On April 30, please join Costa Mesa Mayor Stephen Mensinger along with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Christ Lutheran and Palm Harvest Churches for the second annual Neighbors Helping Neighbors event to assist homes throughout the Costa Mesa community in need of some TLC.

“I’m looking forward to joining my fellow Costa Mesans as we help out our neighbors in times of need,” Mayor Mensinger said. “It’s always impressive how many volunteers answer the call when we ask for help. And this year is no different.”

Once again, no City funds will be used, just good old fashioned community elbow grease and donations.

Last year, Neighbors Helping Neighbors successfully cleaned up two homes, much to the appreciation of the owners. This year, church organizers have identified a number of properties in the community that are in need of assistance and have begun the prep work for painting.

Funds and additional volunteers are still in need for the prepping, painting and clean-up and materials to ensure success.

Those interested in donating and keeping COSTA MESA COOL can email or call cm.cool@costamesaca.gov or 714-754-5156 to sign up.

Donors so far for this year’s event include:

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Christ Lutheran Church
• Palm Harvest Church
• Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer
• Council Member Gary Monahan
• Preface Group
• Estancia Sports Boosters
• Skosh M0nahan’s
• The Harbor Center
• Vista Paint
• CR&R

Larry’s Building Supply

At the Mesa Water District’s Board of Directors regular meeting on Thursday April 14, the City of Costa Mesa was recognized for its water conservation efforts and presented with the “Mega” Mesa Water Saver award.

Through the city’s efforts, along with other local agencies, businesses, schools and residents, the water district has reached and exceeded the state’s 20 percent conservation mandate with over 21 percent reduction in water use from June 2015 through February 2016.

“The 10 Mesa Water customers we’re recognizing today include property owners and managers with varying responsibilities, who are clearly dedicated to doing the right thing and engaging in activities that achieve higher-than-average water savings during this extended drought,” said Mesa Water Board President Shawn Dewane. “We’re proud to be part of a community so dedicated to water efficiency.”

The water district focused on outdoor watering, reducing water waste at residential, multi-family, business and government properties.

Customers who increased water efficiency beyond expectations were responsible for higher-than-average water savings ranging from 31 percent to 56 percent.

Businesses and Homeowners’ Associations amended their outdoor watering for larger landscapes to comply with Mesa Water’s watering schedules that changed with seasonal temperatures and weather.

Single-family homeowners and local government agencies implemented additional water-saving techniques, including installing a pool cover, replacing thirsty turf with water-wise landscaping, updating old irrigation with drip irrigation, reducing sprinkler times, installing smart-timers, and decreasing off-peak utility use.

.easingslider-1642 { max-width: 640px; }.easingslider-1642 .easingslider-image { max-height: 400px; max-width: 640px; }.easingslider-1642 .easingslider-fade-in, .easingslider-fade-out { -webkit-animation-duration: 400ms; -moz-animation-duration: 400ms; animation-duration: 400ms; }window.EasingSlider1642 = {"width":640,"height":400,"singleItem":true,"items":1,"itemsDesktop":false,"itemsDesktopSmall":false,"itemsTablet":false,"itemsTabletSmall":false,"itemsMobile":false,"responsive":true,"lazyLoad":true,"autoPlay":4000,"slideSpeed":400,"navigation":true,"navigationText":["",""],"pagination":true,"autoHeight":false,"mouseDrag":false,"touchDrag":false,"addClassActive":true,"transitionStyle":"fade"};

The following were recognized at Thursday’s event by Mesa Water’s Board of Directors as “Mega” Mesa Water Savers:

• Janice and Steven Frates
• Susan and Geoff West
• Brookview Homeowners’ Association
• Harbor Village Apartments
• C.J. Segerstrom & Sons
• Mariners Christian School
• Vanguard University
• City of Costa Mesa
• John Wayne Airport
• Newport Mesa Unified School District

The 20-plus members of Costa Mesa’s Telecommunications Bureau received some special recognition this week as city, police and fire officials celebrated the National Public Safety Communicators Week that runs through April 16.

The week, sponsored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and celebrated annually, honors the thousands of men and women who respond to emergency calls, dispatch emergency professionals and equipment, and render life-saving assistance to the world’s citizens, according to a statement on the association’s website.

City CEO office staff, including CEO Tom Hatch, was one of several departments to provide food, deserts and beverages to the team as a way to honor and thank them for the work they do.

On Wednesday April 13, Hatch and others visited the bureau, located just behind City Hall, and met with members of the telecom team and got a demonstration of their duties.

“They provide quality customer service to residents by continually and quickly helping to solve problems for the community,” Hatch said.

CEO Tom Hatch and telecom Supervisor Sandra Marquez

The communications officers who work in the bureau take in more than 100 calls a day and put in 12 and sometimes 18-hour shifts taking calls from accident victims, suicidal, belligerent and despondent callers or victims of fire or crime.

“How often do you have to take a call from someone who is having perhaps the worst experience in their life,” said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Keith Davis, who supervises the Telecommunications Bureau. “They do it every single day.”

Davis noted the bureau is only one of two in the county that manages all dispatch duties for a single city.  The telecom team handles both emergency and non-emergency calls for police, fire, animal control maintenance and water services. They provide members of the public with directions on how to respond to medical emergencies.

Davis, who has supervised the crew for a little more than a year, said he’s learned a lot about just what they do.

“I think they are extremely deserving of the recognition,” he said. “This is an opportunity to tell them that we do appreciate them and there are a lot of people dropping by and recognizing them. It makes them feel they are not unnoticed. They are real excited.”

Davis pointed out that the dispatchers and call takers end up being spokespeople for the city. How a member of the public is treated can really change perceptions.

“It helps to have talented people,” he said. “I thought I knew a little bit about dispatch. I had no idea about the scope of their responsibilities. Doing what they do on a daily basis, especially being short staffed, is even more admirable.”

.easingslider-1579 { max-width: 640px; }.easingslider-1579 .easingslider-image { max-height: 400px; max-width: 640px; }.easingslider-1579 .easingslider-fade-in, .easingslider-fade-out { -webkit-animation-duration: 400ms; -moz-animation-duration: 400ms; animation-duration: 400ms; }window.EasingSlider1579 = {"width":640,"height":400,"singleItem":true,"items":1,"itemsDesktop":false,"itemsDesktopSmall":false,"itemsTablet":false,"itemsTabletSmall":false,"itemsMobile":false,"responsive":true,"lazyLoad":true,"autoPlay":4000,"slideSpeed":400,"navigation":true,"navigationText":["",""],"pagination":true,"autoHeight":false,"mouseDrag":false,"touchDrag":false,"addClassActive":true,"transitionStyle":"fade"};

Toyota Motor Sales USA will be lending the City a 2016 Toyota Mirai for a couple of weeks to test drive.

The car has an electric motor powered by hydrogen fuel cells, resulting in a 100-percent-pollution-free vehicle.

The fuel cells produce electricity from the high pressure hydrogen with only water as a byproduct. The 300 horsepower motor moves the car exceptionally quick, without any motor noise or exhaust.

Hydrogen is available locally at the Valero gas station on Harbor Boulevard to retail customers.

Several City departments will be given an opportunity to drive the vehicle for routine City business over the two weeks of the test.

The car will travel over 300 miles per fueling and may be leased by the public in the $400-500 a month range or purchased with State incentives for the mid $40,000’s.

Costa Mesa Mayor Steve Mensinger announced that Tesla Motors, an innovative automotive and energy storage company known for its high-end luxury electric cars, is the winner of the Mayor’s Award presented at the Tuesday April 5 City Council meeting.

Accepting the award on behalf of the company was Tesla Store Manager Peter Najera and Service Manager Joe Estrada.

“We are deeply honored and this is a wonderful and amazing thing that you have done for us,” Najera said. “We are thrilled to be here in Costa Mesa. It’s a perfect location.”

Costa Mesa is not only one of five Tesla sales locations in the county, but is also home to one of only two Tesla service centers in the county.

Tesla forgoes the typical dealership model that dominates the business, and instead sells cars directly to their customers through company owned stores or galleries, which are usually located in shopping malls.

For years, Tesla operated locally out of a 10,000-square-foot facility on Pullman Street in Costa Mesa, adjacent to the 55 freeway.  Nearly a year and a half ago they expanded their operation to also include a 27,000 square foot facility just down the street.

The new facility serves as a state of the art service center, complete with 26 service bays, two alignment bays, a detail center and car wash area in two buildings.

A typical day finds six service advisors and 20 service technicians servicing 30-35 vehicles per day, making the Costa Mesa location the number one Tesla Service center in terms of volume in the entire nation.

The City of Costa Mesa reached a landmark settlement agreement with Solid Landings Inc. that will result in the immediate closure of 15 of the company’s residential sober living homes and the closure of 18 more over the next two to three years at the latest.

“This is a major victory both for the residents of Costa Mesa and city officials who worked diligently on this issue for several years,” said Mayor Steve Mensinger. “We have invested considerable resources in legal, law enforcement and code enforcement efforts to ensure a balance between our residents who deserve neighborhood peace and tranquility and those who seek facilities to battle their addiction problems.”

The agreement with Solid Landings, the largest group home operator in the city of Costa Mesa, will effectively end years of both federal and state litigation between the company and the city and will keep intact the city’s two groundbreaking ordinances that place appropriate restrictions on group homes, limiting the number of occupants and the proximity between similar homes.

By entering into the agreement, Solid Landings will ultimately close 33 residential facilities and no legal fees will be paid by the city. Further, Solid Landings will relocate its counseling facilities to two locations in the city, one in a commercial area and the other in an industrial location.

The settlement discussions began approximately a month ago when the City Council directed Mayor Pro-Tem Jim Righeimer to negotiate on behalf of the city.

The negotiations between Righeimer and Solid Landings resulted in an agreement reached Tuesday April 5 when the council voted 3-0 to accept the terms of the settlement.

Believe it or not, Southern California is on the verge of beginning the fire season.

In preparation for that, Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue has started the first phase of wildland firefighting training.

Fire crews traveled to Gypsum Canyon to train with other Orange County agencies to prepare for what is expected to be a busy season.

In addition to preparing for potential brush fires, members of the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue have been training diligently to prepare probationary firefighters for their manipulative testing.

Although, the focus is to train probationary firefighters,  seasoned firefighters benefit from the training as they coach our new generation of firefighters.

The battalion chiefs have been conducting evaluated drills for every crew assigned to their shift.

This training exercises communications, tactical decisions and crew continuity.

At the monthly Meet and Greet ceremony, City CEO Tom Hatch awarded CMPD Crime Scene Investigation Supervisor Kimberlee Guluzian with the Leadership Award for March.

Prior to coming to Costa Mesa in 2013, Guluzian began her career in law enforcement working in the jails for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department as a Forensic Specialist where she worked 10 years processing crime scenes.

Guluzian has been recognized for her leadership, initiative, positive attitude, and willingness to take responsibility for ensuring sound crime scene investigative services are provided to the Police Department and the City of Costa Mesa.

CSI Supervisor Guluzian is known for routinely responding in the field to handle calls for service or coming in after hours for major incidents when CSI is not available. These incidents have ranged from basic theft scenes to active homicide investigations. As a supervisor, she has also addressed several operational challenges to ensure the CSI Unit remains effective.

In addition to her primary responsibilities, Guluzian instructs for the Field Evidence Technician and Crime Scene Investigator courses, the CMPD Citizens’ and Teen Academies, and for new Costa Mesa officers during patrol school. She also regularly participates in other department related activities like the annual Baker to Vegas relay and OCSD academy graduations to name a few.

Guluzian’s forensic expertise and skills have not been limited to law enforcement. For eight seasons, she provided her expertise as a crime scene technical advisor for the hit TV show Dexter and worked on the Oscar Pistorius case as a technical expert for the TV program Carte Blanche.

In addition, the Leadership Award, six newly hired employees were welcomed to City Hall at the event.

On Tuesday, March 22 a total of 284 students from four various neighboring schools graced the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall with a common love of musical theater bringing them all to one stage.

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts presented Disney Musicals in Schools “Student Share Celebration” that featured students grades 3-6 all whom performed from selected musical numbers before a crowd of enthusiastic friends, family and teachers.

For 17 weeks’ students, teachers and professional teaching artists worked collaboratively during after school sessions, learning, rehearsing and performing scenes, songs and dance numbers from some of Disney’s beloved musicals.

The objective being to create a continual theater program in the participating schools.

The culmination of all their efforts resulted in presenting and performing a live 30-minute Disney KIDS Musical performance on each individual campus. Following their respective performances, the student’s grand finale was a performance at Segerstrom Center for the Arts as part of the Disney Musicals in “Schools Student Share Celebration.”

This provided an extraordinary opportunity for them to showcase all their great efforts and perform a signature song from their musical in front of students, family members, faculty and associates from Disney.

Disney Musicals in Schools is designed to create sustainable musical theater programs in public elementary schools. School teams are provided with the training and tools necessary to support student productions and empower them to continue this theater tradition in their school for years to come.

Costa Mesa real estate company Torelli Realty is proud to announce its annual Egg Hunt, “Egg-Citement” will take place this Saturday, March 26 from 9:30 a.m. to -12 p.m. at Tanager Park.

Torelli Realty has sponsored this event for over 25 years and it is a highlight of the spring season for children and adults alike.

Egg-Citement offers an Egg Hunt that is broken down into age groups for the children. The first round of the egg hunt for children from 2-4 starts at 10 a.m. and each successive age group goes for 15 minutes, grabbing candy and toys, until everyone gets through. There will also be pony rides, a petting zoo with small live farm animals, coloring and jellybean contests, and a bounce house.

The Easter Bunny himself will also be present and available to take photos with all attendees.

Besides being a highly anticipated event that brings the community together, Egg-Citement also gives local schools a chance to do some much needed fundraising. The event and attractions are free, however several local schools/organizations will be selling concessions to raise money for their programs.

Click here to see a flier about the event.

There was plenty of praise and awards to go around as several members of the Costa Mesa Police Department received top honors in the company of their family, colleagues and top city leaders at the annual Employee Recognition Breakfast held Tuesday morning March 22 at The Crossing Church.

“Today’s award recipients all share a common thread,” Chief Rob Sharpnack said. “They are servant leaders, passionately driven toward their duty and responsibility to improve the community. They are driven by a sense of what is right and good. They are the difference makers in our organization and the community.”

The event, emceed by Sgt. Clint Dieball, recognized Volunteer of the Year George Villazuela; Explorers of the Year Celia Quijivix and Kimberly Velasquez; Civilian of the Year Community Service Specialist Jessica Peters; Civilian Supervisor of the Year Administrator Sandra Lozano; Sworn Supervisor of the Year Sgt. Stephanie Selinske and Officer of the Year Lance Healey.

After winning the award, Officer Healey took to the stage and gave a rousing speech to his fellow police department colleagues.

“My entire adult life I’ve been part of an organization that is bigger than myself,” said Officer Healey, who is a military veteran and a key trainer in the department’s pre-academy program. “We are a department that is on the way up. I can see it. And I’m proud to have been a part of that.”

To read more about the award winners click here.

In addition to the staff members honored, the department named Mika Community Development Corp. as the Community Partner of the Year and paid tribute to all the newly hired and promoted personnel.

Dieball commended others who didn’t receive awards but deserved special recognition, including Officer Kha Bao, who made 108 DUI arrests while on patrol, Tony Reitz, who recovered 88 stolen vehicles at a value of $866,000,  Officer Blake Clements was nominated for the Trauma Intervention Program award in 2015 for compassionate handling of an elder abuse case and veteran Lt. Keith Davis, who recently stepped down from the SWAT team after 24 years.

Also, in a new twist, Chief Sharpnack singled out the Wozniak murder trial as the Case of the Year and honored the detectives and investigators who went “above and beyond” on what he called “one of the most complex cases in the history of the Costa Mesa Police Department.”

Sharpnack said while the police department is in a rebuilding phase today, the recruitment efforts are strong and he is working hard on a new five-year strategic plan that will outline the mission, vision and goals of the department.

“We have been galvanized as a team,” the chief said. “The future for the Costa Mesa Police Department is bright. We will solidify our position as the top of Orange County law enforcement agencies. I am truly honored to serve alongside members of the CMPD and the city organization as a whole.”

The Costa Mesa Public Services Department will soon be initiating the construction phase of a much-needed school zone traffic calming project.

This project will target multiple locations throughout the City. The project will include replacement of all school zone warning flashers with solar powered devices and improved intelligent technology, which enables them to be activated when children are in school.

The project also includes installation of 20 radar speed feedback signs that will have built-in technology to collect speed and volume data that will allow city staff to implement future safety upgrades and enable better planning of focused enforcement in and around Costa Mesa schools.

Other improvements include installation of 220 pedestrian count down heads at various signalized intersections in the vicinity of Costa Mesa schools.

Award of a contract for this project by City Council is anticipated in April 2016. Installations would follow in Summer of 2016.