At the Tuesday Feb. 20 meeting, the City Council will recognize Black History Month and present a proclamation to members of the Orange Coast College Black Student Union.

In addition, the Council will recognize February as 211OC Month and give a proclamation to Orange County United Way.

Other Council business includes but is not limited to:

• A review of the Planning Commission’s decision to deny a Conditional Use Permit Evolv Herbal, a proposed retail cannabis business at 1858 Newport Blvd. 

• Review of a noise study report prepared by Sound Media Fusion related to resident concerns regarding potential noise ordinance violations from business operations at “The 12” gym, located at 140 East 17th Street, Suite B, in Costa Mesa. 

• Review and provide feedback on a proposed 60-unit mixed-use development at the Senior Center at 695 West 19th Street located in the 19 West Urban Plan area.

Meeting starts at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers.

The City has been awarded three Complete Streets Program grants totaling $7.9 million from the Orange County Transportation Authority to create three interconnected, separated bike lanes as part of a major expansion of the City’s bicycle network. 

Costa Mesa is the only jurisdiction in Orange County to receive three separate Complete Streets Program grant awards, with a total funding allocation of $7,918,000.  

“We are grateful for these grants from OCTA, which will make our streets safer, including for bikers and pedestrians,” said Mayor John Stephens, who also serves on the OCTA Board of Directors. “Costa Mesa’s Public Works department did a wonderful job positioning the City for this needed funding. These funds will improve our connectivity throughout the City, especially through our growing bicycle network.”

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On Saturday, Feb. 10, Mayor John Stephens welcomed visitors to the Tet Festival hosted by the Union of Vietnamese Students Association at the OC Fair & Event Center and presented the organizers with a Certificate of Recognition. Elected leaders from the County were also in attendance.

The festival, which ran through Sunday, is held to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This was the 42nd anniversary of the student-led Tet Festival and the 10th anniversary of it being at the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.

This Lunar New Year is the Year of the Dragon, specifically the Green Wood Dragon, which is the most powerful in Chinese astrology, representing energy, strength, and power.

Do you feel like you have something to offer your community?

If so, the Costa Mesa City Council is currently seeking residents to serve on various City Committees?

Click here to learn more.

With more rain in the forecast, the city’s maintenance service crews have made sandbags available for free to Costa Mesa residents in the southeast corner of the City Hall parking lot at 77 Fair Drive.

The location is self-service and bringing your own shovel is suggested as supplies could be limited. The number of sandbags is limited to 15 sandbags per household.

❌ No commercial use please.

City crews will patrol potential flooding spots to make sure catch basins are clear of debris and operational. Crews are also ready to respond to other weather-related incidents.

Also, residents are encouraged to report flooding issues to the City's non-emergency line 714-754-5252 or on our Costa Mesa 311 mobile app.

Beginning Saturday, Feb. 24, early voting for the March 5 Primary Election will open in Costa Mesa at the Costa Mesa Senior Center Vote Center.

In total, there will be six Vote Centers open as of March 2 and six more Ballot Drop Box locations in the City.

The Senior Center and Costa Mesa City Hall will also offer Drive Through services for those wishing to drop off their ballots.

The Vote Center locations are as follows:

• Senior Center -- 695 W 19th St.
• Costa Mesa City Hall -- 77 Fair Drive
• Balearic Community Center -- 1975 Balearic Drive
• Coast Community College District -- 1370 Adams Ave.
• Norma Hertzog Community Center -- 1845 Park Ave.
• Sofia University -- 3333 Harbor Blvd.

The Ballot Drop Box locations are as follows:

• Boys & Girls Club of Costa Mesa -- 2131 Tustin Ave.
• Coastal Heights Senior Living -- 2283 Fairview Road
• Mesa Verde Branch Library -- 2969 Mesa Verde Drive
• Mesa Water District -- 1965 Placentia Ave.
• TeWinkle Park Athletic Complex -- 980 Arlington Drive
• The Esplanade -- 3001 Red Hill Avenue

For more information please visit the Orange County Registrar of Voters here.

City Hall will be closed Monday, Feb. 19, in observance of the Presidents Day national holiday.

The Public Works Department has recently installed a new and fully operational traffic signal at West 19th Street and Wallace Avenue.

The new traffic signal is equipped with yellow retroreflective border backplates on all signal heads to enhance signal visibility during the night, video detection capable of detecting vehicles and bicyclists at the intersection, countdown pedestrian signals, and Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) pushbuttons.

High visibility crosswalks were installed on every leg of the intersection to enhance pedestrian crossings, and the traffic signal is programmed with a Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) to provide pedestrians a head start in entering the crosswalk prior to giving vehicles the green light.

The traffic signal will be integrated with the City’s Traffic Management Center to provide synchronized traffic operations.

The Public Works Department continues its long-standing commitment to improve the City’s infrastructure and enhance mobility and accessibility to all community stakeholders.

The Costa Mesa Police Department this week welcomed three new professional staff, a Records Technician and two Property & Evidence Specialists.

Records Technician Enda Gutierrez is a Santa Ana native. Before joining the CMPD team, she was employed as a Public Safety Dispatcher and Records Assistant at a neighboring police department.

Property & Evidence Specialist KayDee Lawson was raised in Bellflower. She was previously employed as a Public Safety Dispatcher with another local Orange County police department.

Property & Evidence Specialist Anthony Ceballos was raised in Nowalk. Before joining the team, he was employed in a Los Angeles County law enforcement agency as an Evidence & Property Custodian and was also a Dispatcher/Jailer with another police department.

CMPD is happy to welcome these three new team members, who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their role. The team wishes them much success as they settle into their new roles.

This week, Sgt. George Maridakis was at a local school to give a first aid refresher course to the Costa Mesa Little League coaches and volunteers.

He went over CPR, AED, and how to effectively call 911 and assist when medics arrive.

All the participants walked away better prepared for an emergency.

The Public Works Department has recently completed the installation of a new pedestrian hybrid beacon at Lions Park near the intersection of West 18th Street and Park Drive.

The pedestrian hybrid beacon, also known as a High-Intensity Activated CrossWalK (HAWK) signal, is a traffic control device designed to assist pedestrians in crossing at midblock marked crosswalks and at uncontrolled intersections.

The HAWK signal is also equipped with yellow retroreflective border backplates that enhance the signal visibility during nighttime conditions.

The City has recently installed a new HAWK signal at the intersection of Wilson Street and Fordham Drive near Wilson Park. In addition, another HAWK signal was installed along Merrimac Way near the Orange Coast College driveway. 

The City appreciates the cooperation and support from all its stakeholders in promoting active transportation and contributing to this project’s completion and success.

On Feb. 12, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Truck 84 joined Victoria Elementary School with a Fire Truck safety visit.

Captain Fred McDowell, along with Fire Engineer Kyle Myszka, Firefighter Cinnamon Basco, and Firefighter/Paramedic Jimmy Grovom led the visit and presentation.

Captain McDowell started off the visit by providing an engaging presentation with the students and gave an overall fire-safety summary, in addition to explaining the differences between fire engines, fire trucks, and ambulances. 

Firefighter/Paramedic Grovom was the first to start the show-and-tell portion of the visit; he displayed advanced life support (ALS) and basic life support (BLS) resources while highlighting the differences between an ambulance and a fire truck.

Myszka, Basco, and Grovom all displayed the various tools that are on a fire truck and what tools are used for different purposes.

The event concluded with a fire uniform presentation led by Grovom and Captain McDowell. 

Recently, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue personnel attended the annual Newport Mesa College and Career Fair located at the OC Fair & Event Center.  

CMFR was represented by Costa Mesa Engine 82 Captain Steve Cathey, Fire Engineer Ken McCart, Firefighter/Paramedics Trail Blincoe and Mark Martinez, and Mesa Engine 85 Captain Darren deFluiter, Fire Engineer Dave Kearley, and Firefighter/Paramedics Chad Pregizer and Zack Fickelstein and in addition by CMFR Assistant Fire Marshal Nikki Johnson, Fire Protection Specialist Ryan Meadors.

This event had upwards of 1,500 participants in the two hours the event was held. Costa Mesa PD was also in attendance, along with multiple fire agencies, OC Sheriff, local colleges, and community organizations.

Captain deFluiter and crew, along with Captain Cathey and crew, discussed firefighting and paramedic careers with students while Assistant Fire Marshal Johnson and Fire Protection Specialist Meadors discussed careers in Community Risk Reduction and fire prevention. 

Additionally, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue provided documentation to students who were interested in pursuing a career in the fire service.

On Thursday, Feb. 8, the Costa Mesa Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) conducted its first meeting of the year. 

Fire Protection Specialist Ryan Meadors, who also serves as the CERT Program Manager, welcomed the volunteers, and gave a summary of the 2024 CERT events, classes, and future opportunities to serve our community.

Additionally, Costa Mesa Police Department Officer Jon Smith presented on the Terrorism unit of CERT.

During his presentation, he gave his expertise on how to prepare for such an event in our city and what the proper response is for our CERT volunteers.

The next CERT event will be a joint exercise with Huntington Beach CERT, which will focus on a simulated event that could affect both of our cities.

For these jobs and others, please click this link.

Have you downloaded and checked out the new Costa Mesa 311 app yet?

This free app allows residents to quickly and conveniently report an issue and/or access city services right from the convenience of their smart phone. When residents submit service requests, the app automatically alerts City staff to the precise location of the problem.

Residents also have the helpful option of using their smartphone camera to upload a photo to better assist staff. Finally, this #CostaMazing app also provides access to TESSA, our new all-in-one electronic permitting and licensing application system, as well as Costa Mesa news, calendar listings, public meeting agendas and more!

Don't have a smart phone? No problem!

You can also report issues via the City’s website here:

Check out CMTV’s new promo video here about the app’s functions and how residents can use it to stay connected to your city.

The Maintenance Services Division plays a crucial role in responding to storms and their aftermath.

During a storm, the heavy rainfall and strong winds can cause significant damage to the roads, resulting in larger and more dangerous potholes.

As part of the storm response efforts, Street Maintenance is prioritizing the filling of these potholes to ensure the safety and smooth flow of traffic.

The team is working diligently to assess the affected areas and allocate resources accordingly. 

By promptly filling these potholes, the team contributes to the overall recovery process and safety to help improve road conditions for residents and commuters, as well as minimize any potential damage to vehicles in the impacted area.

Access Costa Mesa hosted a Friendship Dance on Friday, Feb. 9 at the Costa Mesa Senior Center and it felt like the perfect night.

Attendees made and traded Friendship bracelets, danced the night away to beats spun by DJ Noah, and made more friends (in our place, where we make the rules).

If you missed the epic night, join us for the next dance on April 19 as we embrace our wildest dreams in a wild and wacky fashion that will never go out of style.

Spring BeFIT Volleyball is back in session and invites all youth in 1st - 8th grades to bump, set, and spike from March 25 through May 25, 2024.

The program consists of two clinic-based practices during the week for A and B-Divisions and one clinic-based practice for C-Division on Saturdays located at the Downtown Recreation Center.

Registration for BeFIT Volleyball is FREE and available online at www.cmclassesonline.com.

Early registration is highly encouraged as space is limited. For program information, please call (714) 754-5084.

We’ll see you out on the court!