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.

Director of Public Services Raja Sethuraman has appointed Rob Ryan as the City’s new  Maintenance Services Manager.

In his new position, Ryan will oversee Facilities, Fleet, Parks, Streets and Warehousing sections of the Maintenance Services Division.

Ryan has been serving as Acting Superintendent of Parks and Streets sections of the Maintenance Division over the past year.

He has been with the City for over seven years and has over 17 years of experience in maintenance. a State licensed pesticide applicator and an ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified Arborist.

Prior to joining the City of Costa Mesa, Ryan spent 11 years as a general manager of a landscape pest control company that specialized in tree, sports turf and landscape pest and disease management and control.

The company focused on serving universities, school districts, cities and other municipalities.  The company also specialized in invasive weed removal and wetlands habitat restoration.

Ryan is currently working towards a degree in Business Administration with a special focus on Leadership.

At the regular Costa Mesa City Council meeting of Sept. 7, the City Council agreed to resume street sweeping enforcement that had been suspended in January of 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic.

While enforcement by the Costa Mesa Police Department can begin on Wednesday Sept. 15, 2021, residents will be allotted a two-week grace period that will end on Wednesday Sept. 29, 2021.

Residents should be aware that after the grace period the Police Department will be issuing citations for any vehicle parked on the street during the restricted “No Parking” times when a street sweeper is present.

Residents may park their vehicle(s) on the street after the sweeper cleans the street if it is within that restricted time frame.

This does not affect residential permit parking enforcement, which is still suspended until the City completes the City-wide Parking Study and obtain direction from the City Council.

Mayor of Costa Mesa John Stephens, along with Council Members Manuel Chavez and Jeff Harlan, took part in a parade and ceremony on Sunday Sept. 12, honoring Orange County Olympians, including Costa Mesa Olympic Gold Medalist April Ross.

The ceremony, which was held at the American Legion Post 291 at Memorial Park in Newport Beach was organized by OC Supervisor, District 2, Katrina Foley’s office.

Mayor Stephens, who emceed the event, and Council Members  Chavez and Harlan presented Ross with a Costa Mesa street sign in her name and the coveted key to the city, an honor rarely bestowed on a resident.

“We are so proud of what April and her teammate Alix Klineman were able to accomplish at the Tokyo Olympics,” Stephens said. “April is a Costa Mesa volleyball legend, and it was an honor to celebrate her gold medal victory. Her skill and dedication are an inspiration.”

Ross, who was a volleyball star at Newport Harbor High School, posted to her Instagram that she was thrilled to be honored.

“So fun celebrating with the Costa Mesa/Newport Beach cities that raised me,” she wrote. “I was also extremely honored to receive from my home town (Costa Mesa) a KEY TO THE CITY, that I was told gets me into any and all donut shops whenever I want, AND my very own street sign (not actually a street but I plan to put it up in front of my driveway).”

Nine local Olympians attended the event. In addition to Ross, Costa Mesa resident Charlie Buckingham, who competed in sailing at the Tokyo Olympics was also recognized.

Also attending Sunday’s event were Congresswoman Michelle Steel, Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris and State Senator Tom Umberg. Newport Beach Council Members Joy Brenner and Diane Dixon, Seal Beach Mayor Joe Kalmick, Los Alamitos Mayor Mark Chirco and Westminster Mayor Tri Ta, Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustees Ashley Anderson and Michelle Barto were also in attendance.

On Wednesday Sept. 8, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the City of Costa Mesa’s sober living home ordinances are not discriminatory and do not violate the Fair Housing Act, validating a federal jury decision in December of 2018 that upheld the City’s laws.

The Ninth Circuit decision effectively ends the case by Yellowstone Women’s First Step House, Inc. and California Women’s Recovery, Inc. and the Sober Living Network against the City and means the City can continue to enforce its ordinance, which regulates sober living home operators, including limiting the number of residents to six or fewer and maintaining a 650-foot buffer between non-licensed sober living homes.

“I’m pleased that the Ninth Circuit affirmed the jury’s verdict,” Mayor John Stephens said. “This is the culmination of years of effective advocacy by our outside counsel Keller Anderle and Buchalter and our City Attorney’s office. They have successfully defended our reasonable regulations designed to preserve the character of our neighborhoods. We will continue to invest in this effort by enforcing and defending these important protections.”

The City implemented the laws in 2014, and revised and strengthened them in 2017, to protect the entire community from operators of unlicensed facilities, which exposed residents to dangerous conditions and created public nuisance concerns that affect the quality of life. By doing this, Costa Mesa has led the way to hold these operators accountable, setting the precedent for other cities to do the same.

The laws also regulate sober living home operators in multi-family zones, requiring a separation requirement to prevent neighborhoods from being converted into institution-like settings.

“The City’s efforts to protect vulnerable individuals seeking a sober living environment while protecting surrounding residents have been vindicated,” said City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow.

This latest ruling is one in a series of favorable court cases Costa Mesa has won following the first victory in December of 2018, when the jury unanimously rejected claims by Yellowstone, et. al., that the city’s ordinances are discriminatory and violate the Fair Housing Act.

“The case is important because it affirms the authority of local governments to thoughtfully regulate sober living homes for the benefit of both local residents and those in recovery,” said the City’s lead appellate counsel Mary-Christine Sungaila, chair of the appellate practice at Buchalter.