The City detailed a multi-agency plan to control mosquito breeding in the vicinity of Fairview Park Wetlands.

Following is a status update on the plan:

• The City employed the services of McNabb Construction to clear the Fairview Wetland Ponds of bulrush and vegetation along its shores and cleared a 10-foot-wide area in the pond and along the shores to enhance the effectiveness of mosquito control efforts by the Orange County Vector Control District.
• Paths along the ponds have been cleared to allow the vector control to have continued access.
• Vector control will monitor and increase their efforts to control mosquito breeding.
• City crews flushed the storm drains and cleaned the catch basins twice in the lower bird tracts in the past two weeks.
• A contractor will perform a video inspection of the storm drain lines in the next two weeks to make sure that there are no breeding opportunities for mosquitos.
• City staff has been checking the Greenville-Banning supply line three times per week to make sure that the water flow has been maintained.

Members of the Costa Mesa city staff, including police and animal control officials, have stepped up efforts to improve conditions for pets in the city as well as pets who are lost and end up in the city’s animal shelter in Huntington Beach, run by the Orange County Humane Society.

Costa Mesa and Garden Grove contract with the humane society to support pets. To improve on conditions, the humane society is leasing a space on Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach where Costa Mesa and Garden Grove animals will be sheltered. The humane society is submitting plans to the city of Huntington Beach to make further modifications and improvements to the new leased space. In addition, Costa Mesa animal control officers under the guidance of Police Lt. Vic Bakkila are conducting daily inspections at the current facility. Also, the humane society is currently updating its website.

In addition to the shelter improvements, the city has formed a new staff Costa Mesa Pet Committee, which is focused on improving the lives of animals through the following:

• Increasing and enforcing pet licensing.
• Promoting adoption from our local shelters and rescue groups.
• Enhancing pet friendly facilities such as the Costa Mesa bark park.
• Encouraging the community to be responsible pet owners by providing them with information about the benefits of spaying, neutering and vaccinating their pets.

The pet committee is comprised of various staff from many departments. Staff includes, McKenna Ewing, Dan Baker, Kelly Shelton, Jennifer Christ and city CEO Tom Hatch, Animal Control Officer Anna Rodriguez, Mathew Schmelzle from the Finance Department, Cecily Renteria from Parks and Community Services, Julie Schall from Human Resources with Brad Long and Tony Dodero working on communication and public affairs.

Last week the City Clerk’s Office concluded work on an unprecedented eight measures for placement on the Nov. 8 ballot. In addition to the eight measures, the City Clerk’s Office also filed the appropriate paperwork for the seven City Council candidates who will be running for three seats in November.

The stacks of papers that include council resolutions and other legal documents were delivered to the Orange County Registrar of Voters by Friday Aug. 12, which was the deadline for cities, school districts, special districts, and other jurisdictions to decide if they wanted to place a measure or item on the ballot.

Preparing ballot measures is a detailed legal process that must follow both the election and government code. In this case, the process for the Costa Mesa City Clerk’s Office began in spring of 2014 when two medical marijuana petitions were filed and then two more citizen-led petitions filed in 2015 and 2016.

The ROV announced it had 33 measures, a record number for a general election. In comparison the state has only 17 propositions. It is believed that Costa Mesa’s eight measures may be a first and a record for the county.

Any member of the public who is interested in reading more details about the city measures or candidates is invited to visit the City Clerk’s Office on the first floor of City Hall or at the city website and City Election page here or by calling the office at 714-754-5225.

The City Clerk’s office also has voter registration forms available for those not yet registered to vote.

Below are the alphabetical designation and titles of the eight city measures:

• V Allow Operation of up to Eight Medical Marijuana (Cannabis) Businesses in the City of Costa Mesa
• W Allow Operation of up to Four Licensed Medical Marijuana Businesses in the City of Costa Mesa
• X The City of Costa Mesa Medical Marijuana Measure
• Y An Initiative To Require Voter Approval On Certain Development Projects
• Z Measure for Sensible Community Development and Development-Funded Open Space and Recreation
• AA An Initiative Requiring Changes in Use at Fairview Park be Subject to Voter Approval
• BB Costa Mesa Measure Prohibiting Athletic Fields at Fairview Park
• EE Voter Districts Formation

Below are the names and titles of the seven candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot:

• John Stephens- Attorney/Business Owner

• Lee Ramos- Commissioner/Retired Businessman

• Jay Humphrey- Retired Businessman

• Sandra L. “Sandy” Genis- Land Planner/Councilwoman

• Steve Mensinger- Mayor/Businessman

• Al Melone- Retired CPA

• Allan R. Mansoor- Retired Deputy Sheriff

At a recent City Council meeting a resident inquired as to how the City uses recycled water in parks and landscaped areas and whether the use of recycled water could be expanded to more facilities to achieve greater water savings.

Costa Mesa has been a leader in the use of recycled water for years and has been taking part in the Orange County Water District’s (OCWD) “Green Acres” project since 1991. The City currently uses recycled water at four large parks, two golf courses, a bike trail, several medians on arterial streets and riparian areas.

They include: Jack Hammett Sports Complex, TeWinkle Park, Fairview Park and Wetlands, Civic Center Park, the Costa Mesa Golf Courses (Los Lagos and Mesa Linda), the Joann Street Bike Trail, including Harbor Boulevard segment and medians on Harbor Boulevard, Fairview Road, and Sunflower Avenue.

Recycled water accounts for approximately 75% of the total irrigation water used by the City. Currently, there does not appear to be any plans by OCWD to expand the distribution system or add additional customers to the system. There is a limited supply of recycled water available. The City does use recycled water on new landscape installations or renovation projects whenever there is an opportunity.

Joann Street and Harbor Boulevard bike trails are an example of this, as well as the conversion of several turf medians on Harbor Boulevard to water efficient plant materials. All of these projects are connected to existing recycled water sources.

Currently, there are no plans to connect additional parks, medians, or roadway landscapes to reclaimed water sources due to limited supplies and costs.

On Aug. 24 from 4:30 to 7 p.m., the Costa Mesa Senior Center will offer a free screening of the movie “The Age of Love,” which was produced and directed by Steven Loring. The film, which aired at the Newport Beach Film Festival in 2014, follows 30 seniors in Rochester New York who sign up for a first-of-its-kind speed dating event exclusively for 70- to 90-year-olds. Loring, who will answer questions from the Senior Center crowd afterward, via satellite, answered some questions we had about the film.

Director Steven Loring

 Where did you get the idea for The Age of Love?

This project was actually a personal journey for me. Just before I began, my dad suddenly passed away, and my mom, who was nearing 70, was left without the partner and the emotional intimacy she’d counted on during a half-century of marriage.

That same year, my 78-year-old uncle met an 80-year-old woman, and they fell madly in love. They basically locked the bedroom door—as if they were in high school again. Trying to understand the hearts of people so close to me, I was surprised to find almost nothing in popular media that looked honestly into the emotional lives and needs of that generation. TV and movies were filled with dated stereotypes and jokes about older adults’ desires. So when I heard about speed dating for people over 70—and especially when I heard everyone’s laughter at the idea—I thought, wow, what a perfect hook for a film into the hearts of that generation. Who knows what I might find?

What do you hope to accomplish with the film?
To break old stereotypes and attitudes about aging, and to bring new opportunity and growth to our booming older population worldwide. The film, being about our lifelong search for love, seems to speak to all generations. Older people find the film empowering and validating, in that it brings their true, overlooked voices and feelings to the screen for the first time. Baby Boomers tell me they watch and think about talks they should have with aging, single parents, who are rarely asked about their hearts and emotional needs.

Also, with people living so much longer, Boomers wonder what the future holds for them in terms of love, with perhaps 40 or more years to look forward to. And younger people, suddenly realizing that the 70 plus generation can feel the same hopes and fears when it comes to seeking companionship, tell me, ‘I’ll never look at my grandparents the same way again!’

Tell us a little bit about the directing process and how you decided who and what you were going to film?
The speed dating event I followed in the film was a real event for people 70 and older, and everyone had signed up without imagining they’d be part of a documentary. No one was ‘cast’, they were all real people from the World War II generation who decided to take a chance and enter the trendy dating scene of the new millennium.

I actually came to the project with my own preconceptions and assumed the speed daters would probably be embarrassed and not want to be in a film. After all, they might not have told their friends or children, and they certainly wouldn’t want their faces on movie screens all over the world.

But, when I called the first woman on the list and explained I was filming a doc on older people’s search for love, she stopped me and said, “Let me tell you something: I’m 74 and my children love me; they take care of me; we celebrate birthdays; we talk every day. But even my own children never ask me what’s in my heart at this stage in my life. It’s like I’ve become invisible to the world. So I’d be happy to talk with you.” I was really amazed that all 30 people gave me permission to film.

So then I plunged in and filmed all 30 participants during the preparation period, at the speed dating event, when they received their results and then on several real-world dates that resulted. I ended up with over 168 hours of footage that were edited down into a 78-minute film.

Do you think these people were looking for the same kind of love as they had when they were younger?
A big question on my mind throughout filming was: Does love change as we age? And, if so, how? There’s a general assumption, when we talk about older people, that they’re only looking for ‘companionship’, as if that’s some sort of diminished form of true, youthful love.

But, over the course of filming, it became clear to me that the need to connect with another person, to be truly ‘seen’ and appreciated, and to have someone who ‘sees’ and appreciates you, is the essence of love regardless of age. When we’re young, we’re thinking about building a home and career and family and how the kids will be brought up and physical beauty and cars and money and whatever else goes into selecting a partner. But, if you take all that away, isn’t what’s left essentially companionship? Having someone who will look at you and listen to you and understand you so that you’re not alone? I think love when you’re older is the same, just with the youthful concerns of creating a family and career stripped away.

What was the outcome for the seniors who attended the event?
Every speed dater who marked “Interested” on their card for at least one other person got a date – there were 48 follow-up dates that resulted from the event – and it was fun to see how open and excited everyone was. There wasn’t anyone involved who didn’t come up to the organizers afterward and ask, “When can we do this again?”

Even better, everyone who came left empowered to see themselves as someone with the potential to find new love. One character says near the end, “I haven’t found the love of my life yet, but I haven’t stopped looking — and I feel more aggressive now.” These people gave themselves permission to see themselves as potential lovers in a way that they hadn’t before. That’s a big message of the film: Regardless of age, given the opportunity, people still have the desire to be wanted and to connect in a deep emotional way.

Last week the Association of California Cities, Orange County, announced a new partnership with UC Irvine to study and quantify the costs of homelessness on cities in the county.

The study comes on the heels of a collaborative meeting Assistant CEO Rick Francis participated in with the ACC-OC Working Group on Homeless Issues in which he unveiled Five Pillars, including State Advocacy, Research and Data, Outreach and Sharing, Housing Options and Communications to Constituents, to combat the problem of homelessness. These Five Pillars were later shared with a countywide group of city leaders in May. Costa Mesa is viewed by many county leaders as a model approach in addressing the complexities of homelessness, and the city has already been using many facets of the Five Pillars.

The UCI study falls under the Research and Data pillar and will analyze a comprehensive set of costs and services provided to the homeless population by cities, agencies, and hospitals. This includes emergency health care services, public safety, administrative services, parks and recreation, mental health services, and a number of other elements along the continuum of care.

The study is expected to be completed by next year and will be a helpful tool in the effort to understand existing costs and that data can be used to better deploy public resources.

On Thursday Aug. 11, Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano and Chief Rob Sharpnack participated in the Motor Home Madness Demolition Derby at the 2016 Orange County Fair.

The pair were also joined by Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis. The money raised at the event goes to fund breast cancer awareness.

The first to enter the race was Chief Sharpnack.

Just after 8 p.m. Sharpnack, No. 44 (our department’s designated number) entered the arena in a painted black and white RV, with the words police and SWAT painted on the sides and with police lights mounted on the top.

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As the crowd cheered and began to get excited No. 51 Chief Stefano entered. Making his way around the arena, Stefano entered in a red and gold RV with flashing lights making a few laps round before parking on the opposite side of Sharpnack.

Before the event began all participants exited their RV’s and ran around the arena waving their arms and getting the crowd pumped up. Stefano ran around with two fire extinguishers, which set the crowd off.

Unfortunately, Sharpnack and Stefano got knocked out the first half, but it was an exciting event that offered a fun and light-hearted vibe drew in thousands of spectators.

The Costa Mesa Conference and Visitor Bureau announced this week that it has officially changed its name to Travel Costa Mesa, and the organization relocated to a new and updated office across the street from South Coast Plaza.

“We felt it was time to make our name more impactful and recognizable,” said Paulette Lombardi- Fries, President of Travel Costa Mesa. “We wanted to ensure that website visitors and readers who saw our name knew exactly what our purpose was, to inform about and encourage travel to the city of Costa Mesa.”

The official name now matches the website address, www.travelcostamesa.com.

“We’ve also added ‘California’ to our updated logo, to let prospective visitors seeing our marketing programs know we are the official City of the Arts, in the amazing state of California,” said Lombardi-Fries.

Travel Costa Mesa’s new and updated address is 940 South Coast Drive, Suite #265, Costa Mesa, California, 92626. The phone number remains unchanged – 888.588.9417.

Visitors to the city are welcome to visit the new office for additional information about attractions and activities in the city of Costa Mesa.

Once again, the City of Costa Mesa and the Costa Mesa Military Affairs team seek donations of “like new” prom dresses, ball gowns, cocktail dresses and accessories for the spouses of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines (1/5), the Camp Pendelton-based infantry battalion that the city has adopted.

The dresses will be worn at the annual Marine Ball, which takes place in October and celebrates the anniversary of the Marines Corps’ founding.

The collection point for the dresses will be the concierge desk in the lobby of City Hall at 77 Fair Drive. Donations will be accepted now through Sept. 10.

For further information, please contact Dan Baker at (714) 754-5156.

UPDATE: Costa Mesa Police Department has found 11-year-old Diego Garcia.

The Costa Mesa Police Department is searching for an 11-year old autistic boy.

Monday August 1, 2016, an 11-year old autistic boy named Diego Garcia was reported missing by his parents in Costa Mesa. Earlier this morning, Garcia’s parents reported to police they noticed him missing from their apartment, located at 1250 Adams Avenue, shortly before 7 a.m.

Garcia  is autistic, however, he has limited communication skills and answers by his first name “Diego.” Garcia is not fearful of police or others.

Garcia has no known history of running away, and there is no indication of suspicious circumstances at this time. Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s helicopter crew, aboard “Duke”, assisted with making public address announcements in the surrounding vicinity to attempt to locate the child.

OCSD’s bloodhound search team also assisted officers on scene at the location.

Diego Garcia is 4 foot 11 inches tall, weighs about 110 pounds and has long brown hair. He was last seen wearing a green shirt, black shorts and red sandals.

He has no immediate means of accessing transportation. CMPD officers and detectives are actively seeking the public’s assistance to help immediately locate Garcia.

Anyone with possible information should contact CMPD Dispatch at 714-754-5252.

The median improvement project at the intersection of Del Mar Avenue and Newport Boulevard is now complete and a new entry monument sign provides a welcoming entryway to Eastside Costa Mesa.

The project included repurposing the unusable paved area in the middle of Del Mar Avenue to a beautifully landscaped median and will provide secondary benefits of traffic calming as it provides for a narrower pavement section and identifies the entry into the residential community.

Drought tolerant shrubs and boulders, signature trees and landscape lighting were installed to complete the colorful landscape pallet.  Additionally, a decorative crosswalk was constructed along the east leg of the intersection.

As part of the department’s Community Oriented Policing efforts, Costa Mesa officers are expanding a new foot patrol unit that has been having success with eliminating loitering and other issues associated with homeless and transients on 19th Street and the Westside.

Now officers are taking those successes to the Eastside and walking the beat along 17th Street between Newport Boulevard and Santa Ana Avenue.

One recent Friday, officers, Slawek Luczkiewicz, June Jeong, Katrina Cover and Sgt. Bang Le walked through local shopping centers and strip malls, ensuring that transients were not loitering or sleeping there.

“We never have done a full scale foot patrol in the city,” Chief Rob Sharpnack said. “It goes to the heart of Community Oriented Policing. The officers are excited about it and we will look for ways to make it more effective.”

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The new foot patrol dovetails with other community policing efforts such as the bike patrol, where officers are using creative ways to be more visible and get out of the patrol cars. And the 19^th Street and 17^th Street corridors are great places for the patrols in particular because of the density of businesses and residents.

The idea sprang forward as Chief Sharpnack was brainstorming with his command staff about ways to improve the police department’s community approach.

Lt. Joyce LaPointe was the main advocate for the foot patrols, Sharpnack said.

The officers are making a lot of progress, LaPointe said. What started out as an idea to help businesses in the community has expanded to also helping the homeless and letting them know where they can and can’t be. And the response from the community, businesses and officers has been largely positive.

“Overall I’ve been getting a lot of good feedback from officers,” LaPointe said. “It has brought back that old traditional feeling of being a cop and being in the community. I’ve been really pleased with the response.”

Chief Sharpnack said he’s heard the same positive feedback from his officers.

“What I’m hearing is the officers think it’s another opportunity for them to get out and interact with members of the public,” Chief Sharpnack said. “They develop a bond with residents and business owners.”