The City continues to provide important economic information to the community and to potential investors in Costa Mesa.

The Community Economic Profile provides up to date information in a variety of categories, emphasizing the City’s strategic location, strong socio-economic indicators, temperate climate, and it also provides valuable contact information for important services.

A second handout, the Costa Mesa Advantage brochure, conveys the City’s vision for Costa Mesa. These handouts help to persuade businesses to establish here, attract investment to Costa Mesa and equip residents with reliable information about their community.

Celebrating May’s National Bike Month, Costa Mesa City Council Member Allan Mansoor continues to show his passion and support for Orange County Foster Care Kids as the Ambassador of the Tour de OC Bike‐a‐Thon, which takes place this Saturday May 20.

Mansoor will join a group of dedicated volunteers who are raising awareness and raising funds to send abused and neglected foster children to a weeklong camp in the San Bernardino Mountains and provide them with a year-long mentorship program.

Join us and Council Member Allan Mansoor at the opening ceremony. The start and finish of the Tour de OC will be at Vanguard University across from the Orange County Fairgrounds on Fair Drive in Costa Mesa. Check in begins at 6:00 am.

Register now to enjoy a fun bike ride through Orange County or sponsor a rider today! http://TourdeOC.org.  Being a 100% volunteer organization, 100% of the proceeds donated will be applied to the charity.

Tour de OC’s difficult 100 mile century ride with relentless hills including Santiago Canyon, Newport Coast, Crown Valley Parkway and lots of rolling hills through south Orange County has over 4,1000 feet of vertical gain and has a five star rating according to the Bicycle Rider Directors Association of America (BRDAA).

There will also be a day long cycling expo on the Vanguard campus near the Tour de OC Start/Finish line. Hosting three rides in one day, Tour de OC offers a Family Fun 25 mile route, a 55 mile intermediate ride and a 100 mile route for the more serious cyclist described above.

All routes take riders on a scenic tour through Orange County.  Our riders are well taken care of all day from morning registration and breakfast. Full SAG support provided by The Motorcycle Amateur Radio Club (MARC), refreshments, strategically placed rest stops, goody bags, raffle and medals provided to all riders.

Make a difference to help our local foster care kids receive hope, love and year-long mentorship to help them deal with the insurmountable odds they face on a daily basis.

Sponsors include  South Coast Toyota, Rack N Road, Two Wheels, One Planet, Performance Bike, The Unlikely Cyclist, Newport Rib Company, Flightdeck, Skosh Monahan’s, The Crown Plaza, South Coast Metro Alliance, The Triangle, Simple Green, MedPost, Charlie’s Chili, Farthing Development, Pasta Connection, Surfside Sports, In & Out Burgers, The Yardhouse, Saddle Ranch, RockStar Tan and El Ranchito.

At its March 21, 2017 meeting, the City Council awarded a contract for removal and replacement of Angel’s Playground surface at Tewinkle Park.

This project is now nearing completion. Final color overlay of the playground surface was completed on Thursday May 11 and will need to cure for a period of five days. The area was cleaned on Tuesday May 16 and the fence will be removed today, Wednesday May 17.

Public Services staff will be installing a new bench, swings and other hardware after the fence is removed. The playground will be open for children by the afternoon of Wednesday May 17.

The Public Services Department is implementing traffic-calming improvements along East 19th Street between Church Street and Irvine Avenue.  The improvements include concrete curb bulb-outs, street paving and landscape/Irrigation work.

The concrete curbs on the north side of East 19th Street were completed, and the installation of irrigation sleeves at most of the intersections have been nearly completed.  The concrete sidewalks will be constructed along the north side starting Monday, May 15.  The next phase of work will include the construction of the curb bulb-outs on the south side of East 19th Street and paving. This work will start on Wednesday May 17.

In order to do this next phase of work expeditiously and safely, all eastbound traffic will be diverted via detours at Fullerton Avenue. The westbound traffic will be allowed on East 19th Street throughout this period. Traffic flow in both directions will resume after this two-week period.  Notice of this closure will be provided to all residents along East 19th Street.

Costa Mesa Television Channel 3 (CMTV 3) was recently honored by the Southern California and Nevada chapter of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (SCAN NATOA) at the 21st Annual STAR Awards with one first place and three second place awards.

The STAR Awards recognize outstanding programs produced by public, educational, and/or government access facilities serving California and Nevada communities.

Costa Mesa Television earned top honors in the “Public Safety” category for its production about the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department wild fire training. Second place awards were garnered in the categories of Overall Excellence in Government Programming Under $400,000 Operating Budget, City Services Information Video and News Story.

Costa Mesa Television has now been recognized by SCAN NATOA for excellence in local programming with 16 first place STAR Awards since 1997, including 13 in the past 11 years.

Additionally, CMTV has earned numerous second and third place honors in a variety of categories over the years.

Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART) has teamed up with the City of Costa Mesa and Travel Costa Mesa to expand its public transportation service with a dedicated Costa Mesa-only line beginning June 15, 2017.

The ART Costa Mesa-only line is free to the public and will operate daily on a fixed route schedule. It will offer area businesses, employees, residents and visitors an easy and economical transportation option designed to enhance the dining, shopping and the arts experience in Costa Mesa.

“Costa Mesa is the focal point of the county when it comes to culinary, artistic and shopping experiences,” Mayor Katrina Foley said. “We are grateful for this new partnership with ART that offers those who live, work and shop here a free and convenient way to get to the hubs of creative culture and cuisine.”

ART will transport riders on 30-passenger (CNG) Compressed Natural Gas ART vehicles along South Bristol Street between the South Coast Metro area, South Coast Plaza, The LAB, The Camp, and Costa Mesa’s cultural arts centers.

“ART is designed to provide both locals and visitors with a convenient public transportation option, and the Costa Mesa-only line gives us a new opportunity to showcase this engaging destination,” said Diana Kotler, Anaheim Resort Transportation Executive Director. “Freeing people up with convenient transportation possibilities will give them more time to enjoy this area, from happy hours to shopping sprees. Connecting the dots to Orange County’s, dining, shopping and entertainment is what ART is all about.”

Additionally, the current ART Costa Mesa/South Coast Plaza (line #22) will continue to service guests traveling from Costa Mesa hotels to the Disneyland Resort and from Anaheim area hotels to South Coast Plaza. The rider cost is $5.50 for adults and $2.00 for children per day.

Connect with ART on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn or at rideart.org.

On Tuesday May 9, City Manager Tom Hatch presented the City Council with the Fiscal Year 2017-18 Preliminary Budget, which reflects the operating and capital spending plans for the General Fund, Special Revenue Funds, Capital Project Funds, and Internal Service Funds.

The total preliminary budget for all funds is $155.0 million, an increase of $10.4 million, or 7.2% compared to the adopted budget for FY 16-17.

“The objectives used in developing this budget are to submit a balanced budget to the City Council; to do the best job possible of maintaining current excellent levels of service to the community; to implement City Council’s priorities as feasible; and to be prudent in our revenue estimates and cautiously optimistic overall,” City Manager Hatch said in a statement on the budget. “The City’s management team and staff have put together an operating and capital expenditure plan that addresses the City Council’s priorities while fulfilling the service requirements of the people who live, work, and play in our community.”

Click here to see the Preliminary Budget and click here for the Budget in Brief.

For those who couldn’t make the special session meeting, there will be an additional community budget meeting on May 18 at 5:30 p.m. to give members of the public time to ask staff questions about the budget. That meeting will be held in Conference Room 1A.

The council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday June 20 at the regularly scheduled City Council meeting to adopt the budget.

The City’s prior approval of a 224-unit apartment complex was dealt a legal setback Thursday after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled the development didn’t conform with the State density bonus law.

In the case Kennedy Commission v. City of Costa Mesa, the Court reversed the City Council resolutions and ordinances that approved the apartment project, which would allow Miracle Mile Properties to redevelop the now-closed Costa Mesa Motor Inn on Harbor Boulevard.

The Court fully rejected the Kennedy Commission’s claim that the City engaged in housing discrimination.

However, the allegation by the Kennedy Commission that the City was responsible for relocation payments to previous occupants of the motel was transferred by the Court to another judge for resolution.

The City and its legal counsel are evaluating the options to resolve this matter.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is closing Red Hill Avenue from Main Street to Pullman Avenue to replace bridge joint seals, as part of an ongoing construction project beginning 9 p.m. Friday, May 12, 2017 through 10 a.m. Saturday, May 13, 2017.

This closure is part of a $9 million Embankment Stabilization project in the cities of Irvine and Costa Mesa.

Changeable Message Signs will be used to alert motorists. Travel delays may occur and motorist are advised to avoid the area, use alternate routes, and check traffic conditions before their commute.

Once complete in early 2018, the project will reinforce the underlying soil embankment, as well as construct new retaining walls to provide a safe enhancement to the local arterial surface street system.

For real time freeway traffic information, please visit the Caltrans Quickmap www.quickmap.dot.ca.gov or the Caltrans District 12 Website at www.dot.ca.gov/dist12/Red_Hill.

As many as 35,000 people, including participants, spectators and volunteers, will be out in force for the 13th annual U.S. Bank OC Marathon. The full and half marathons will take place in the morning on Sunday, May 7, necessitating temporary closures of several main Orange County thoroughfares.

Click here for more information.

In Newport Beach, southbound MacArthur Boulevard will be closed from San Joaquin Hills Road to East Coast Highway. Coast Highway will also be closed from MacArthur Boulevard to Orchid Avenue, as will Bayside Drive in both directions from Jamboree Boulevard to Marguerite Avenue. Other temporary closures will include portions of Harbor Boulevard and Fairview Road in Costa Mesa, among many other smaller roads throughout the course that traverses Newport Beach, Santa Ana and Costa Mesa.

Thousands of runners from more than 20 countries and all 50 states are expected to compete at the 3-day Running Festival that includes the full and half marathons, the Wahoo’s OC 5K, and one of the biggest kids’ races in the country, the Kids Run the OC presented by Nutrilite, which expects about 9500 local school-age children. The full and half marathons begin early Sunday morning at the starting line in Newport Beach’s Fashion Island, culminating in the Ultimate Finish Line Festival at the OC Fair and Events Center in Costa Mesa.

More than 12,000 spectators will come out to enjoy the race from various vantage points along the route, cheering on runners and offering moral support in the form of signs, balloons and water stations.

The Wahoo’s OC 5K will take place on Saturday, May 6 at 5:00 pm. Westbound traffic on Merrimac will be closed, as will Fairview Road at Merrimac between 4:30 pm and 6:00 pm.

For more information about road closure times, shuttles and spectating opportunities, please visit the U.S. Bank OC Marathon website at ocmarathon.com or email us at traffic@ocmarathon.com

The Orange County Transportation Authority wants to know what vision do the residents of Costa Mesa have for transit in and throughout Orange County.

Do residents want trains, buses, shuttles or something different?

The Orange County Transportation Authority is asking for the public’s help in shaping the future of transit.

Participants can design their own transit system with the fun and interactive Build Your Own System survey that allows them to select from various transit features that could enhance transit in Orange County.

These features include stops, stations, vehicle types, and service.

By developing a personalized transit system, residents can see the benefits – such as enhanced ridership, travel time, accessibility, or passenger experience – change in real-time.

Check it out at https://octransitvision.com/.

For more information, visit www.octa.net/octransitvision.

City Manager Tom Hatch presented firefighter paramedic Giovanni La Placa with the April City Manager’s Leadership Award at the monthly Meet and Greet event.

“Like his colleagues on our Fire & Rescue team, I very much appreciate Giovanni’s passion for having a well-trained EMS team,” Hatch said. “On top of that, his dedication to service, volunteerism and family outside of his job is very admirable. I’m happy to present him with this Leadership Award.”

La Placa began his career with the City of Costa Mesa in 2006 as a firefighter paramedic and he currently holds the position of chair of the EMS Committee. He attends the Orange County Fire Chiefs EMS meetings and Community Paramedic Advisory Committee meetings representing the organization. Since his arrival here, he has been committed to the organization and was a part of the strategic planning committee and was a paramedic evaluator during the last recruitment process.

La Placa has a passion for teaching and has obtained his American Heart Association BLS/ACLS and PALS instructor certification, teaching CPR, first aid, ACLS and PALS to current employees and Costa Mesa Fire Explorers. He’s very adept at patient care and was recognized for a great save in 2014 by the Orange County base hospital coordinators.

La Placa’s emergency medicine path started at the age of 14 when he began volunteering as an explorer for the City of Monrovia Fire Department and he later graduated from the Rio Hondo Fire Academy in 2002.  He continued his education and became a paramedic, graduating from UCLA-Daniel Freemen in 2004 and went on to work as a paramedic in San Diego County and a reserve firefighter for the City of Poway.

La Placa holds two degrees from Mt. San Antonio College in Fire Technology and Emergency Medical Services. He holds multiple professional certifications and continues to strive to grow professional daily. When his not at work, he volunteers at church and at the Orange County Children’s Theater making sure he is a part of his family and daughters lives.  He is also a successful business owner and recently finished his first sprint triathlon last year.

In addition to honoring La Placa, City Manager Hatch also recognized several new and newly promoted employees.

The new employees included from the City Manager’s Department Stacy Bennett an Office Specialist who works in the City Clerk’s Office, Heidi Jacinto, a Code Enforcement Officer in the Economic and Development Services Department, Miranda Gonzalez, a Recreation Leader III in the Parks & Community Services Department and Aura Wardle, a new Communications Officer in the Police Department.

Recognized for their promotions were Andrea Granadoes, an Office Specialist in the Fire Department and David Nguyen, an Office Specialist II in the City Clerk’s office.