The Superior Court for the County of San Diego has issued a preliminary injunction against the Orange County Needle Exchange Program and the California Department of Public Health to effectively stop those agencies from operating a mobile needle exchange program in Costa Mesa and other cities in the county.

“We are pleased the court agreed with the city’s position regarding the public health hazard the needle exchange would have posed to Costa Mesa,” said Mayor Sandra Genis. “This ruling is a victory to all who work, live and play in this city and fortifies our commitment to the highest level of public safety.”

Last August, the State Department of Public Health granted the Orange County Needle Exchange Program the right to distribute needles in Costa Mesa on 17th Street, from the intersection of Whittier Avenue westward to the Armstrong Petroleum Plant. The State also granted the group the right to operate needle exchange programs in the Cities of Orange, Anaheim and Santa Ana.

In response to those approvals, the Costa Mesa City Council voted unanimously to pursue legal action and joined Anaheim, Orange and the County of Orange to seek a preliminary and permanent restraining order/ injunction and to put a halt to the operation of the approved mobile needle exchange program.

“The City of Costa Mesa vigorously fought to ensure the safety of its citizens by not having needles distributed with no accounting for the dangerous needle waste,” said Mayor-Elect Katrina Foley.

The court’s ruling this week preliminarily enjoins the Orange County Needle Exchange Program and the State from conducting their needle exchange program in Orange County,

though the court did not rule out the possibility that the Orange County Needle Exchange Program could apply to operate a different exchange in Orange County at a later date.

The Orange County Needle Exchange Program had previously operated a needle exchange program at the Santa Ana Civic Center but that operation was terminated down by government officials who revoked OCNEP’s permit after a massive increase in needle litter that posed a threat to public safety. Several people were pricked by discarded needles, including members of the Santa Ana Police Department. The City of Costa Mesa received written and photographic evidence of the needle litter.

Prior to the State’s approval of the needle exchange program, the Costa Mesa Police Department and the City Attorney’s Office submitted evidence and statements to State officials that chronicled the substantial risks to public health the program presents to the Costa Mesa community and asked that the application be denied.

Do you want to relocate your business to Costa Mesa? Are you ready to make that step from home business to a brick and mortar location? Is your business doing so well you need to transition to a larger space but do not want to leave the fantastic atmosphere and amenities of Costa Mesa?

The city has developed a new and improved webpage to help with site selection. Using the webpage’s tools, you can search for properties for sale or tenant spaces/buildings for lease within the city. Using these tools, you will be able to filter by property type, price range, square-footage, agent name, and any other keyword of your choosing.

City staff believes the webpage will be a great tool to help our entire business community, to find the perfect location for their business.

Click here to find the webpage. It resides within the Economic Development section of the city website.

To provide feedback, please contact Dan Inloes at daniel.inloes@costamesaca.gov or at 714.754.5088 with any comments or suggestions.

Due to the observation of the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, Nov. 22, there will be no residential street sweeping Thursday, Nov. 22 and Friday Nov. 23.

This coincides with the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, which also observes this holiday by pushing trash collection back one day.

This results in residential gutter lines being cluttered with trash cans making it impossible for street sweeper operators to do an efficient job. There should be no parking citations issued during this time.

Street sweeping will resume back to normal schedule the week of Nov. 26.

For more information, residents can call the city’s street sweeping hotline at (714) 327-7471, which has been updated with this information.

Starting this week, construction for the Audio Visual, Broadcast Production, and Infrastructure Upgrades of Council Chambers and First Floor Meeting Rooms has begun. 

All meetings previously scheduled in the Council Chambers, City Council, Planning and Parks commissions will now take place at the Costa Mesa Senior Center located at 695 W. 19th St.

Throughout the duration of the project the Council Chambers and Conference Room 1C/video editing room behind the Chambers will not be available for use. Conference Room 1A will also be affected by the renovation, however it is anticipated that Conference Room 1A will only be offline for a couple of short duration periods.

Additionally, in order for contractors to carry out the renovation, five to six parking spaces adjacent to the east entrance of the Council Chambers will be used for construction staging; and portable sanitary facilities will be set up at the southeast corner of the parking lot next to Vanguard University’s current construction.

The City of Costa Mesa has created a new webpage titled “Confronting Homelessness in Costa Mesa” that will provide members of the public with pertinent information regarding the city’s search for a location to create shelter beds as required by Federal Court.

The new webpage, located here, will be updated on a regular basis and contains important facts, useful links and resources for those who are homeless or may be on the verge of being homeless.

Look for videos, Frequently Asked Questions and more information in the coming days and weeks ahead.

The webpage creation is in response to a lawsuit filed against the City of Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana and the County of Orange regarding Santa Ana River trail and the individuals who were illegally camping there and were scheduled to be moved.

As part of that lawsuit, Federal District Court Judge David Carter ordered the city to provide shelter beds equal to 60 percent of the city’s last homeless count numbers. In January of 2017, the count found 103 unsheltered homeless individuals in Costa Mesa, and 60% of 103 equals 62 beds.

In response to the judge’s order, the City of Costa Mesa is aggressively searching to identify appropriate locations throughout the city for potential purchase and development of a new community shelter. A number of locations throughout the city have and continue being evaluated and inspected by city staff.

City staff is evaluating market conditions and price, zoning and city code obstacles and potential community impacts for each location. There is no perfect location. The court order has created very short timelines that require fast decisions.

In addition, Costa Mesa has already satisfied the need for 12 of its 62 required beds by approving an application to operate a critical care facility from College Hospital, a longtime and respected provider of mental health and medical treatment in the community.

The city’s commitment with any location will be to design the highest quality facility that is securely operated and free of loitering or neighborhood disruptions and any impacts to the greater Costa Mesa community will be minimized.

The particular focus will be a 2,000-foot radius around where the required shelter is placed. It is vital that this center does not negatively impact the immediate surrounding neighborhood.

Additionally, by opening a 50-bed community shelter, the city will avoid further litigation and the court will allow the city to put a heightened focus and strict enforcement of the city’s anti-camping laws.

The City of Costa Mesa has been a county leader in finding compassionate and creative solutions to help individuals experiencing homelessness, while at the same time appropriately conducting enforcement efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of residents, business owners and visitors.

Despite those efforts, a lawsuit was filed against the City of Costa Mesa and Federal District Court Judge David Carter ordered the city to provide shelter beds equal to 60 percent of the city’s last homeless count numbers.

In January of 2017, the count found 103 unsheltered homeless individuals in Costa Mesa, and 60% of 103 equals 62 beds.

Click here to read our latest Fact Sheet for more information.

City Manager Tom Hatch presented Assistant Recreation Supervisor Christian Hernandez with the City Manager Leadership Award for October at the monthly Meet and Greet Ceremony on Thursday Oct. 25.

“Christian is a great example of how hard work and dedication can propel your career,” City Manager Hatch said. “He started with the city in an entry level position and has consistently progressed through the organization as one of our valued leaders. He’s an outstanding role model for anyone who is considering a career in city government.”

As the assistant recreation supervisor, Hernandez oversees the city’s free, youth sports and fitness program that serve thousands of kids weekly. He also became the staff lead for the reintroduced and revamped Mobile Recreation program.

He was also part of the team that was awarded the Healthy Out-of-School Grant from the Walmart Foundation and also assisted with bringing the Los Angeles Chargers Summer Training Camp to Jack Hammett Sports Complex.

Hernandez was part of the team that worked to subcontract the City’s adult softball league, which has resulted in participation growing to more than 100 active softball teams per season. He serves as the staff representative of the Youth Sports Council, where he meets monthly with representatives from the school district and representatives from every youth sports organization in the city. He was also a major contributor towards updating the City’s outdated and confusing Field Use and Allocation Policy.

Hernandez began his Costa Mesa career in March of 2011 as a part-time recreation leader II and received multiple promotions begore being named to his current role in December of 2016.

Hernandez holds a degree in Sports Psychology and Leadership with a Minor in Recreation from Cal State Long Beach and is currently attending Cal State Long Beach to receive his Master’s in Public Administration.

In addition to Hernandez, City Manager Hatch recognized the following new hires and promotions.

In Development Services, Andy Godinez and Rene Jiminez have been hired as new full-time – Code Enforcement Officers and in the Finance Department, Louis Li is the new Budget Specialist.

In the Parks & Community Services Department, Ashley Armenta Vega is the new Recreation Leader II and Arely Escoto is the new Recreation Leader III, and the Police Department hired Christine Van as a new Communications Officer.

Two promotions announced at the Meet and Greet event included Emmanuel Gutierrez Jacinto who was promoted Recreation Leader III and Bill Nelson to Management Aide.

Construction of the Lions Park Projects progresses with another major milestone approaching.

As the new library mechanical and HVAC systems, electrical and lighting systems, plumbing and fire sprinkler systems are being installed, on Nov. 1, Southern California Edison (SCE) will be delivering and installing the new electrical transformer for the project.

This task will require an electrical shutdown to the Downtown Recreation Center, existing library, and Historical Society building.

The shutdown is expected to take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This portion of work is taking place at a time that will allow for the remaining construction to take place without interruption.

The installation of insulation and drywall is almost complete and ceiling systems are currently being constructed. Windows and storefronts are being installed, the elevator shaft is in place, and exterior scaffolding is erected for surface treatments.

The site also continues to take shape with the grading for the new one-acre park, vegetated bioswales, and associated pedestrian bridges

The City of Costa Mesa is continuing to negotiate with the plaintiffs and working to resolve the OC Catholic Worker case.

The lawsuit was filed against the City of Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana and the County of Orange regarding the Santa Ana River trail and the individuals who were illegally camping there and were scheduled to be moved.

As part of that lawsuit, Federal District Court Judge David Carter ordered the city of Costa Mesa to provide shelter beds equal to 60 percent of the city’s last homeless count numbers. In January of 2017, the count found 103 unsheltered homeless individuals in Costa Mesa.

The City of Costa Mesa has been aggressively searching to identify appropriate locations throughout the city for potential purchase and development of a new community shelter. The city’s commitment with any location will be to design the highest quality facility that is securely operated, free of loitering or neighborhood disruptions and any impacts to the greater Costa Mesa community will be minimized.

By opening the required 50-bed community shelter, the city will avoid further litigation, and the court will allow the city to put a heightened focus on the city’s anti-camping laws and apply a much stricter enforcement.

Police Chief Rob Sharpnack reports police officers conducted an investigation into reports of a coyote den in the College Park area and found that no such den exists.

“Based on our observations, we believe an adult and two teenage coyotes have habituated the area,” Chief Sharpnack said. “In response, we have conferred with Fish and Wildlife and placed traps in the neighborhood. The “Havahart” traps have been out for a few weeks and are checked multiple times per day by Animal Control. Thus far, we have yet to trap a coyote.”

Chief Sharpnack notes that these actions are consistent with the city’s Coyote Management Plan.

Click here for our Coyote Information page for the Coyote Management Plan, video tips and more.

It should be noted that although the department employs humane traps, it is against the law to relocate captured coyotes. Additionally, the Police Department has and will continue to remove coyotes who have become aggressive and a threat to the community.

The police department has also placed traps in the Monticello area, near City Hall, and around Vanguard. No dens have been identified or located in any of these areas as well. In working the previously described areas, Animal Control staff have observed the presence of a variety of coyote attractants. For example, one resident had an elevated plate full of peanuts and sunflower seeds. It appeared the resident was leaving the food out for squirrels, which in turn will bring in coyotes.

The department has also seen evidence of coyotes feeding on fruit trees, easily accessible trash and food waste and pet food. In addition, the department continues to request residents with overgrown shrubs and plants cut them back so coyotes will not bed down in those concealed locations.

Chief Sharpnack urged residents to continue to report sightings on the Coyote Cacher, click here for that tool.

The Coyote Cacher enables authorities to track activity and to help determine when or if coyotes are habituated in an area. The benefit for residents is that authorities may be able to identify trends and respond to their area in a more timely manner.

Depending on the circumstances, the Coyote Cacher information may also help in deciding whether to deploy traps and/or seek out the coyotes with tranquilizer guns. In those cases, the coyotes that are captured are euthanized.

Click here for a Coyote Warning flier.

The Fair Housing Foundation will be holding a Landlord Workshop at the Balearic Community Center; at 1975 Balearic Drive, Costa Mesa from 10:00am – 12:00pm on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018.

This workshop is free and open to the public. Attendees will learn how to seek prospective tenants, the rental process, and credit checks. They will also be educated about Fair Housing Laws and their rights and responsibilities as a landlord or property management professional.

The Fair Housing Foundation services residents of the city of Costa Mesa. The Foundation is contracted by the city of Costa Mesa and receive funds through the Community Development Block Grants.

The Foundation educates the public about Fair Housing rights and responsibilities through workshops, trainings, and community events. FHF provides mediation and counseling services through our housing assistance hotline 1-800-446-FAIR and walk-in clinics. It also investigate issues of discrimination related to housing.

For more information or to RSVP for the Landlord Workshop, call 1-800-446-FAIR

About the Fair Housing Foundation:
Founded in 1964, the Fair Housing Foundation (FHF) is a private, non-profit, non-partisan educational agency dedicated to promoting the enforcement of fair housing laws and encouraging an atmosphere of open housing through education, enforcement activities, counseling services, and outreach programs. The Fair Housing Foundation is an approved HUD Housing Counseling Affiliate. We are contracted with cities throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties to provide Fair Housing services. Fair Housing Foundation serves over 10,000 clients annually through our programs.

The Cultural Arts Committee along with the Parks and Community Services Department are proud to host the fourth annual ARTventure event.

This free two-day cultural arts event is scheduled for Friday Oct. 5 and Saturday Oct. 6 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in the beautiful, multi-tiered glass lobby of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

On Friday, Oct. 5 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Concert Hall will be transformed with more than 325 pieces of art. Live musical entertainment will be provided by the Dylan Romaine Quartet band, and refreshments will be served as the city celebrates the incredible talents of local artists with an opening reception and awards presentation.

This one-of-a-kind juried exhibition of art, will showcase the work of local artists in a variety of media, including but not limited to: oil, watercolor and acrylic paintings, metal sculpture, wood and leather crafting, fashion, photography, fiber art and mixed media.

On Saturday, Oct. 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Concert Hall and the Argyros Plaza will offer an incredible family-friendly day full of live art entertainment, including musical, theatrical, literary, culinary, and hands-on demonstration. Art activity booths are sponsored by Art Steps, OC Fair, Newport Mesa Unified School District, Chuck Jones Center, Inspired Art and Wine and Vanguard University.

This free community event is organized in partnership with the City of Costa Mesa and The Segerstrom Center for the Arts, highlighting Costa Mesa’s “City of the Arts” motto.

For event details, parking information or to RSVP, visit  www.ARTventureCM.com.