The Costa Mesa Military Affairs team, in support of the Costa Mesa City Council, relaunched its Military Banner Program on Monday July 11 in front of Costa Mesa City Hall.

To kick off to the program, 12 banners were installed along Fair Drive with language that reads “Costa Mesa supports the 1/5 Marines.”  The banners are in reference to the 1^St Battalion 5^th Marine Regiment unit that the City adopted in 2008 and currently supports.

The installation of the banners is designed to encourage support by the community and help to promote the City’s existing Military Banner program, which allows for Costa Mesa citizens to pay for and display a banner along Fair Drive that honors current family members who are active in the military.

The outpouring of support provided by our community through various events and activities brings funds for the troops and their families, evokes good will, inspires civic pride and patriotism, and is encouraging to the men and women of the battalion.

To make a donation or to enquire about supporting one or both programs, please send a check or contribution to the City of Costa Mesa. P.O. Box 1200, Costa Mesa, CA 92628-1200 and designate the gift for either the “1/5 Marine banner fund,” or the “Military Banner Fund.” To discuss contributions or take the steps to apply to have a banner installed to honor an active Military Family member please contact Dan Baker at (714) 754-5156 .

On Tuesday July 5, Mayor Steve Mensinger presented Michael Howard, the founder and executive director of Operation Clean Slate, with the Mayor’s Award to recognize the work his nonprofit has done to deter youths from vandalizing property with graffiti by having them paint murals instead.

“For your years of service to this community, your extraordinary leadership, and your passion for working with youth and providing them with a positive outlet for their creativity, it is my honor and privilege to present you with the Mayor’s Award,” Mensinger said.

Based in Costa Mesa, Operation Clean Slate has partnered with over 25,000 volunteers and produced over 1,000 murals at more than 800 schools throughout Southern California and in six other countries.

Howard started the nonprofit back in 1993 as a solution to graffiti and vandalism while teaching at juvenile hall.

In Costa Mesa, Operation Clean Slate has painted more than 45 murals on 16 different school campuses, including Rea Elementary which now has five, They have also painted murals around town at Bark Park, Mesa Water District, Doria’s Haus of Pizza and New Directions for Women.

“It’s an honor and I’m really excited that the arts are being acknowledged,” Howard said upon receiving the award. “It’s great to have the community recognize what we are doing and we are going to keep doing it.”

The City Council will conduct the final public hearing on the formation of council districts during a special meeting on Tuesday July 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chamber, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.

More information on the voting district proposal can be seen by clicking here to view the city’s official web page.

For questions concerning this public hearing, please contact Brenda Green, City Clerk, City of Costa Mesa, at (714) 754-5225.

Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Costa Mesa will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, July 5, 2016, at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter can be heard, in the City Council Chamber, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, California, to consider the formation of council districts and to consider establishing the exact boundaries of the council districts to be reflected in a district map or maps.

If any part of the proposed project is challenged in court, participants may be limited to raising only those issues that were raised during the public hearing, or in written communication delivered to the council at or prior to the public hearing.

Any person with an interest in this matter is invited to attend said hearing and testify.

An informational Open House will be held prior to the public hearing on the same day, Tuesday, July 5, 2016, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall 1^st Floor Conference Room, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, California, for review of proposed district maps.

For questions concerning this open house or public hearing, please contact Brenda Green, City Clerk, City of Costa Mesa, at (714) 754-5225.

In the city’s recent settlement agreement with Solid Landings, the rehab home operator was to close 15 of 33 facilities within 30 days of the settlement agreement date.

City Code Enforcement staff has verified that Solid Landings has closed (left the location/lease) and or sold these locations.

During the monitoring of these locations, code enforcement staff identified four new operations in Solid Landings previously leased locations.

These operators were noticed and cited for running facilities without City approvals.

They were required to terminate their operation within 30 days.

Three of the four facilities agreed to cease their operations and paid the fines.

Only one of the four contested their fines and in a recent citation appeal hearing, the City’s fine was upheld by a third party hearing officer.

The operator was found liable for the violation.

Code Enforcement staff will be following up with all these locations, which includes additional fines and possible civil action if these locations are not in compliance

City CEO Tom Hatch presented Costa Mesa Police Officer Lance Healey with the June CEO Leadership Award at the monthly meet and greet on Thursday June 23.

Healey joined the Costa Mesa Police Department in 2005 after a lengthy and distinguished 20-year career in the Marine Corps, where he held the titles of Team Leader, Platoon Sergeant, Platoon Commander and Chief Instructor at Camp Pendleton’s Scout Sniper Basic Course.

Officer Healey currently serves as the Sniper Team Leader for the department’s SWAT team and is responsible for the section’s monthly training. His involvement in the Training Bureau includes serving as a Firearms Instructor, development and execution of the new 16 hour POST-mandated firearms course, and development and administration of the Pre-Academy, as the Lead Instructor, preparing recruits from multiple agencies for the Sheriff’s Academy.  Lance is instrumental in ensuring the success of our Academy recruits.

He also hopes to reestablish Costa Mesa’s K9 program and develop a new standard of excellence to ensure the program’s long-term success.

In addition, Hatch honored seven newly hired employees, namely McKenna Ewing from the CEO’s Office, Victoria Chavez, Ana Cordova, Rohan Ronvelia and Quinn Harter from Parks and Community Services and Kevin Suy and June Jeong from the Police Department. Jeong, the newest police recruit, graduated top of the class from the Orange County Sheriff’s Academy.

Also honored was Bart Mejia from Public Services who was recently promoted to City Engineer.

Since 2006, the home at 276 E. 19th Street had been cited for trash and debris promoting calls to Code Enforcement and several court hearings taking place to address the problem.

Some of the issues were resolved at the time, but in 2013, Code Enforcement Officer Mike Brumbaugh was assigned the case following reports of people living in the home while the ceiling was falling in. After speaking to neighbors and inspecting the property he could see it was in substandard condition.

The city tried to contact the owner to do a walk-through. All of the city’s requests were ignored and walk-through was never scheduled. The city attorney’s office then went to court for an inspections warrant, which was granted. Police and fire personnel accompanied code enforcement on the inspections, where the home was discovered to be unlivable due to health and safety issues.

Ultimately, the home was red-tagged and boarded up. After it was put into receivership, trash and debris was removed. The case was extended by the courts for several years until recently when the home was leveled and is now just a dirt lot. The lot will be sold and money will be divvied up between the receiver and owner.

Costa Mesa native America Arias recently was the recipient of her second Emmy Award winning the Best Newscast-Evening Larger Markets at the 45th Annual Northern California Area Emmy Awards ceremony.

Arias, a news producer for KCRA 3 News in Sacramento, was honored along with anchors Gulstan Dart, Edie Lambert and Anchors reporters Melinda Meza, Kevin Oliver for their coverage of two major wildfires that triggered massive evacuations and left many Northern California communities in ruins.

The news crews covered three counties, looking into evacuations, the emergency response, and the fire’s rapid growth.

This is Arias’s second Emmy Award. She also won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Daytime Newscast while working for KFSN-TV ABC 30 in Fresno.

“I feel incredibly blessed and proud to work with a talented and passionate team at KCRA-TV,” said Arias, who grew up on Costa Mesa’s Westside and attended Newport Harbor High School. “Thanks to everyone in front of the camera and behind the scenes who made this possible. It’s an honor to produce a show alongside so many talented people who worked tirelessly to create a smart, polished and award-winning newscast.” 

Click the links here to see the winning newscast and her acceptance speech.

Interim Recreation Manager Justin Martin has been named as the city’s new Recreation Manger.

Assistant Chief Executive Officer Tamara Letourneau announced that the vacant Recreation Manager position would be filled by Martin. Serving as Interim Recreation Manager for the past several months and with extensive knowledge in youth programming, teen programming, camps, contract classes, recreation needs and parks, Martin is the perfect candidate.

Martin has been the city’s Recreation Supervisor since December 2014 and filled the roll of Interim Recreation Manger over the last few months with a seamless transition.

“Justin brings many years of experience in recreation to this position,” Letourneau said. “He has shown the ability to create a vision and lead a team to accomplish that vision with the utmost professionalism, integrity and creativity.”

With his extensive knowledge of the community and programming, Martin will continue to shape the city and it’s recreation needs through his new role.

With the  departure of Public Services Director Ernesto Munoz, CEO Tom Hatch has brought aboard public services veteran James G. Ross as the interim director.

Ross, who started working with the city on Monday June 13, has supported municipalities and public agencies at an executive management level for the past 34 years, specializing in public works and water departments.

He has managed staffs of more than 400 people and oversaw capital improvement program budgets of $200 million. He has served on the board of directors and has been president of the Public Works Institute for the League of California Cities.

Ross has previously been the Executive Director of Public Works for the City of Santa Ana, the Principal Projects Manager of the city of Irvine, Associate Engineer for the City of Costa Mesa and engineer jobs for the Port and City of Los Angeles.

Mayor Steve Mensinger, on behalf of the City Council, has sent a sharply worded letter to two high ranking legislative leaders announcing the city’s opposition to a proposal by Gov. Jerry Brown that would eliminate city regulations and review of specific affordable housing developments.

The city is asking Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian, chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee and state Sen. Richard Roth, chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee, to put the brakes on any legislative action that would pass the governor’s proposal, saying it undermines local government and public engagement and will increase the public’s distrust of government.

“The City of Costa Mesa is supportive of efforts to increase affordable housing opportunities for California’s residents, especially in Orange County,” Mayor Mensinger wrote. “However, your proposed language to streamline affordable housing weakens the ability for local governments to review or approve projects in their communities.”

To see the full text of the letter click here.

The Public Services Engineering Division received news that longtime fellow employee, Bart Mejia, has been promoted to City Engineer.

Chief Executive Officer Tom Hatch, alongside Public Service Director Ernesto Munoz, announced earlier today that the vacant City Engineer position would be filled by Mejia. With more than 28 years of professional experience in engineering and project management, including the past 25 years of dedicated service to the City of Costa Mesa, Mejia will make a smooth transition into his new role.

“His soft but firm personality, professionalism and dedication make Bart an ideal choice to lead the Engineering Division of our Department,” Munoz said. “He has been intimately involved with the development of the Fairview Park Master Plan and managed the construction of many of the Plan’s elements.”

Mejia is a registered engineer in the State of California and a graduate from California State University Long Beach, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Mejia has also completed post baccalaureate courses from the Water Resources Specialization in the Master of Science in Civil Engineering Program.

With his already active role in many of the city’s public works projects, Mejia will continue to shape the city through his vision.