The City of Costa Mesa will present the first draft redistricting maps at the Council meeting of Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.

Every 10 years, local governments use new data from the Census to redraw their district lines to reflect how local populations have changed. State law requires cities and counties to engage communities in the redistricting process by holding public hearings and doing public outreach, including to underrepresented and non-English-speaking communities.

The City of Costa Mesa is asking for your help to plan and draw new City districts.

The finalized maps that the public will help create will define the six City of Costa Mesa district borders, and these new districts will impact how to elect Council Members for the next 10 years.

The first workshop on redistricting was held on Saturday Oct. 23. The next workshop will take place Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021 at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Community Room at 77 Fair Drive.

Learn more about future meetings and how the public can participate at www.redistrictcostamesa.org

In case you weren’t able to attend the first community workshop, you can watch the meeting in its entirety here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZufwTL-IK_Y

After a distinguished 31-year career with the City of Costa Mesa, Public Affairs Manager and Costa Mesa TV legend Dane Bora announced he is going to retire from the City as of Dec. 3, 2021.

“Dane’s departure is a big loss not only for the City Manager’s Office but for the entire Costa Mesa organization,” City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison said. “He has been the leader of the City’s award-winning CMTV team, and his Costa Mesa Minute has made him a familiar face with the whole community, of which he has multiple ties and connections. Dane is a trusted colleague of ours in the City Manager’s Office and he will truly be missed.”

In addition to running the TV station and video team, he oversees the City’s website and social media channels and is a critical member of the City’s outreach and public information efforts.

“I have had the pleasure of working my entire professional career for the City of Costa Mesa and am blessed to have worked alongside many amazing people,” Bora said. “I will always cherish my time with the City and am grateful for the support I have received from the community and the organization. Costa Mesa will forever have a special place in my heart.”

Bora was hired full-time in August of 1990 after a few months as a part-timer, and he was promoted from Video Production Coordinator to Public Affairs Manager in July of 2015.

He has many, many achievements in his 31 years, most recently instituting the technology upgrades in the City Council Chambers. During his tenure CMTV has earned 88 awards, including placing in the top three 21 times for the coveted Overall Excellence in Government Programming Award and First Place in the Talk Show category four out of five years for City Talk.

Bora is a past Board Member for Travel Costa Mesa and currently the staff liaison to the Costa Mesa High School Foundation and Estancia/TeWinkle Schools Foundations.

On a fun note, he has hosted 2,229 episodes of the Costa Mesa Minute, 120 episodes of the Community Report and took part in more than 750 City Council meetings.

He was also the play-by-play announcer for 20-plus Battle for the Bell games and hundreds of youth flag football and basketball games.

On Thursday Nov. 4, the City of Costa Mesa held a dedication ceremony for Neth Park, named in honor of former Police Chief Roger Neth, Costa Mesa’s second chief and the longest tenured chief at 22 years.

Neth also was one of the city’s first three sworn officers.

Mayor John Stephens emceed the event joined by District 3 Council Member Andrea Marr and current Police Chief Ron Lawrence.

Click here for a slideshow.

“It’s thanks to Chief Neth that Costa Mesa’s Police Department has a reputation of being one of the finest in the state and it was his accomplishments and innovations that set the stage early on,” Mayor Stephens said. “Chief Neth we are so grateful for your leadership and dedication and this seems like this is the least we could do honor your incredible legacy.”

Chief Neth implemented the use of video cameras for DUI arrests, the first in nation, and put in place Police Officer Standards of Training for all Costa Mesa Police Officers

Under his leadership, Costa Mesa PD was the first department in U.S. to place computer terminals in police cars

He created the SWAT team, scholastic achievement and tuition reimbursement programs, a helicopter program, youth services program, motorcycle program, Cop on Campus program, and the Area Policing concept

He helped develop the CAD/RMS system, employed the first handwriting expert in Orange County and in his spare time, became a licensed helicopter pilot.

He was also a distinguished marksman and was named the top gun in Orange County three times.

He is a Charter Member of the California Police Chiefs Association, a former President of Orange County Police Chiefs Association and a member of the Golden West College Orange County Police Training Academy Advisory Committee.

On hand to congratulate Neth were City Council Members Manuel Chavez and Jeff Harlan, City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, Assistant City Manager Susan Price, Second District Supervisor and former Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley and multiple members of the City, Police and Fire Department staff.

Also in attendance were former Chiefs Dave Snowden, Tom Gazsi and Bryan Glass, former City Managers Fred Sorsabal (who flew in from Idaho or the event) and Allan Roeder and former mayors Mary Hornbuckle and Arlene Scheafer.

The city’s maintenance service crews have made sandbags available at City Hall in case of flooding.

Sand bags are 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.

Click here for instructions on sandbags.

Additionally, the 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.

Please report flooding issues to 714-754-5252.

The City of Costa Mesa held its first public hearing on Tuesday Oct. 19 to discuss the official 2020 Census data (State-Adjusted), the redistricting process and permissible criteria to be considered to evaluate district boundaries.

The Council heard from redistricting expert Dr. Justin Levitt, who presented the city’s 2020 estimated total population. He noted that the redistricting goal is to have all districts the same (or as close to) a population of 18,690.  Currently Costa Mesa has a deviation of 11.52%.  The City needs to bring that down to under 10%.

Click here to see the data.

To accomplish that, the City is seeking the public’s participation to redraw boundaries for City Council Districts 1 through 6.

The City of Costa Mesa will also hold its first public input workshop on Saturday Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. at the Norma Hertzog Community Center. Members of the public will have an opportunity to learn about the redistricting process, data and mapping tools.

Every 10 years, local governments use new data from the Census to redraw their district lines to reflect how populations have changed. State law requires cities to engage communities in the redistricting process by holding public hearings and doing public outreach, including to underrepresented and non-English-speaking communities.

Subsequent meetings will be scheduled in December of 2021 and January of 2022.

For more information on redistricting or to draw a district map, please visit: https://redistrictcostamesa.org/ In addition, the City has created a dedicated email address for the public to submit questions or comments regarding the City’s redistricting process. The email address is redistricting@costamesaca.gov

The Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday Oct. 19 approved the City’s Core Values, and amended the Three Year Strategic Plan Goals and new Six Month Strategic Objectives for the next three years.

The Council developed the values, goals and objectives at its Strategic Planning Retreat on Monday Sept. 27 that was moderated by Marilyn Snider of Snider and Associates.

“During the strategic planning session, the City Council and City staff built consensus on our City’s five specific goals over the next three years as well as the incremental steps over the next six months needed to achieve our goals,” Mayor John Stephens said. “We also agreed on the City’s Core Values of Integrity, Sustainability, Innovation, Inclusion, Collaboration and Compassion. These goals and core values will guide our decisions and prioritize our efforts going forward.”

The retreat, held at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, was attended by Mayor Stephens, Mayor Pro-tem and District 3 Council Member Andrea Marr, District 2 Council Member Loren Gameros, District 4 Council Member Manuel Chavez, District 5 Council Member Arlis Reynolds and District 6 Council Member Jeff Harlan.

Also joining the Mayor and Council were City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, Assistant City Manager Susan Price and all the City’s Department Directors.

The council decided on the following five goals:

• Recruit and retain high quality staff
• Achieve long-term fiscal sustainability
• Strengthen the public’s safety and improve the quality of life
• Diversify, stabilize and increase housing to reflect community needs
• Advance environmental sustainability and climate resiliency

Click here to see the full document the City Council adopted.

The Engineering News-Record (ENR) California magazine last week presented the Costa Mesa City staff with the award for Best Cultural Project in Southern California for their work on the Donald Dungan Library and Norma Hertzog Center.

“The Donald Dungan Library and Norma Hertzog Community Center are the crown jewels of the City and the centerpiece of our Westside Restoration efforts,” Mayor John Stephens said. “Congrats to our Public Services team for shepherding these projects through and winning this prestigious award. I’m heartened to know they are being recognized by their engineering peers.”

Each year, ENR California assembles a group of judges, with varying specialties and expertise in the construction industry, to review, score and form a panel to determine Best Projects winners for the region.

“ENR is the construction industry’s premier publication providing news, analysis, data and opinion,” said Public Services Director Raja Sethuraman. “The City of Costa Mesa is a proud receipt of the Best Project Award from ENR for the Donald Dungan Library. The award recognized the City and the consultant team for the library’s aesthetic quality and design, LEED certification, as well as construction. This is one of several awards that the Donald Dungan Library project received over the past couple of years.”

The two-phase, $36.5-million Lions Park Project was completed under budget. The first phase included the demolition of the longtime Downtown Community Center and the creation of a new 23,355-square-foot, two-story library in that space.

The second phase saw the transformation of the original Donald Dungan library into a 9,200-square-foot, 300-seat community center to accommodate a variety of events.

To come up with the award winners, judges independently review entries, score each on pre-specified criteria, and convene with fellow judges to vote. Together, the judges’ panels select honorees for Best Project and Merit awards.

According to the ENR magazine, “sustainability underscored every aspect of the project, leading to LEED Gold certification. Efforts included repurposing demolished materials from the original community center site as recycled material base for the new library’s foundation. Grinding waste material on site also significantly limited the project’s waste volume and hauling.”

The eviction moratorium ended in California on Sept. 30, but Costa Mesa residents who are eligible may still get assistance to help pay their back rent if they were impacted by COVID-19 related economic setbacks.

Passed by the City Council last June, the CDBG-CV Rental Assistance Program assists low to moderate-income Costa Mesa residents who were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Assisting residents in need will go toward maintaining housing stability during these difficult times.

For individuals in need of assistance, please contact Mercy House at 714-836-7188 or at the website here https://www.mercyhouse.net/.

For families in need of rental assistance, please contact Serving People in Need (SPIN) at this number (714) 751-1101 or click this link for more information.

The City of Costa Mesa will hold its first public hearing on Tuesday Oct. 19 to discuss the official 2020 Census data (State-Adjusted), the redistricting process and permissible criteria to be considered to evaluate district boundaries.

In doing so, the City is seeking the public’s participation to redraw boundaries for City Council Districts 1 through 6.

Click here for the agenda.

The City of Costa Mesa will also hold its first public input workshop on Saturday Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. at the Norma Hertzog Community Center. Members of the public will have an opportunity to learn about the redistricting process, data and mapping tools.

Every 10 years, local governments use new data from the Census to redraw their district lines to reflect how populations have changed. State law requires cities  to engage communities in the redistricting process by holding public hearings and doing public outreach, including to underrepresented and non-English-speaking communities.

Subsequent meetings will be scheduled in December of 2021 and January of 2022.

For more information on redistricting or to draw a district map, please visit: https://redistrictcostamesa.org/ In addition, the City has created a dedicated email address for the public to submit questions or comments regarding the City’s redistricting process.  The email address is redistricting@costamesaca.gov

The City of Costa Mesa is seeking the public’s participation to redraw boundaries for City Council Districts 1 through 6.

The City of Costa Mesa will hold its first public input workshop on Saturday Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. at the Norma Hertzog Community Center. Members of the public will have an opportunity to learn about the redistricting process, data and mapping tools.

Every 10 years, local governments use new data from the Census to redraw their district lines to reflect how populations have changed. State law requires cities  to engage communities in the redistricting process by holding public hearings and doing public outreach, including to underrepresented and non-English-speaking communities.

Subsequent meetings will be scheduled in December of 2021 and January of 2022.

For more information on redistricting or to draw a district map, please visit: https://redistrictcostamesa.org/ In addition, the City has created a dedicated email address for the public to submit questions or comments regarding the City’s redistricting process.  The email address is redistricting@costamesaca.gov

City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison presented Human Resources Analyst Ruth Wang with the City Manager Leadership Award Winner for the month of September.

Wang is a valued member of the Human Resources Division, and during the pandemic, Wang navigated the City’s contact tracing program when employees tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Wang accepted this additional responsibility without hesitation while continuing to manage her regular Human Resources duties.

“This past year has been especially hard for our human resources team as we dealt with an unprecedented pandemic while still needing to recruit for new employees and deal with a wave of retirements,” Farrell Harrison said. “Through it all, Ruth has remained steady and professional and we are so lucky to have her on our team. Congrats to her on this well-deserved honor.”

She successfully manages these stressful situations for the employee with care, sensitivity and professionalism. Wang along with the rest of the City’s contact tracing team have made over 600 contacts.

In addition to this added work load, Wang is the primary recruiter for the Development Services and Fire Departments and has a great working relationship with both departments. She has processed over 150 candidates and conducted over 60 recruitments.

Wang is also responsible for claims administration and coordinating the City’s monthly Meet and Greet events and the annual Employee Service Awards. Wang’s creative ideas and themes for these events, and her attention to detail contribute to the success of these events.

Wang is recognized for her exceptional customer service, always cheery disposition and for being the ultimate team player. She never hesitates to offer her assistance to her fellow HR staff members and also to other Departments when needed.

She joined the City of Costa Mesa as a part-time Human Resources Technician in 2013, was promoted to Human Resources Analyst in 2014, and became a full-time staff member later the same year.

Prior to joining Costa Mesa, Wang worked in varying personnel positions at several local municipalities including the cities of Fullerton, Newport Beach, Mission Viejo and Tustin. Wang also previously worked as a wedding planner.

Wang received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of LaVerne.

Jennifer Le, Costa Mesa’s Director of Economic and Development Services, announced that she has appointed Scott Drapkin as the City’s new Assistant Development Services Director.

Drapkin has nearly 25 years of experience in the planning and community development field and comes to Costa Mesa from the City of Laguna Beach, where he worked since 1997.

In 2016, he was appointed to be the City’s Planning Manager, managing day-to-day operations and staff in the Planning Division as well as the activities of the Planning Commission.

A lifelong Orange County resident, Drapkin has been involved with GIS planning since the late 1990s and created and administered one of the first public-serving GIS City services in Orange County in early 2002.

Drapkin has his Bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Cal Poly Pomona and a Master’s degree in public administration from Grand Canyon University.