Costa Mesa's July 3 Independence Day Celebration was unforgettable! Drawing a record-breaking crowd of more than 17,000 people for an evening filled with patriotism, entertainment and community pride. The event featured an inspiring performance by the Voices in Unity Choir America 250 Choir, the always-popular rib-eating contest hosted by Newport Rib Company, an epic show from Flashback Heart Attack, and an incredible fireworks spectacular that capped off the evening, creating a fun and memorable experience for attendees of all ages.

Thank you to the many elected officials, community leaders, and dignitaries who joined us, and to our generous sponsors whose support made this celebration possible. Most of all, thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate America 250 and help make this year's Independence Day Celebration one to remember.

Assistant City Manager Alma Reyes welcomed attendees to the Municipal Management Association of Southern California (MMASC) Summer Session Conference on July 9.

During her remarks, she welcomed attendees to Costa Mesa and provided an overview of the city. She also shared highlights from her career in local government, reflecting on her professional journey and the value of mentorship, professional development, and organizations like MMASC in supporting the next generation of public sector leaders.

Mayor John Stephens presented a Certificate of Recognition to Antoinette Naddour, Co-Founder and Executive Director Emerita of Veterans Legal Institute, in honor of her exceptional leadership and lifelong commitment to serving veterans and their families. Under her visionary leadership, Veterans Legal Institute grew into a nationally recognized nonprofit providing free legal services to low-income, disabled, unhoused, and at-risk veterans throughout Southern California.

The Mayor commended Ms. Naddour for her lasting contributions to the veteran community and the enduring legacy she leaves through the organization's continued mission.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a General Municipal Election will be held in the City of Costa Mesa on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, for the following Officers: 

For Mayor: Full term of two years 

For Three (3) Members of the City Council: Full term of four years Districts 3, 4, & 5 

The nomination period for these offices begins on July 13, 2026 and closes on August 7, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.  

If no one or only one person is nominated for an elective office, appointment to the elective office may be made as prescribed by § 10229, Elections Code of the State of California. 

On election day, the polls will be open between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. 

Brenda Green 

Elections Official 

Published, Posted & Dated: July 9, 2026 

POR EL PRESENTE SE DA AVISO que se habrá de llevar a cabo una Elección Municipal General en la Ciudad de Costa Mesa el martes, 3 de noviembre de 2026, para los siguientes Funcionarios: 

Para Alcalde: Período completo de dos años 

Para Tres (3) Miembros del Concejo Municipal: Período completo de cuatro años Distritos 3, 4, y 5 

El periodo de nominación para estas oficinas comienza el 13 de julio de 2026, y se cierra el 7 de agosto de 2026 a las 5:00 p.m. 

Si no se nomina a nadie o solamente a una persona para un cargo electivo, se puede realizar el nombramiento al cargo elegido según lo prescrito por la §10229 del Código Electoral del Estado de California. 

El día de las elecciones, los centros electorales estarán abiertos entre las 7:00 a.m. y 8:00 p.m. 

Brenda Green 

Secretaria Municipal 

Fechada y publicado: 9 de julio de 2026  

Concerts in the Park are coming back to Fairview Park.

Gather your friends, family, and neighbors for three evenings of live music, food trucks, and community fun.

• July 14 – Sega Genecide
• July 21 – Tijuana Dogs
• July 28 – Common Sense
• 5 p.m.: Pre-show activities, opening act and beer garden
• 6 p.m.: Main stage performance

Pack your beach chairs and blankets, grab dinner from the food trucks, visit community booths, and enjoy a summer evening under the open sky.

Our CostaMazing community is encouraged to rideshare or bike to the events.

We hope to see you there! 

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue is proud to welcome 10 new Recruit Firefighters to the CMFR family. The recruits officially began the CMFR Recruit Academy on Monday, June 29. 

During their first week, recruits completed onboarding, administrative policies and procedures, and emergency medical services (EMS) training. They also took the Oath of Office and received their Probationary Firefighter badges, marking the beginning of their careers with CMFR. 

CMFR hosted a Family Night to welcome the recruits and their loved ones, providing an overview of the City of Costa Mesa, CMFR's culture, academy expectations, and the probationary timeline. The evening highlighted the important role families play in supporting our newest firefighters through this process.  

Over the next six weeks, the recruits will continue to progress through an intensive CMFR academy designed to build upon the skills they developed during their formal fire academies. Through classroom instruction, hands-on training, and mentorship they will prepare to serve the City of Costa Mesa with Respect, Integrity, and Compassion. 

Congratulations to Captain Carlos Diaz on his recent promotion! Captain Carlos Diaz began his law enforcement career with the department in 1995 as a police cadet and was sworn in as an officer in 2000. Over the course of his career, he has served in a variety of assignments leading to promotions like Patrol and Professional Standards sergeant, Training and Recruitment and Professional Standards Bureau lieutenant, and Area I lieutenant. He brings a broad range of experience and a strong commitment to service, leadership, and community service to his current role. Diaz was promoted by Chief Joyce LaPointe to the rank of captain, and he now oversees Patrol Operations.

This week, the City’s contractor installed concrete barriers to provide for safer bicycle travel on Adams Avenue. Using a machine that efficiently places concrete over the roadway (a bit like Play-Doh), new barriers separate the bikeway from vehicle travel lanes.  

The machine was in operation for one day to quickly form the desired barrier and roll it out rapidly, avoiding a typical method that would usually take weeks to build. Normally, wood and stakes are used to create forms that are then filled with concrete. The wood forms are then removed after the concrete hardens and contractor touches things up and fills in voids and irregularities. 

The Adams Avenue project has rebuilt the center medians, installed new landscaping, and will provide fresh slurry seal, roadway striping, and final roadway markings and signs. The project will maintain existing travel lanes and add new protected Cycle Track bikeways that link with the award-winning Adams/Pinecreek intersection improvements. The majority of construction will finish before the OC Fair begins. 

The City appreciates everyone for their patience while traveling through the construction zone. Keep an eye out for continued innovations aimed at shortening construction timelines and completing improvements more efficiently. 

Congratulations to Lieutenants Matt Grimmond and Stephanie Selinske on their retirements! Tuesday, they walked out of the police department for the last time. They had their final call in front of their partners and team.

We honored two remarkable careers, two exceptional leaders whose combined service represents an incredible 60 years of dedication to the Costa Mesa Police Department and the Costa Mesa community. As Chief LaPointe said, “Although today marks the end of your careers, it doesn’t mark the end of your legacy. Once you have worn this badge, served this community, and stood shoulder to shoulder with those here today, you will always be part of the Costa Mesa Police Department history.”

They worked in so many different assignments and have so many stories to tell. From Patrol to Detectives to the Traffic Bureau, they led their teams with distinction.

Your Costa Mesa Police family will miss you and wishes you all the best!

Gather your friends and family, pack a blanket and some snacks, and join us for a showing of A Minecraft Movie at the next Movie in the Park event.

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026

Time: Activities starting at 7:30pm, movie starts at dusk

Where: Balearic Park/Community Center (1975 Balearic Dr, Costa Mesa, 92626)

The event is free, family-friendly, and fun for all ages! Please note that parking is limited; walking, biking, and ridesharing are highly encouraged.

A huge THANK YOU to our amazing sponsors for helping make this event possible:

⚽ SoCal Elite Football Club

📚 Kumon Costa Mesa – Southwest

🍗 Raising Cane’s

See you there. 

The following four alleys in the Eastside neighborhood have been recently reconstructed as part of the Citywide Alley Rehabilitation project:

• Alley 53 – Ogle Street Alley located between 17th Street and Ogle Street from Alley No. 52 to Westminster Avenue.

• Alley 57 – Ogle Street Alley, located between Ogle Street and 16th Place from Westminster Avenue to Santa Ana Avenue.

• Alley 84 – Broadway Alley located west of Orange Avenue between Broadway and Magnolia Street.

• Alley 98 – Cabrillo Alley located west of Westminster Avenue between Cabrillo Street and 17th Street.

During the next upcoming weeks, more alleys in other areas of the City are scheduled for reconstruction. The new alley reconstruction increases mobility and improves access to the surrounding community. The City appreciates the cooperation of its residents and businesses in this effort to improve our infrastructure that benefits all of the City’s stakeholders.

On July 9, 2026, NAIOP SoCal’s Young Professionals Group (YPG) held its annual CapRock cup case competition, featuring the Fairview Developmental Center (FDC) site. The YPG is NAIOP SoCal’s industry-leading professional development and leadership program for students and young professionals in the Commercial Real Estate industry. The YPG students were challenged to act as a private development and investment team proposing the highest and best use for the FDC site. While the students referenced publicly available FDC documents, including the draft FDC Specific Plan, this competition is purely conceptual and does not alter the City’s ongoing work or progress on the FDC Specific Plan.

A total of five teams presented conceptual redevelopment proposals to a panel of commercial real estate experts, with City of Costa Mesa and State Department of General Services staff participating in the review. Teams were evaluated on creativity, financial feasibility, market analysis, design quality, and investment rigor. The winning team’s concept featured 700 townhomes, 1,950 market-rate rental apartments, and 1,235 affordable and senior housing units, 35,000 square feet of experiential retail space, and 14 acres of parks and green space. 

After 18 years of dedicated volunteer service to CMPD and the Costa Mesa community, George Villazuela is retiring from his volunteer position. Guided by his sincere desire to help, George devoted countless hours of his time and expertise to assist the Investigative Services Bureau, the Records Bureau, Property and Evidence and the Traffic Bureau. George was recognized as Volunteer of the Year several times for his dedication and positive impact as a volunteer. We are truly honored he chose to spend almost two decades of his time at CMPD.

We will miss him, and we wish him well. 

Recently, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue concluded the final day of the Teen CERT Academy. This year's academy brought together students from Estancia High School who are interested in pursuing careers in public safety and healthcare. 

Fire Marshal Ryan Bohr, Code Enforcement Officer Luke Senger, and CERT Program Manager David Gibson from our partners Newport Beach Fire Department (NBFD) led the students through their final day of training. The day included a written final exam, hands-on emergency response scenarios, and a graduation ceremony. 

The practical exercises challenged students to respond to a simulated fire in our new fire training tower, provide medical care during a mock mass casualty incident, and conduct search and rescue operations. These realistic scenarios allowed participants to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they developed throughout the academy. 

We congratulate all the graduates who have all successfully passed and we are excited to welcome them to the CERT family and look forward to seeing the positive impact they will make in our community. 

The City of Costa Mesa invites the public to review and comment on the Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) prepared for the Neighborhoods Where We All Belong (NWWAB) Zoning Updates and Housing Element Implementation. The Draft PEIR studies the proposed development potential of Measure K sites through the year 2056. The Draft PEIR is has been available for public review since June 16, 2026. Submit comments in writing to the City no later than 5 p.m. on August 3. 

The Notice of Availability and Draft PEIR are available online here.

All comments must be submitted in writing via email or mail to: 

Attn: Michelle Halligan, Senior Planner 

City of Costa Mesa 

Community Development Department 

77 Fair Drive 

Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

neighborhoods@costamesaca.gov 

All parties that submit comments on the Draft PEIR will be notified of the availability of the Final EIR, which will include responses to comments received.  

If you wish to be placed on the NWWAB mailing list or need additional information, please contact Michelle Halligan at (714) 754-5608 or by email, as noted above. 

Are you ready for the return of Costa Mesa's FREE Concerts In The Park series? Come join the fun on Tuesdays, July 14, 21 and 28 at Fairview Park (2525 Placentia Avenue). Concerts will feature live music from three amazing bands and will feature gourmet food trucks, a beer and wine garden and kids’ activities. 

Every note played and every dollar raised at the event helps The Costa Mesa Community Foundation fund youth education and recreation programs, park improvements, public safety efforts, and community initiatives through their grants program. 

Pre-Show festivities begin at 5:00 p.m. and Opening Acts begin at 6:00 p.m. The lineup will include: 

July 14 - Sega Genecide 

July 21 - Tijuana Dogs 

July 28 - Common Sense 

With anticipation of high volume of traffic, attendees are highly encouraged to bike, walk, scoot, skate, carpool or utilize a rideshare service. Temporary bike racks will be provided by the Costa Mesa Foundation. Learn more at costamesacommunityfoundation.com 

The Costa Mesa Network for Homeless Solutions continues to help those less fortunate as it has now housed 513 people as of June of 2026.

The team took 157 calls for service in June and has assisted 844 callers year to date.

To reach our Network For Homeless Solutions staff please visit our website here.

The Costa Mesa Historical Society Speakers' Series continues in July with guest Greer Wylder, founder of "Greer’s OC" lifestyle website and author of "Born in OC.” Greer has spent years documenting the people, places, and stories that define Orange County.

Her work captures the character of the region through its local voices, making this a meaningful and engaging program for our community. Event Details: Sunday, July 12, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Doors open at 1:30 p.m. The event takes place at the Norma Hertzog Community Center 1845 Park Ave.

Free for Members who just need to RSVP. It's $15 for Non-Members Get tickets today at costamesahistory.org.

Check out CMTV’s recent “Let’s Talk Costa Mesa” interview with Historical Society President Mikelle Fish promoting Greer’s upcoming talk HERE:

Santa Anna is a 3-year old, female, Doberman Pinscher. Santa Anna was found stray in Costa Mesa by Costa Mesa Animal Control and brought to the shelter.

Santa Anna has a beautiful red coat and the sweetest face! Santa Anna would be happy to have a family of her own. Santa Anna is up to date on her vaccines and ready to go home!

For additional information about Santa Anna, please contact, WAGS via text message at 714-887-6156. Santa Anna is located at the WAGS Pet Adoption | Center 6621 Westminster Blvd. | Tuesday through Sunday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. for adoption tours – Walk-ins welcome. To view other adoptable pets, visit www.wagspetadoption.org