Several 40-yard dumpsters sit along the north and east walls of the City of Costa Mesa Corporation Yard.

Some bins hold green waste such as branches, flowers, grass and leaves; others contain appliances, also known as “white goods.”

But one particular bin is filled to the brim with unwanted furniture, toys, and other household items that have been illegally dumped in alleys, parks, and other areas in the public right-of-way and collected by the city’s maintenance services staff.

The haul is in response to residents who are leaving behind items that ultimately are taxing city resources and staff who have to retrieve the items and keep them from accumulating on public property.

“We have one full-time senior maintenance worker and one part-time maintenance assistance assigned to pick up illegally dumped items five days a week and on-call for special needs or emergency situations,” says Maintenance Services Manager Bruce Hartley.  “It takes strict commitment to keep the city streets clean.”

Dumping like this happens daily and citywide but is most prevalent around the 1^st and 15^th of the month when residents are moving and rental leases are expiring.

Staff members drive around town in a two-ton dump truck to collect items and fill a 40-yard dumpster measuring 8-feet wide by 6-feet tall by 20-feet deep every one to two days.

The City of Costa Mesa contracts with Ware Disposal Co., Inc. for hauling and disposal of all waste collected by the staff. Furniture and daily park trash are hauled once a week while green waste is hauled monthly. Appliances are retrieved every other month.

Shopping carts retrieved by staff are returned to the owners, and carts containing personal property are inventoried by Costa Mesa police personnel.

Alleys most affected by illegal dumping are located in the southwest area and predominantly in high-density residential neighborhoods.

Staff has seen a recent increase in property being left in the public right-of-way. However, there are multiple options available to residents for disposing or donating unwanted goods.

The Costa Mesa Sanitary District is responsible for waste collection and transferring recyclable materials for single-family residences in the city.

Through CMSD’s contract with CR&R, single-family residences with up to four units are eligible for large item pick-ups three times a year at no cost.

There is a limit of 10 items per call or a combined total of 30 items per calendar year.

Residents may call CR&R Customer Service at (949) 646- 4617 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to schedule a large item pick-up.

Residents living in multiple-family units that use dumpsters are not eligible for the program through CR&R and must contact their contracted waste haulers for pick-up of unwanted items. Contact information can be found on dumpsters on by contacting property management.

In addition to disposal, residents are encouraged to donate clean, usable items to local charities.  The following is a list of local organizations that may be interested in your items:

• Fresh Beginnings Ministries (to benefit Costa Mesa homeless residents who have been placed in housing and are in need of furniture and household goods), Pastor Bill Nelson, Fresh Beginning Ministries, bill@freshbeginningsministries.com
• Project Hope Alliance (to benefit Costa Mesa homeless families placed in housing), 1945 Placentia Ave., Suite 202, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, (949) 722-7863
• Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Dropbox, 2126 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA, 92627, (949) 642-3636
• Assistance League of Newport-Mesa, 2220 Fairview Rd, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, (949) 645-6929

Council Member Sandra Genis and members of the city staff attended the opening of the 35th Annual USVA Tet Festival this past weekend at the OC Fair and Event Center.

Costa Mesa was once again home the world’s largest Tet Festival, attracting over 60,000 guests to the three-day event.

Featuring culturally enriching attractions, live entertainment, festive games and rides, a variety of ethnic foods, and a spectacular firecrackers show, the festival celebrated the Lunar New Year and the “Year of the Monkey.”

UVSA is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization founded in 1982 to bring together Vietnamese American youth including students from different colleges and high schools throughout Southern California.

The festival serves as a vehicle to help develop student volunteers in the community to become well-rounded leaders with a strong sense of cultural awareness and civic responsibility to improve their communities.

Over the past 15 years, UVSA’s members have awarded over $1.25 million of festival proceeds as community grants to non-profit organizations across Southern California.

In 2014, the city captured a Measure M2 grant to improve three bus stops located at Harbor Boulevard/Victoria Street, Harbor Boulevard/Wilson Street, and Wilson Street/Harbor Boulevard.

Unique Performance Construction, Inc. has been awarded a contract in the amount of $79,820 to complete the work.

The work to be performed consists of the installation of new bus shelters, bus benches and associated amenities.

Also included is the removal of the existing sidewalk and installation of a new decorative sidewalk.

Coordination with Edison and AT&T has taken place regarding adjustments to their facilities and work is now scheduled to begin.

Construction is anticipated to take approximately one month.

The Costa Mesa City Council wants you to get involved and is seeking residents to serve on the following city committees:

Bikeway and Walkability Committee: This 15-member committee assists with the review, update and implementation of the city’s Master Plan of Bikeways. The committee, which meets monthly, also assists in the evaluation of bikeways and pedestrian pathways in order to make recommendations for their improvement to the City Council. It has three (3) regular member vacancies, for one-year terms. For further information, please contact Raja Sethuraman at (714) 754-5032.

Cultural Arts Committee: This 11-member committee, which meets monthly, works to promote the city’s slogan, “Costa Mesa City of the Arts.” The committee supports local cultural arts programs and brings art awareness to the residents of Costa Mesa by establishing programs, events and initiatives to better help residents access the arts. It has three (3) regular member vacancies and one (1) alternate member vacancy, all for two-year terms. For further information, please contact Justin Martin at (714) 754-5065.

Historical Preservation Committee: This 11-member committee, which meets monthly, serves to maintain, preserve, educate and promote the city’s historical resources. It has five (5) regular member vacancies and two (2) alternate member vacancies, all for two-year terms. For further information, please contact Justin Martin at (714) 754-5065.

Finance Advisory Committee: This 11-member committee, which meets monthly, provides advice to the City Council regarding events and issues that may affect the financial status of the City. It has nine (9) regular member vacancies for two-year terms. For further information, please contact Kathy Ulrich at (714) 754-5243.

Housing and Public Service Grant Committee: This 11-member resident advisory committee, which meets on an as-needed basis, 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). Additionally, the committee rates and ranks applications for CDBG public service grants, ultimately developing funding recommendations for City Council consideration. It has four (4) regular member vacancies, two (2) for two-year terms and two (2) for one-year terms. For further information, please contact Mike Linares at (714) 754-5678.

Pension Oversight Committee: This nine-member committee, which meets monthly, focuses on long-term pension and financial matters as it pertains to the city’s CalPERS retirement, unfunded pension obligations and unfunded medical liabilities. It has one (1) regular member vacancy, for a one-year term. For further information, please contact Ray Hull at (714) 754-5227.

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; faxed to (714) 754-4942; or hand-delivered to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.

The deadline is 5 p.m., Friday, Feb. 19, 2016. Appointments are tentatively scheduled for the March 15, 2016 City Council meeting.

For further information regarding committee appointments, please contact the City Clerk’s office at (714) 754-5225 or cityclerk@costamesaca.gov.

Costa Mesa’s Parks and Community Services Department has been chosen for the 2015 California Park & Recreation Society Award of Excellence for Environmental Stewardship for its Ranch Afterschool Program.

The Ranch Afterschool Program’s collaboration with the OC Fair & Event Center, the City of Costa Mesa, and the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, aids in providing a unique after school experience in which students focus on agricultural concepts like gardening, livestock, and leather working.

“The Parks and Community Services Department is honored to receive the California Parks and Recreation Society’s (CPRS) Award of Excellence in Environmental Stewardship, for the Ranch After-School Program,” said Ashley Ocasio, the city’s assistant recreation supervisor. “Children enrolled in this unique program learn first-hand what it means to be a farmer through lessons learned by cultivating farm land, gardening, raising and caring for livestock and creating leather crafts.”

The students have a hands-on experience caring for animals on the Farm which includes: chickens, sheep, pigs, goats, llamas, cattle, and horses. They learn responsible animal care by cleaning stalls, grooming, and exercising the animals.

Additionally, the Farm dedicates land for each student to create and maintain an individual garden. Students’ gardening responsibilities include planting, watering, fertilizing, weeding, inspecting for pests and harvesting their plot.

Agricultural education helps children learn about healthy food choices and teaches them different ways to access fresh fruits and vegetables.  Most importantly, students begin to understand the deep impact agriculture has in their lives past, future and present.

“This free program is a true collaboration and would not be possible without the support of the Orange County Fairgrounds,” Ocasio said.  “This strategic partnership provides many Costa Mesa youth the opportunity to experience an unique after-school program, in which the focus in on agriculture and farming”

The California Park & Recreation Society awards program recognizes outstanding achievement in the areas of facility design, park planning, marketing and communication, and community improvement and programming through demonstrating the principals of resourcefulness, execution, accomplishment and alignment with the parks and recreation mission.

The presentation of awards will take place at the annual Awards Recognition Banquet scheduled for Friday, March 11, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Mayor Steve Mensinger and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer and members of the city staff attended South Coast Plaza’s opening celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year on Wednesday Feb. 3 at South Coast Plaza.

Deemed the “Year of the Monkey,” this is the seventh year that South Coast Plaza has chosen to celebrate the event that was headlined by the shopping center’s head of international marketing, Werner Escher.

Also attending from South Coast Plaza were Anton and Sally Segerstrom, David Grant and Debra Gunn-Downing as well as dignitaries from around the county, including county supervisor Lisa Bartlett and Michelle Steel.

The festivities included samplings of traditional Chinese cuisine and formal Chinese dragon dancers.

On Saturday Feb. 6, state officials will hold a public hearing on the future of the Fairview Developmental Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The hearing will take place at the center’s auditorium at 2501 Harbor Blvd.

Click here for the agenda.

City staff will be in attendance at this important meeting, and the City Council voted in October on its recommended uses for this land. The city’s planning staff has conveyed that to state officials verbally and in this letter.

The recommendations are to be incorporated into the city’s General Plan this year.

The city is recommending a mix of residential, open space and institutional uses, complementary to the Costa Mesa Country Club Golf Course and surrounding residential neighborhoods.

The city is also recommending that the maximum residential density for Fairview would be 15 to 25 dwelling units per acre, with a maximum number of 500 residential units for the entire site.

Additional housing units may be built, as long as they meet the density bonus provisions pursuant to state law.

At least 25 percent of the site will be dedicated to open space. The inclusion of institutional uses—such as public and private recreational facilities, sports parks, community centers, public facilities, and other similar uses—are also being recommended.

The Costa Mesa Police Department has two new sergeants today as veteran officers Bang Le and Jimmy Brown were sworn in Thursday outside Chief Rob Sharpnack’s office.

“We couldn’t be prouder of these two individuals,” Chief Sharpnack told the crowd, which included Mayor Steve Mensinger, several top ranking officers and police staff and family members who had gathered in support.

Le is a Garden Grove native who joined the department in 2000 and was the first in his family to pursue a career in law enforcement, Sharpnack said.

Brown was born and raised in Orange and also started his law enforcement career in the year 2000, first joining the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He became a Costa Mesa officer in 2005.

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Le thanked the chief and his fellow officers for entrusting him and Brown with these leadership roles.

“It’s something we take seriously and we promise we won’t let you down,” Le said. “It’s a privilege and honor to carry on the great traditions of this department.”

Brown also welcomed the challenge.

“I look forward to leading the next generation and moving forward with the department,” he said.

During the badge pinning, both men had their children do the honors, with Brown having his daughter pin his badge and Le had both his son and daughter take part in the ceremony.

Sharpnack pointed out how important the families are to these officers and others in the department and he thanked them for their support. And he reiterated that these promotions are symbolic of where the Costa Mesa Police Department is headed in the future.

“Our department is on the rise,” he said. “And we are going to seek excellence in all we do.”

Mayor Steve Mensinger presented former Costa Mesa Police Chief Roger Neth with the Mayor’s Award at the Tuesday Feb. 2, 2016 City Council meeting.

Mensinger noted that Neth was an instrumental figure in the formative years of the Police Department, bringing innovative technology and other best practices to the Costa Mesa Police Department.

Not only was he one of the first three officers hired by the City, but he is credited as being the very first officer on patrol.

And with 22 years at the helm of the Department, Neth is Costa Mesa’s longest tenured Police Chief.

Below is a video clip highlighting Neth’s career.

“I’d like to thank Mayor Mensinger for this honor tonight,” Neth said. “I’m very proud to receive it.”

Neth said the city’s first Police Chief Arthur McKenzie, who urged the officers to follow three principles: be innovative, be progressive and above all be professional.

“We were a new police department so we didn’t have to change old methods,” he said Tuesday night.  “We built on those three principles.”

The city of Costa Mesa and the Costa Mesa Military Affairs Team are currently seeking donations of medium and large size plastic eggs, individually wrapped pieces of candy and small toys for the children of the City’s adopted 1st Battalion 5th Marine Regiment.

The collected candy and small toys will be used to stuff the plastic eggs for the children at the Marine unit’s annual Easter Egg Hunt held at Camp Pendleton.

Since the 1/5 Marines are deployed and will not be able to celebrate Easter with their families, the Easter Egg Hunt will help provide a festive event for the children.

Donations of age-appropriate small toys will be greatly appreciated. Suggestions for toy donations include yoyos, toy soldiers, ball and jacks, stickers, erasers and bling rings which will fit inside of plastic eggs.

The age groups this year are:
2 years and under
3 to 5 years
6 years and over

Donations can be dropped off at City Hall in the foot locker located in the lobby until Friday, March 18, 2016.

For further information, please contact Dan Baker in the CEO’s Office at (714) 754-5156.

George Cortez, a nine-year city employee and maintenance supervisor, is this month’s honoree for the CEO’s Leadership Award, presented at the monthly Meet and Greet.

Along with his able staff, Cortez is responsible for sports field preparation, maintenance and renovation; irrigation management; special event support; including the Fish Fry, Snoopy Holiday Display, sports tournaments, and Concerts in the Park; maintenance and repair of all park buildings; planting, fixing or renovating all the landscape and site furnishings in the city’s 29 parks.

He also is charged with keeping up with the high use of specialized facilities such as the skate park and Bark Park. He interacts very effectively with the Parks and Community Services staff on a nearly daily basis.

Cortez, who began his career with the city in 2007, balances the constant requests for service from the public, the daily maintenance challenges and administering contractors working in his parks with all the other components of a busy park maintenance operation.

He always has time for his staff and tries to meet their individual needs, while responding to high priority requests from the Council, CEO’s Office and management. He has shown a dedication and commitment to providing the highest quality service possible to the residents and visitors to the City of Costa Mesa.

In addition to Cortez, 10 new employees were recognized at the Meet and Greet as well as three employees who were promoted.

Due to unsafe wind conditions and falling trees, the Bark Park is closed until further notice.

City staff is working as quickly as possible to clean up the fallen trees and branches.

Please call (714) 754-5300 for additional information.