenue

• Westbound West 19th Street, west of Meyer Place

• Southbound Placentia Avenue, south of West 19th Street

• Southbound Placentia Avenue, south of West 18th Street 

• Northbound Placentia Avenue, south of West 18th Street

• Westbound East 17th Street, east of Newport Boulevard 

Paving operations are completed along Placentia Avenue between Adams Avenue and Wilson Street.

During construction, utility manholes and water valves were adjusted, new bicycle facility and lane markings were painted, improved striping has been set, as well as other improvements. 

In the coming week, work will proceed in the slurry seal of Placentia Avenue from Wilson Street to West 16th Street, starting on the weekend of Aug. 26 and proceeding until the beginning of September.

The Public Works Department appreciates the cooperation from the community in making these improvements a success, and the City values the cooperation from residents and the public during this time of construction.

New sidewalk and driveway construction is now complete along West 19th Street from Placentia Avenue to Federal Avenue. 

This finished walkway enables residents and the surrounding community a new venue to travel safely within their neighborhood. 

The newly constructed sidewalk now provides a path of travel around the area for nearby residents, business patrons, and pedestrians.

The Public Works Department continues its commitment in improving the City’s infrastructure that benefits residents and community stakeholders alike.

Construction is now complete for the new curb extensions (or “bulb-outs”) at the northerly intersection of West 19th Street and Wallace Avenue.  

Bulb-outs are intended to extend the sidewalk to narrow the roadway and provide additional pedestrian space and visibility. 

By increasing available space for pedestrians and narrowing the roadway, the bulb-out at West 19th Street and Wallace Avenue will shorten crossing distances, improve visibility, and encourage motorists to drive at slower speeds.

In addition, these newly constructed bulb-outs add aesthetic value as well in this highly traveled corridor.

The City appreciates the cooperation of its community stakeholders in contributing to this project’s successful completion.

For eight weeks, youth in grades 1st through 6th have been learning short and long distance running techniques through the Happy Feet Running Club in preparation for their end of the season 5K run.

Held at Fairview Park on Saturday, Aug. 5, 45 eager runners lined up at the starting line to give their best in front parents, family, and staff.

The fastest runner, Emmett (6th grade), crossed the finish line in 22:26:80.

All participants received a Happy Feet 5K medal and lunch provided by Frank’s Philadelphia. Congratulations to all our Happy Feet runners and a special thank you to Frank’s Philadelphia for supplying lunch for runners and their coaches.  

The Parks and Community Services Department is hosting the annual Scarecrow Contest at the Scarecrow Fest on Oct. 14.

If you are interested in joining and participating in this year’s Scarecrow Contest, registration is available and closes on Friday Sept. 29.

Join us for a fun filled day full of trick or treat stations, entertainment, and pumpkin decorating.

Can’t wait to see you show off your spook-tacular costumes during our costume parade.

Please register your scarecrow by completing a registration form and submit it to our Parks and Community Services Department.

Submission Options:

Email: cmrecinfo@costamesaca.gov.

Mail: Attn. Scarecrow Contest, PO Box 1200, Costa Mesa, CA 92628

In-Person: at City Hall on the 3rd floor. Office Hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:00am-4:30pm.

Scarecrows will be displayed at the Lions Park Event Lawn, located at 1845 Park Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 at our Scarecrow Fest on Saturday, October 14, 2023.

For more information, please visit www.costamesaca.gov/scarecrow or call (714) 754-5300.         

Pumpkins, pie, and petticoats? Sounds like fall to me.

Follow us, it is almost Fall! Grab your coats and make your way into our fabulous, fun-filled fall classes! Classes for all ages are available so register right now!

For more information, visit costamesaca.gov and remember to register online at cmclassesonline.com.           

Access Costa Mesa invites YOU to take our survey on all abilities programming in Costa Mesa.

It’s short, sweet, and simple we promise. Tell us how YOU really feel and spend 3 minutes taking the survey, it’s worth it.

Questions? Additional thoughts? Email us at cmrecinfo@costamesaca.gov.         

Join us for an open forum conversation and tell us about your accessible program needs and wants in Costa Mesa.

Connect directly with program coordinators and supervisors on resources, programs, and accessibility in Costa Mesa. Bring your whole family, neighbors, and friends. We’ll see you there.

For more information, please call 714-754-5300 or email cmrecinfo@costamesaca.gov.

Starting Aug. 21, we began offering two spectacular Teen Centers locations.

The first is at TeWinkle Middle School for 7th and 8th grades. TeWinkle Teen Center is open for TeWinkle students only and is open Monday through Thursday from 2:40pm-5:30pm.

Our second location is at the Downtown Recreation Center for 7th-12th grades from all different schools.

The Downtown Recreation Teen Center is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 3:00pm-5:30pm and on Wednesdays from 1:00pm -5:30pm.

Transportation is available from Ensign Intermediate to SOY Center and then to the Downtown Recreation Center. Teen Centers observe the Newport-Mesa district academic calendar including holidays and school closures.

Our two youth centers offer teens a place to do homework, enjoy game time and social outings, meet new people, get involved in their community, and learn new skills to prepare for college and career, all under the supervision of trained staff.

We also offer:

• Gaming systems, such as Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch.
• Board games, books, large Jenga, as well as a pool table at the Downtown Recreation Center.