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COSTA MESA, CA — A federal judge today ruled that a Temporary Restraining Order preventing the State and Federal Government from moving infected Novel Coronavirus patients to Fairview Developmental Center should be extended for a week, directing the parties to meeting and confer and giving the city an opportunity to present more information.

“We are grateful that the judge saw through the inconsistencies in the federal and state positions, and has extended the restraining order to see if the government can comply with its own protocols for quarantine and isolation of people with serious, communicable and possibly deadly disease., Mayor Katrina Foley said. “While we have nothing but compassion for those who are suffering from this virus, the health and welfare of our community is our top priority. Bringing those infected into this densely populated area is simply the wrong approach.”

The city requested and was granted a temporary restraining order last Friday by the Honorable U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton, after the city learned that federal and state authorities were considering moving between 30 to 50 infected individuals to Fairview.

City officials contend that transporting persons infected with or exposed to the Coronavirus to any place within Costa Mesa until an adequate site survey has been conducted would be irresponsible. In addition, the city contends the populations of Costa Mesa and surrounding communities puts these infected patients in a much too-densely populated area.

The city contends that any designated site that has been determined suitable for this purpose will need all necessary safeguards and precautions put in place, and the public and local government informed of all efforts to mitigate risk of transmission of the disease.

The City still has not received critical information needed to keep the public safe and to be an effective partner in responding to any emergency arising from the use of Fairview to isolate Coronavirus patients.

Information needed by the city includes:

·      The identities of the lead agencies, their roles, and the incident commanders for each agency; operational details of how FDC will be used: when it is expected to begin operations as an isolation location, how long it is expected to be used for this purpose, will the site be expanded, what is the maximum number of patients to be housed, will the number of buildings used on site will change over time, and whether state and federal agencies have considered or identified overflow sites.

·      The city is also requesting how information will be shared among the different levels of government, how requests for resources and mutual aid will be made, how media and public inquiries will be handled, and how emergencies will be communicated.

·      The city is requesting general safety information that first responders need to be aware of how far the Coronavirus can travel, how far it can be transmitted by airborne means, whether there will be physical barriers preventing access to Fairview, how tall and secure those barriers will be, how far they will be from the buildings and publicly accessible areas, and how the facility will be guarded.

·      The city also wants to know the conditions of the facilities and plans to maintain and repair them given the aging and obsolete infrastructure. The City also must know how will the housing, feeding, and movement of Fairview support personnel happen, when will patients be moved on and off the facility, what the testing procedures for patients includes, and protocols for removal to local hospitals, if necessary.

COSTA MESA, CA – Within hours of the filing of an injunction designed to halt plans to use the Fairview Development Center as a COVID-19 quarantine facility, a federal judge granted the City of Costa Mesa’s request and placed a temporary restraining order on this effort until a full plan has been vetted and shared with the city. A press conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. today.

The City of Costa Mesa filed legal action Friday against the State of California and various federal agencies after it learned that federal officials were planning to use Fairview to house and quarantine individuals who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

The restraining order prevents transportation of anyone infected with or exposed to the coronavirus anywhere in Costa Mesa before the Monday hearing at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana at 2 p.m.

“We learned late Thursday that patients could begin arriving as early as Sunday,” said Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley.  “Filing this injunction was the only way to halt the process to allow everyone in Costa Mesa and Orange County to understand the plans in place to protect the patients as well as our community and the region.”

UPDATE: Judge Josephine Staton issued a Temporary Restraining Order preventing the transportation of persons infected with or exposed to the Coronavirus (aka COVID-19) to any place within Costa Mesa until an expedited hearing can be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, February 24.

COSTA MESA, CA – The City of Costa Mesa filed legal action today against the State of California after it learned federal officials were planning to use the Fairview Development Center to house and quarantine individuals who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

“The City informally learned that this site is being actively considered as a quarantine facility for patients who are California residents,” said Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley.  “Our top priority is the safety and security of this community and those who live in this region. We have received no information regarding how the facility will be prepared, what precautions will be taken to protect those in the facility as well as those who live nearby, and other important planning measures.”

Click here to read the request for preliminary injunction.

The Costa Mesa City Council took immediate and unanimous action to file a request for a legal injunction to halt the plan. Fairview, which is owned by the State of California, is adjacent to several residential neighborhoods.

The City was not part of the process that led to Fairview’s consideration for this use and has not been thoroughly advised, said the mayor. The injunction is intended to ensure open dialog and a collaborative effort among local, state, and federal agencies responsible for managing the crisis.

While the City understands the need for the Federal Government to select sites for quarantine, a full and complete explanation of all plans is required. Costa Mesa residents, business operators, and visitors are encouraged to monitor the City’s website for additional information.

The Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday, Feb. 18, accepted  a Youth Reinvestment Grant that will be used by the Costa Mesa Police Department for juvenile diversion programs.

The $1 million grant will be administered through a partnership between Waymakers and six police departments, including CMPD. Waymakers, a non-profit community based organization, has a 46-year history of working with law enforcement agencies in Orange County. The CMPD, La Habra Police Department, Orange Police Department, Newport Beach Police Department, Tustin Police Department, and Westminster Police Department will be participating in referring juvenile diversion cases to Waymakers.

“Kudos to our police department for taking a proactive approach to help young people,” Mayor Katrina Foley said. “One bad decision as a teenager shouldn’t destroy your life. Kids deserve the chance to get their lives back on the right track. It’s a creative approach to law enforcement and I’m happy that we are the City taking the lead.”

The overall objective of this grant is to reduce recidivism rates of juvenile offenders, strengthen protective family factors, limit the impact of juvenile offenses in the community, repair harm to victims and/or the community, and ease administrative duties of the court system and police departments.

Waymakers’ Juvenile Diversion Program offers practical, individualized, and cost-effective early intervention, restorative justice activity components such as individual and family counseling, case management, victim-offender mediation, Peer Court, community service and restitution, career and education support, legal awareness, practical parenting skills, drug and alcohol awareness, anger management, service learning projects, truancy reduction, social skills, decision making, and 24-hour help lines and specialized services linkage.

The program is an alternative to the juvenile justice system and gives youth the opportunity they need to get back on track and make things right. The overall goal of diversion programs is to reduce reoffending or the occurrence of problem behaviors without having to formally process youth in the justice system. For more information on Waymakers, visit waymakersoc.org.

“We are proud to partner with Waymakers on providing juvenile diversion services through the Youth Reinvestment Grant Program,” said Acting Police Chief Bryan Glass. “These services are an alternative approach to assist juveniles and their families. The program not only benefits the community of Costa Mesa, but communities of the other participating agencies and cities within Orange County.”

The funds allocated for the YRG come from the State of California Board of State and Community Corrections and will be used to service the Orange County Central Area. The 44-month grant will be provided through February 2023.

Alice was a longtime Costa Mesa resident who lived in uninhabitable conditions until the City and the Network for Homeless Solutions worked together to change her life for the good.

Today, Alice is living in an assisted living facility in San Diego close to her family and children but her journey and eventual success didn’t come easy.

Alice lived in a home on the Westside, but years of hoarding turned the residence into an unsafe and crowded place. Indeed, after she took a fall and placed a call for service, firefighters could barely clear a path of travel to help her.

Fire crews explained to Alice, who was a senior, that she needed to address the unsafe living conditions. But they also took it a step further and contacted one of her sons to let him know what was going on. The family told fire crews they had been urging Alice to leave her home and move to more suitable living conditions for several years.  They welcomed any help that Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue could offer to convince their mother that it was time to leave her longtime home.

Fire & Rescue leaders didn’t stop there. They filed an Adult Protective Services report and contacted Senior Code Enforcement Officer Mike Brumbaugh, who specializes in these types of cases.

Brumbaugh recognized that Alice was at risk of losing her home and becoming homeless, so he enlisted help from the City’s Network for Homeless Solutions and its multiple partners and he laid out a strategic plan to alleviate the hoarding conditions. All the while, Brumbaugh kept in close contact with Alice’s three sons.

The family immediately re-launched a conversation with their mover about moving nearer to them in the San Diego area and even made plans to visit with her the next week to accompany her to a medical appointment and assess her living conditions.

Brumbaugh sought the help of Community Outreach Worker John Begin, who is also an employee of Trellis, a faith-based organization that is part of the Network for Homeless Solutions.

Begin, who has an extensive pastoral counseling background, worked with both Alice and her family. As a result of these new trusting relationships, arrangements were made with Alice and her family to hire a tree trimmer to remove excess foliage around her home, which was attracting rodents.

The work had to be approved by Alice, who now felt she had community partners she could rely on and that she was included in a “team approach” to resolve her unsafe living conditions.

Despite cooperating with both her family and the City, Alice was still confused. She called Brumbaugh repeatedly and asked why all the improvements needed to be made.

Alice was concerned about the cost of rent for a place in San Diego.  Brumbaugh continually reassured her that cleaning up the property would be a long project, but it was urgent to get her into a safer, healthier environment and avoid having the property turned over to a receiver.

Brumbaugh worked with Alice and her family to set a schedule for completion of the clean up and improvements and Begin continually assured her to keep moving forward with both the property improvements and preparation for a move to San Diego. They both told Alice that her family cared deeply for her and wanted to help better her life. Alice agreed.

So late last year, she moved out of her longtime Costa Mesa home and into an assisted living apartment in San Diego.

The family is working on repairing both the exterior and interior of the Costa Mesa home and is grateful to all responsible for making Alice aware of her health and safety concerns and the importance of moving her to a new healthier and safer environment.

Thanks to Code Enforcement Officer Mike Brumbaugh, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue, Outreach Worker John Begin and the Network for Homeless Solutions for helping get a life back on the right path.

For more, please visit our website at www.costamesaca.gov/homelessness.

The Costa Mesa City Council is currently seeking residents to serve on the following city committees:

Animal Services Committee: This committee meets monthly and assists with the planning of animal related events, explores and provides recommendations to improve animal services, and promotes pet licensing within the City. The City is recruiting for a 2year term for four (4) regular members and two (2) alternate members. For further information, please contact Recreation Coordinator Tracy Habiger at (714) 754-5128.

Bikeway & Walkability Committee: This committee meets monthly and assists with the review, update and implementation of the city’s Master Plan of Bikeways and pedestrian pathways in order to make recommendations for their improvement to the City Council. The City is recruiting for a 2-year term for seven (7) regular members. For further information, please contact Transportation Services Manager Jennifer Rosales at (714) 754-5180.

Cultural Arts Committee: This committee meets monthly and works to promote the City motto, “City of the Arts.” The committee works to establish programs, events and information that help residents access the arts in many different venues. The City is recruiting for a 2-year term for four (4) regular members. For further information, please contact Recreation Supervisor Ashley Thomas at (714) 754-5052.

Fairview Park Steering Committee: This committee meets every other month and provides advice to the City Council regarding the implementation of the Fairview Park Master plan and impacts of Measure AA on Capital Improvement Program projects, maintenance and activities. The City is recruiting  for a 1- year term for one  regular member, a 3-year term for one (1) alternate member and for a 1-year term for one (1) alternate member. For further information, please contact Fairview Park Administrator Cynthia D’Agosta at (714) 754-5135.

Finance and Pension Advisory Committee: This committee meets monthly and provides advice to the City Council regarding events and issues which may affect the financial status of the City.  It also evaluates annual and long-term pension and financial impacts from changes in CalPERS contribution rates and/or actuarial schedule changes.  The City is recruiting for a 2-year term for six (6) regular members. Applicants shall have pension knowledge or shall be residents or individuals that conduct business within the City and have a background that includes experience in securities trading, financial planning, banking, auditing, accounting, or a closely related and relevant field.  For further information, please contact Management Analyst Amber Haston at (714) 754-5227.

Historical Preservation Committee: This committee meets monthly and serves to maintain, preserve, educate and promote the city’s historical resources. The City is recruiting for a 2-year term for four (4) regular members and two (2) alternate members. For further information, please contact Kevin Stoddart at (714) 327-7561.

Housing & Public Service Grants Committee: This committee meets on an as-needed basis and helps to promote community understanding of the community development process and activities funded by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD), and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) with a focus on social service grants. The City is recruiting for a 2-year term for four (4) regular members and one (1) alternate member.  For further information, please contact CDBG Consultant Mike Linares at (714) 754-5678.

Mobile Home Park Advisory Committee: This committee meets quarterly and addresses mobile home park issues and concerns in Costa Mesa.  The City is recruiting for a 2-year term for one (1) park owner or his/her representative, two (2) mobile home resident owners, and one (1) independent citizen at-large.  For further information, please contact Willa Bouwens-Killeen at (714)754-5153.

Traffic Impact Fee Ad Hoc Committee: This committee meets on an as-needed basis to assist staff on all aspects related to the updating and revision of traffic impact fees.  The City is recruiting for a 1-year term for one (1) at-large representative. For further information, please contact Jennifer Rosales at (714 754-5180.

Application Process – Residents who are interested in getting involved in local government are encouraged to complete a Committee Application Form from the City Clerk’s Office or from the City’s website (www.costamesaca.gov/apply).  The completed application may be submitted online; mailed to Costa Mesa City Clerk at Post Office Box 1200, Costa Mesa,

California, 92628-1200; emailed to cityclerk@costamesaca.gov; or hand-delivered to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.  The deadline is 5 p.m., Monday, March 2, 2020.  Appointments are tentatively scheduled for the March 17, 2020 City Council meeting.

Costa Mesa continues to collect victories in the landmark Yellowstone case as a Federal Court granted the city’s application to recover $61,488 in costs from plaintiffs for the trial that concluded in December of 2018.

In that case, a jury unanimously rejected claims by the Yellowstone Women’s First Step House, Inc., California Women’s Recovery, Inc. and the Sober Living Network, that the city’s ordinances are discriminatory and violate the Fair Housing Act.

“We are grateful for the judge’s decision to award cost recovery to our city taxpayers,” Mayor Katrina Foley said. “It’s unfortunate that the law does not currently allow recovery of attorneys fees too in these cases. Legislative reform is needed to deter these expensive lawsuits.  Regardless, we will reinvest those funds in continued efforts to enforce our laws, protect our neighborhoods and patients from unscrupulous sober living operators, and prevail in court so other communities can enact similar laws.”

Since the initial ruling last December, Costa Mesa has won a string of court victories that reinforced the court’s ruling, and last year, Federal Judge James Selna denied motions by the plaintiffs to set aside the jury’s ruling.

The City’s laws, which were amended and strengthened in 2017, regulate sober living home operators in single family neighborhoods, limiting the number of residents to six or fewer and maintaining a 650-foot buffer between non-licensed sober living homes.

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 of Costa Mesa was represented by lead trial attorney Jennifer Keller of Keller/Anderle LLP in this victory.

The City implemented the laws to protect the entire community from operators of unlicensed facilities, which exposed residents to dangerous conditions and created public nuisance concerns that affect the City’s 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.

City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison presented Recreation Coordinator Tracy Habiger with the January City Manager Leadership Award at the monthly Meet and Greet on Thursday Jan. 23.

“When her team found out she was selected as this month’s City Manager Leadership Award recipient, they were not surprised,” Farrell Harrison said. “Tracy is one of the leaders in the department, and a role model for many of her peers. Her work ethic, dedication, and commitment to excellence are what make her such a great colleague.”

When the Parks & Community Services Department became responsible for animal services in 2017, Habiger paved the way to establish procedures within the department and developed a strong rapport with contractors to create the new Animal Services Division.

Her efforts in the transition were instrumental to develop and foster a positive working relationship with both the Animal Shelter Operator, Newport Center Animal Hospital, and the Adoption Center: The Orphanage (Priceless Pets Rescue).

Additionally, Habiger is the staff liaison for the Animal Services Committee. The committee, under her direct oversight and leadership, has accomplished nearly all of its goals in less than 18 months of existence, which is a remarkable effort given the novelty of the overall division in the City of Costa Mesa.

Recently, she helped fill a new vacancy at the Balearic Community Center, which houses all of the City’s youth programs and took on the additional responsibility of supervising a program that’s responsible for more than 1,200 school-aged children.

Her skillset and success at managing multiple projects simultaneously has been evident in her ability to take on new challenges and successfully ensure smooth program operations without any drop in the level of service, despite a significant increase in her volume of work and overall responsibility.

Habiger arrived at Costa Mesa in 2006 as a Recreation Leader II and was quickly promoted to a Recreation Leader IV, then to Recreation Specialist and finally as Recreation Coordinator in 2015.

In addition to honoring Habiger, Farrell Harrison recognized several new City employees and newly promoted employees.

She introduced Susan Price, the new Assistant City Manager, Irene Rosendale is the new Permit Processing Specialist working in the Development Services Department and

Cinthia Contreras and Giselle Gayosso the two new Community Services Leader II working in the ROCKS program.

She congratulated Stacy Bennett who was recently promoted to Deputy City Clerk and

Victoria Castillo who has been promoted to Sr. Community Services Leader assigned to the ROCKS program.

On Tuesday Jan. 21, the Costa Mesa City Council approved a high-level, housing-focused plan that outlines the City Council’s recommended uses for the future development of the state-owned Fairview Developmental Center that is slated to close by June 30, 2020.

The Center’s remaining clients are transitioning out by the end of January, and a comprehensive infrastructure and site assessment is currently underway by the state and should be complete in late 2020.

“While Fairview Developmental Center is a state-owned facility, we have long believed that whatever happens to the property in the future should be developed with the best interests of Costa Mesa and its residents in mind,” Mayor Katrina Foley said. “We hope to work with the state to create a housing plan that integrates into the overall community, ends veteran homelessness in Orange County, and generates mixed income, workforce housing as well as affordable home ownership opportunities.”

The initial “Costa Mesa Solution” will be presented to the Governor’s Office, the State Department of General Services, state legislators and stakeholder groups and will outline a three-pronged approach for the site that includes veterans housing, permanent supportive housing with wrap-around services and housing that serves all income levels.

At the local level, the draft Costa Mesa Solution incorporates the themes of Community Integration and Economic Sustainability for the property, envisioning a neighborhood with trip-capturing amenities and innovative housing opportunities for veterans, those in need of permanent supportive services, young families, youth and seniors.

At the County level, the draft Costa Mesa Solution provides the resources to end veteran homelessness in Orange County and combines with the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter to provide system flow for shelter and permanent supportive housing to address the City’s share of regional housing and homeless services goals.

Finally, at the State level, the draft Costa Mesa Solution addresses the goals of the Governor and Legislature to provide additional housing at all income levels with a focus on the workforce, to increase permanent supportive housing, and to proactively address homelessness.

The City Council looks forward to continuing its proactive work regarding the future disposition of the Fairview Developmental Center site, engaging actively with the Governor’s Office and Department of General Services and the Costa Mesa community as the site reuse conversation evolves.

On Tuesday Jan. 21, Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley presented the Mayor’s Award to two young entrepreneurs, siblings Zoe and Zac, who are using their recycling business to contribute to local charities.

“Tonight I am proud to present the Mayor’s Award to two young members of our community who demonstrate that a combination of entrepreneurial spirit with environmental consciousness can truly start at any age,” Mayor Foley said. “Thank you Zac and Zoe for making a difference here in Costa Mesa.”

A few years ago, with the help of their family, eight year-old Zoe and her six year-old brother Zac started their own recycling collection business called Z & Z Recycling, Inc.

Over the years their collection efforts have grown, and their contribution to the community doesn’t end there. Zac and Zoe’s business model includes donating half of their proceeds to local charities.

The siblings are able to be successful with the help of their parents, uncle and grandparents and their network of recycling neighbors who all pitch in to save their bottles and cans and assist Zoe and Zac in fulfilling their socially responsible mission.

Click below to watch a video of Zoe and Zac.

The Costa Mesa City Council at a special meeting on Thursday Jan. 9 approved sending a resolution and letter to the California Department of Housing and Community Development that takes exception with the methodology proposed by the Southern California Association of Governments Regional Council to allocate housing requirements to cities for the next eight-year planning period.

The State has allocated 1.34 million new housing units to the Southern California Region with SCAG tasked with developing a methodology to fairly and appropriately distribute the housing allocation to all Southern California jurisdictions.

SCAG adopted a methodology that was not-vetted and there was no opportunity for public review or comments. The impacts from the changed methodology were unknown when it was adopted and the lengthy transparent public process was disregarded by a last minute substitute motion that was not supported by SCAG staff. Based on this last-minute change to an unvetted methodology, Costa Mesa’s allocation increased from 4,323 to 11,734 units.

In its resolution, the City is requesting that the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development, which is tasked with approving the RHNA methodology, deny the unvetted methodology and, instead, direct SCAG to use the vetted, staff-recommended methodology.

“We strongly support developing a thoughtful plan to address the regional housing shortfall, especially affordable housing for individuals and families,” Mayor Katrina Foley said. “However, the process was flawed and arbitrary. We support the transparent, publicly-vetted process and the proposal that was developed through it. We look forward to working with the state to correct this situation.”

The resolution adopted Thursday makes it clear that the City supports housing development for all economic sectors and fully embraces meeting the community’s fair share of the region’s housing needs.

The modified Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation methodology approved by the SCAG Regional Council potentially compromises the City’s access to critical funding needed to address housing production for all income levels.

The City of Costa Mesa has been a strong advocate for the development of housing, including affordable housing. Costa Mesa has expended significant local resources over the past decade toward addressing housing related issues and has produced over 1,600 new housing units during the current RHNA cycle, far above its assigned allocation. The City also owns and operates multiple low-income housing projects.

In 2019, the Council amended its Goals and Objectives to include the Goal to: “Address Housing Shortages and Homelessness. We will continue our efforts to improve housing and to end homelessness in Costa Mesa using a comprehensive way, addressing the full continuum of housing needs from crisis-shelter to supportive housing to affordable to market rate for all.”

Costa Mesa has not only produced 1,600 new housing units, but has also permanently housed 42 homeless individuals by providing comprehensive wrap around services at its Bridge Shelter at Lighthouse Church.

Only a handful of cities had increases of over 7,000 units above the previously vetted methodology (Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Westminster, and the City of Los Angeles).

Salem Afeworki, the city’s new Energy and Sustainability Services Manager and a 15-year veteran of providing sustainability, climate change and community engagement consulting services for multiple clients, began her new role in Costa Mesa on Tuesday Jan. 7, 2020.

“We are very pleased to have Ms. Afeworki join our city team to advance the City Council goals on energy efficiency and sustainability,” Mayor Katrina Foley said. “This work is critical as we strive to make the city more energy efficient and deal with the emergency of climate change.”

Before accepting the job in Costa Mesa, Afeworki was the Principal at Value Sustainability, a boutique-consulting firm that provides advisory services in sustainable business practices, clean energy and climate change based in Orange County. Afeworki started her career at the United Nations as a Communication officer and later worked for top management consulting and engineering firms as a sustainability leader and practitioner.

“We welcome Salem to our team and look forward to her considerable knowledge in this industry as the city looks to be more efficient in energy and all areas of government,” City Manager Lori Farrell Harrison said.

In addition to consulting, she he served as a primary council member at Los Angeles Metro Sustainability Council and also at the City of Irvine Green Ribbon Committee. In this capacity, she has advised cities, counties and transportation agencies in Southern California on how to best address their environmental and social challenges.

“Globally cities are now leading the way in sustainability and in reducing carbon pollution,” Afeworki said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to join City of Costa Mesa to advance local climate action and deliver on the City’s ambitious goals. I applaud the City’s Council members and senior leadership’s vision for making sustainability a priority and for allocating the right resources to make it happen. We want the City of Costa Mesa to be a leader in sustainability in Orange County, and I commit to working with diverse stakeholders to develop bold strategies and programs that leaves no one behind and creates stronger, livable and equitable City for all residents.”

Afeworki is passionate about climate change, renewable energy technologies and local community empowerment. She has conducted strategic sustainability and climate action planning as well as workshop facilitation, and program evaluation projects in multi-disciplinary setting for a range of clients, including Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles County Public Works, City of Long Beach, City of Irvine and Port of Long Beach.

She has a multitude of specialized fellowships and training and has received numerous awards for her work including the 2019 Energy Executive by National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a 2017 Eco Leader by U.S Green Building Council Orange County, a Certificate of Recognition by the County of Orange for the 2016 Engineering Award and the 2016 Urban Land Institute OC/ IE Emergent Leadership Award for the category of Engineering.

Afeworki has her bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication from the University of Asmara, Eritrea, a master’s degree in Environmental Management & Auditing, specialized in Renewable Energy, from the Universidad de Leon, Spain. She also have completed highly specialized leadership programs including a Climate Change Science and Solutions certificate from MIT and a Sustainable Environmental Management certificate from UC Berkeley.

She will report to Director of Public Services Raja Sethuraman.