As part of the I-405 Improvement project, OCTA and Caltrans crews will begin demolition to a portion of the existing sound wall adjacent to southbound I-405 between Harbor Boulevard and Fairview Road as early as Monday April 22 through Friday April 26 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

This work will be performed at night.

Please be advised that this work may be loud.

Demolition of the wall requires full closures of the southbound I-405 on-ramp from Harbor Boulevard and the southbound I-405 off-ramp to Fairview Road, which can only be done at night.

Dates and times may change due to unforeseen operational factors or inclement weather.

The I-405 Improvement Project, which adds a general purpose lane and a tolled Express Lane facility in each direction.

The work will require several sound walls to be replaced.

COSTA MESA, CA — America Walks, a national advocacy organization working to empower communities to create safe, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and move, announced today that Council Member Arlis Reynolds has been awarded a Walking College Fellowship as part of the 2019 program.

The Fellowship will enable Reynolds, who represents Costa Mesa’s Fifth District, and other advocates from around the country to participate in a five-month training program designed to strengthen local efforts to make communities more walkable and livable.

“We are thrilled to welcome Arlis Reynolds as a member of the Walking College,” said Emilie Bahr, Walking College Manager with America Walks, “This year’s application process was extremely competitive and rich with unique professionals, and she will make a fitting addition to our 2019 class. We look forward to developing her skills and are excited to see all fellows grow their knowledge, share experiences, and prepare plans to expand their work for bolstering walkability at home.”

Council Member Reynolds will complete a six-module training program this summer, followed by an independent study project in Costa Mesa. They will also engage with the national network of America Walks and meet one another and other walking champions at various events throughout the year.

“Our residents are asking for safer streets for walking, and we know that increased pedestrian activity boosts both community health and the local economy,” Reynolds said.

The City Council recently adopted its 2019 priorities, which include supporting the Active Transportation Plan (adopted in 2018) and initiating a Pedestrian Master Plan.

“As we open our new library, to invest in our parks, and support local businesses, and we need to make it safe and enjoyable for people and families to access those spaces,”

Reynolds said. “I look forward to learning from experts and others about strategies and opportunities to improve walkability and quality of life in Costa Mesa.”

Reynolds hopes to engage community members in the Walking College program through shared learning, community discussions, and neighborhood activities such as walking street clean-ups. You can follow Reynolds’ journey on social media @arlis4costamesa or email her at arlis.reynolds@costamesaca.gov.

The Walking College curriculum has been designed to expand the capacity of local advocates to be effective community change agents.  Topics include the science behind the benefits of walking, evaluation of built environments, as well as communication skills and building relationships with stakeholders and decision makers.  Fellows work with other members of their class and a set of experienced mentors to develop the knowledge and skills needed to create community change. At the conclusion of the Walking College, Fellows will develop a Walking Action Plan for implementation using their new skills.

About America Walks: America Walks, a nonprofit national organization, is leading the way in empowering communities to create safe, accessible, and enjoyable walking conditions for all. We provide a voice for walking and walkable communities with federal agencies, provide strategy support, training and technical assistance to statewide, regional, and local organizations, and serve as the convener of the national Every Body Walk! Collaborative. Together, America Walks and the Every Body Walk! Collaborative boast 700 allied organizations who across the nation are working to increase walking and support walkable communities for all members. More at www.americawalks.org.

Contact:

Heidi Simon
Deputy Director, America Walks
America Walks
hsimon@americawalks.org
414-241-3805

At their April 16 meeting,  City Council members agreed to publicly support several bills that are making their way through the state legislature that deal with sober living, land use and development, public safety and licensing of athletic trainers.

On the heels of this action, Mayor Katrina Foley signed  letters of support on the city’s behalf.

The following are the bill numbers and brief descriptions:

Sober Living Bills

• AB 919: Establishes an enforcement arm of the Department of Health Care Services to monitor and enforce sanctions on unauthorized sober living homes.
• AB 920: Exempts sober living homes with a financial relationship from being considered residential uses of property. In other words, sober living homes operated by a single entity as a business can no longer file for permits as residential uses of property.
• AB 940: Imposes fines on sober living homes brokering patients, or receiving some form of remuneration (compensation) for referring patients to other programs/facilities.
• AB 1779:Establishes certification requirements for sober living facilities that are recognized by the state

Land Use & Development Bills

• AB 1199: Subjects Fairview Developmental Center to public hearing to determine future use of land
• AB 65: Prioritizes Proposition 68 funding for projects that utilize natural infrastructure

Public Safety Bills

• AB 1327: Requires licensed narcotic treatment programs to make available safe storage products for medication. This is an effort to reduce the rise in accidental overdose in children.
• SB 689: Authorizes entities to engage in a needle exchange program only if approved by a local jurisdiction.

Licensing – Athletic Trainers

• AB 1592: Establishes licensing procedures for athletic trainers, which would benefit local high school sports teams.

These bills will be heard next week, on both Tuesday April 23 and Wednesday April 24. The bills to be heard on April 23 include: Assembly Bills 919, 920, 940, 1779 and 1592. The bills to be heard on April 24 include: Assembly Bills 1199, 1327 and Senate Bill 689.

Assembly Bill 65 has passed through the committee process and awaits a hearing.

Residents are encouraged to reach out to their state legislative leaders to ask them to support these bills.

Here is the contact information for the Assembly and State Senate:

Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, 74th District

District Phone: (714) 668-2100

Email: assemblymember.norris@assembly.ca.gov

Senator John Moorlach, 37^th District

District Phone: (714) 662-6050

Email: senator.moorlach@senate.ca.gov

Last month, the Costa Mesa City Council designated April as Coyote Awareness Month.

As part of that, the Police Department will hold two Coyote Community meetings to help inform the public about how to deal with coyotes.

Two date options are available so everyone has a chance to join.

The first is Monday April 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. and the next is Tuesday April 23 also from 6 to 8 p.m.

Both meetings will be held in Conference Room 1A at Costa Mesa City Hall.

Due to work being done on the city’s Harbor Median project on Saturday April 13, crews needed to close southbound lanes on Harbor Boulevard  from Hamilton Street to Ford Road.

Please be aware of crews working in the area.

The repairs are expected to be complete by 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

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

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 one-year term for one alternate member. For further information, please contact William Lund at (714) 754-5083.

 Mobile Home Park Advisory Committee: This newly created committee will meet quarterly and address mobile home park issues and concerns in Costa Mesa.  The City is recruiting for a one-year term for one park owner or his/her representative and one mobile home resident owner.  For further information, please contact Issam Shahrouri at (714) 754-5604.

Parks, Arts and Community Services Commission – This Commission was recently expanded from five (5) to seven (7) members and we are currently recruiting for the two (2) additional seats with a term expiration of January, 2023  The Commission would designate one member to serve as the liaison for the Senior Center and one member to serve as a liaison to arts and culture related initiatives and activities in the City. The Commission meets on the fourth Thursday of each month and assists the City Council and various City departments with issues related to parks, parkways, recreation programs, and community services.  Applicants must be registered voters in the City.  For further information, please contact Allison Burch at (714) 754-5009.

Planning Commission – This Commission was recently expanded from five (5) to seven (7) members and we are currently recruiting for one (1) seat from District 4 and one (1) seat from District 5 both expiring in January, 2023. The Commission meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month and advises on planning, land use, and development matters. The Commission is the final decision-making body for certain discretionary land use approvals such as design review, conditional use permits, and land divisions. The Commission also functions as an advisory body to the City Council for Zoning and General Plan amendments. Applicants must be registered voters in District 4 or District. For further information, please contact Julie Colgan at (714) 754-5612.

Application Process – Residents who are interested in getting involved in local government are encouraged to complete a Committee/Commission 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., Friday, May 3, 2019.  Appointments are tentatively scheduled for the May 21, 2019 City Council meeting.

The City of Costa Mesa has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers and distributors of pain medication, who are the root cause behind the national opiate crisis.

The city intends to aggressively pursue the reimbursement of the tax dollars spent on a crisis that should never have occurred. The city intends to use any recovery from this lawsuit, filed on Friday March 29, to help manage the impacts of this crisis in Costa Mesa.

“This epidemic has personally touched the lives of many members of our community,” Mayor Katrina Foley said. “It’s time that we take action and put a halt to the lives being destroyed and the economic drain opioid addiction is placing on our community.”

Mayor Foley noted the death of Costa Mesa Fire Capt. Mike Kreza, who was struck and killed while riding his bike. The driver of the car that struck Capt. Kreza, according to news reports, was driving while under the influence of opioids or narcotics. And just last month, police and fire crews rescued a baby who was in medical distress. Later it was determined that baby had the drug fentanyl in her system.

Additionally, the city of Costa Mesa has the largest concentration of sober living homes in Orange County, creating a plethora of nuisance issues for residents, multiple calls for service by police and fire and millions of dollars in legal fees. Many of these sober living home residents are recovering from opioid addiction.

According to a 2017 report by the Orange County Health Care Agency, “In Orange County, there were 7,457 opioid overdose/abuse cases treated in emergency departments (ED) between 2011 and 2015. Importantly, seven of every 10 overdose deaths investigated by the Orange County Sheriff-Coroner during this five-year period involved opioids.”

The report found that between 2011 and 2015, Costa Mesa had some of the highest increases in the numbers of opioid related emergency room visits and opioid deaths in the county. Emergency visits in Costa Mesa jumped 58 percent from 74 in 2011 to 174 in 2015 and deaths rose 20 percent from 9 in 2011 to 15 in 2015.

More than 4,000 individuals were hospitalized for opioid use and the report stated “on average, each hospitalization stay resulted in over $33,000 in charges.”

All press inquiries should be directed to Roman Silberfeld at Robins Kaplan LLP: (310) 552-0130.

The City of Costa Mesa officially opened a 50-bed temporary bridge shelter on a portion of the Lighthouse Church property at 1885 Anaheim Avenue that will be a first step toward cleanup and restoration of Westside neighborhoods while addressing the issues of helping individuals up and out of homelessness.

“By opening this bridge shelter, we are taking a compassionate and caring approach toward individuals experiencing homelessness,” Mayor Katrina Foley said. “But at the same time, we need to keep the safety and security of our entire community as our top priority.  Living on a sidewalk is inhumane. It’s not good for anyone forced outside and it’s not good for maintaining the quality of our community.”

Mayor Katrina Foley announced the opening of the bridge shelter at a 9 a.m. press conference Friday April 5. The mayor was joined by Federal District Court Judge David Carter, Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris, Mayor Pro-Tem John Stephens, Council Members Arlis Reynolds, Andrea Marr and Manuel Chavez.

Council Member Reynolds, who represents District 5 where the shelter resides, also spoke and told the crowd how much it meant to her to see this shelter open in the same place she grew up.

Also in attendance were Acting City Manager Tammy Letourneau, Parks & Recreation Director Justin Martin, who was instrumental in planning the shelter, City Attorney Kim Barlow, Police Chief Rob Sharpnack and Fire Chief Dan Stefano, Lighthouse Church Pastor Phil Eyskens and several city leaders and staff members from every department.

As of time of the press conference, there were already approximately 20 clients living in the bridge shelter and receiving services from city outreach workers and shelter operator Mercy House, an experienced, well-respected operator who will ensure the facility is a reservation-based model along with 24-hour security and neighborhood management covering a half-mile radius.

Establishing this 50-bed bridge shelter option for those experiencing homelessness will provide the number of necessary shelter beds that the City of Costa Mesa is expected to create based on a proposed settlement agreement in the OC Catholic Worker lawsuit that in turn would restore the city’s ability to enforce trespassing and anti-encampment ordinances.

The new bridge shelter expands what is an already existing inclement weather shelter at the Lighthouse Church into a reservation-based, high-security temporary solution to offer shelter beds to those in need.

The city has installed security fencing around the facility, increased lighting in the area, cleaned and sanitized streets, sidewalks and parks where necessary, and added modular trailers for restrooms, showers, storage of personal belongings, and space for shelter beds.

Additionally, bridge shelter clients will be offered resources for job training and placement services, mental health assessments, health and dental care, substance abuse treatment and connections to permanent housing all while working on their plan to obtain housing.

The temporary bridge shelter is expected to operate for approximately one year when city officials anticipate a new permanent facility will open.

In March, the Costa Mesa City Council voted unanimously to allocate $6.925 million for the purchase of an industrial warehouse at 3175 Airway Avenue that will be evaluated as a potential permanent bridge shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness in Costa Mesa.

Acting City Manager Tammy Letourneau presented Human Resources Analyst Julie Schall with the City Manager Leadership Award at the monthly Meet and Greet event on Thursday March 28.

“I am very pleased to present this award to Julie,” Letourneau said. “I really appreciate her efforts to build back our Police Department staffing levels and admire how she credits her success to a team effort between her HR and PD colleagues. I am impressed with her hard work, dedication and teamwork.”

Schall joined the Costa Mesa team in 2007 and is currently assigned to the Police Department focusing on priorities in the Training and Recruitment Bureau as the department continues to hire and develop staff. Due to the hiring requirements and standards in law enforcement, proactive staffing efforts are critical and her HR role has added efficiency to the hiring and onboarding process for the department.

In addition to her role as a police recruiter, she provided HR services, Public Services, and Recreation Departments. Through the years, she would work closely with additional departments in helping them with staffing needs and other projects.

In 2007, she was part of the implementation team that moved the City from paper applications to on-line applications with the NEOGOVsystem. Over the past 12 years, she has processed over 690 new hires and 125 promotions for the City.

Prior to joining the City of Costa Mesa, she worked in Human Resources for the cities of Santa Clara and Anaheim. Schall graduated from San Francisco State University with her bachelors in 2001 and her masters in 2003. For her master’s thesis, she worked with the San Francisco Police Department on the topic of “Team Work and Community Policing.”

Acting City Manager Letourneau also welcomed several newly hired employees and recognized two for promotions.

Ines Galmiche is a new Intern working in the Planning Division of the Development Services Department, and Ben Castillo is a new Fire Protection Specialist in the Fire Department.

Amy Ramirez is a new Recreation Leader II in our Parks & Community Services Department and is assigned to the Senior Center. Chasen Gaunt is one of several new Police Officers.

In promotion news, Jerry Hildeman has been promoted to Police Lieutenant in the Police Department, and Eliasar Maldonado has been promoted to Fire Captain with the Fire Department.

A meeting regarding flight paths and airport noise at John Wayne Airport will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Community Room of the Newport Beach Civic Center.

Join Orange County Supervisor Michelle Steel, Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon, and representatives of John Wayne Airport for a town hall meeting on Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

County of Orange staff will provide updates on:

• Flight paths
• Airport noise
• John Wayne Airport General Aviation Improvement Program (GAIP)

The meeting will be held in the Civic Center’s Community Room, 100 Civic Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660.

The County of Orange is accepting reservations. RSVP to tiffany.kim@ocgov.com.

OCTA and Caltrans will fully close the Fairview Road bridge overpass in Costa Mesa overnight on Friday March 15 and Saturday March 16 for demolition activities connected to the I-405 Improvement Project. The 405 Freeway will be fully closed overnight Saturday from 10 p.m. until 9 a.m. Sunday March 17.

The full freeway closure, along with overnight closures of the Fairview Road bridge and adjacent freeway ramps and connectors, are necessary to demolish part of the bridge over the freeway. The closures are scheduled from approximately 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on March 15-16 and 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. March 16-17, weather permitting.

During the freeway closure, drivers will be detoured off the freeway at the Fairview Road off-ramps and back onto I-405 past the Fairview Road bridge.

Click here for local detours.

Click here for freeway detours.

Other overnight closures include:

• Northbound SR-73 to northbound I-405 connector
• Northbound I-405 off-ramps to Susan Street and Harbor Boulevard
• Northbound I-405 on-ramp from Fairview Road
• Southbound I-405 to southbound SR-73 connector
• Southbound I-405 and SR-73 on-ramps from Fairview Road
• Detours will be in place to guide drivers around the closures

Drivers should expect delays in the area and are encouraged to use alternate routes if possible. Up-to-date closure and construction information is available on the project’s interactive map at octa.net/405map.

The Fairview Road bridge is the fifth of more than 18 bridges to be built, widened or replaced as part of the project, which will speed up travel times on I-405 between Costa Mesa and the Los Angeles County line, an area traveled by more than 370,000 vehicles a day.

The bridge is expected to take approximately to two years to reconstruct. It will be demolished and reconstructed in two stages, allowing it to remain open to traffic during construction.

Once completed, the Fairview Road bridge will continue to have 10 traffic lanes, along with sidewalks and bike lanes in both directions. Traffic lanes and sidewalks will be widened, and a 4-foot-wide center median will be added to the bridge.

OCTA officials announced Thursday that the 405 Freeway at Fairview Road in Costa Mesa is scheduled to fully close overnight on Saturday, March 9 and Saturday, March 16, as part of the I-405 Improvement Project.

The full freeway closures, along with overnight closures of the Fairview Road bridge and adjacent freeway ramps and connectors, are necessary to demolish part of the bridge over the freeway. The closures are scheduled from approximately 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. on March 9-10 and March 16-17, weather permitting.

During both overnight freeway closures, drivers will be detoured off the freeway at the Fairview Road off-ramps and back onto I-405 past the Fairview Road bridge.

Click here for local detours.

Click here for freeway detours.

Other overnight closures include:

• Northbound SR-73 to northbound I-405 connector
• Northbound I-405 off-ramps to Susan Street and Harbor Boulevard
• Northbound I-405 on-ramp from Fairview Road
• Southbound I-405 to southbound SR-73 connector
• Southbound I-405 and SR-73 on-ramps from Fairview Road
• Detours will be in place to guide drivers around the closures.

Drivers should expect delays in the area and are encouraged to use alternate routes if possible. Up-to-date closure and construction information is available on the project’s interactive map at octa.net/405map.

The $1.9 billion I-405 Improvement Project will add one regular lane in each direction between Euclid Street and I-605, and a second lane in each direction in the center of the freeway from SR-73 to I-605 that will combine with the existing carpool lanes to form the 405 Express Lanes.

The Fairview Road bridge is the fifth of more than 18 bridges to be built, widened or replaced as part of the project, which will speed up travel times on I-405 between Costa Mesa and the Los Angeles County line, an area traveled by more than 370,000 vehicles a day.

The bridge is expected to take approximately to two years to reconstruct. It will be demolished and reconstructed in two stages, allowing it to remain open to traffic during construction.

Once completed, the Fairview Road bridge will continue to have 10 traffic lanes, along with sidewalks and bike lanes in both directions. Traffic lanes and sidewalks will be widened, and a 4-foot-wide center median will be added to the bridge.

This 16-mile segment of I-405 is one of the most heavily traveled stretches of highway in the nation, and both the regular lanes and carpool lanes are heavily congested during rush hour and on weekends. The project is critical to accommodate expected employment, population and housing growth throughout the region.

It currently takes drivers about an hour to travel this section of freeway during rush hour, and without the project, the commute is projected to double in the next 20 years. Once the project is finished in 2023, it is expected to take about 30 minutes to drive the 16 miles during rush hour in the regular lanes and about 15 minutes in the 405 Express Lanes.

People are encouraged to visit the project website at www.octa.net/405improvement to sign up for construction alerts via automated call, text message or email.