City staff and residents of Fillmore-Coolidge neighborhood take part in clean-up event

One of the City Council’s top priorities is to develop strategies to foster safer neighborhoods in our community.

It is well-understood that neighborhood blight creates a perception for residents that they have no control over their neighborhood and that it has become unsafe.

In line with the City Council’s goals, Development Services’ Community Improvement Division (CID) has developed a strategy in which its staff partners with local resident groups to help reverse this perception through education and a hands on approach.

On Saturday, Nov. 11, Community Improvement staff joined approximately 75-100 residents of the Fillmore-Coolidge neighborhood and hosted a community clean-up event. The Community Improvement staff worked side-by-side with residents cleaning up discarded materials in the public rights-of-way and identified blighted conditions.

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In addition, Community Improvement staff setup an information booth manned by the area code officer, Heidi Jacinto, who emphasized the importance of her role as the code enforcement officer in the community and the usefulness of the Costa Mesa Connect App.

Specifically, Jacinto’s goal was to empower residents to take control of their neighborhood by reporting those activities which create blight such as illegal dumping and or deteriorated conditions.

The event was a huge success. Residents expressed gratitude and a feeling that they were not alone in their concerns for a better, safer neighborhood. Several indicated they felt more connected as a community through the event and that they were happy to put a friendly face on City government.

Huge thanks go out to the City’s Parks and Community Services Department, whose mobile recreation van was onsite providing activities for the kids while parents helped during the clean-up, as well as to Ware Disposal, who provided two 40-cubic-yard containers that were full by the end of the event.

Finally, a huge thank you to our local Chick-fil-A restaurant for hosting lunch. Thank you all for partnering together to make Costa Mesa a safer place.