City Manager Tom Hatch presented Senior Maintenance Technician Brendan Carpenter with the City Manager Leadership Award at the monthly employee Meet and Greet on Thursday Feb. 22.

“I appreciate Brendan for his hard work and being a great contributor to the city team,” City Manager Hatch said.  “He is efficient, has a can-do attitude and always keeps the best interest of Costa Mesa residents his first priority.”

Carpenter has provided five years of professional and dedicated service to the City of Costa Mesa, starting in 2013 as a part-time General Aide. He was hired full-time in 2015 as a Maintenance Worker, and was promoted to Senior Maintenance Technician in 2016.

With the recent departure of the Maintenance Supervisor in the Streets and Traffic Section, the street maintenance staff has had to step up to assist with daily operations to ensure the high level of service that is expected proceeds uninterrupted.

Carpenter has taken on the responsibility of managing the daily work of the city’s sign shop and processing work orders generated by the Transportation Services section. He eagerly accepted the challenge while continuing to fulfill his daily duties manufacturing and replacing signs.

He is managing projects and overseeing the in-house roadway painting program. Some of his recent accomplishments include the replacement of the old-style coyote warning signs with the City’s new updated signs, the Pacific Avenue improvements where the street dead ends at Fairview Park and setting up the field crews that recently completed the installations of the bike sharrows on East 19th Street.

In addition to honoring Carpenter, City Manager Hatch welcomed five new employees and congratulated three others for recent promotions.

The new hires include Fanni Acosta, a new Human Resources Analyst, Waqas Khan a new Plan Checker in Development Services, Franklin Rodriguez a new Recreation Leader II in Parks and Community Services, Martha Robbins a new Police Department Crime Analyst in Public Services, Fady Ashamalla a new Engineering Technician III.

Hatch also honored Ruben Salas and Juan Santos, who were both promoted to Maintenance Supervisors and Janet Zuazo, who was promoted to Recreation Leader IV.

Costa Mesa Mayor Sandy Genis presented longtime local business leader Janet Krochman with the Mayor’s Award at the Feb. 20 City Council meeting.

“Janet has been actively volunteering in Costa Mesa for years, initially getting involved while supporting her son’s activities at school, Boy Scouts and youth sports,” Mayor Genis said. “Janet’s long list of community involvement includes working with veteran’s groups, non-profit organizations and most recently assisting local businesses mitigate the impact of homeless on their businesses.”

Krochman said she was very touched when she learned she was going to be presented with this award.

“Thank you all very much,” she said. “Hopefully I will have another 40 years in the city and continue to do good things.”

As a result of the City of Costa Mesa being named in a lawsuit filed by Orange County Catholic Worker vs. the County of Orange and Santa Ana and Anaheim regarding homeless encampments, city outreach staff compiled a summary of achievements from the city’s Network for Homeless Solutions.

The Network for Homeless Solutions is the only city-sponsored homeless outreach division within the county with three full-time equivalent outreach workers and partnerships with over 50 social service, governmental and private agencies for housing those experiencing homelessness in Costa Mesa.

Below are some of the highlights:

HOUSING

• 101 housed in 2017
• 270 housed since the network began in 2013
• 80 clients placed in permanent supportive housing via Coordinated Entry program

 RECONNECTIONS

• 41 reconnected in 2017
• 112 reconnected to date

 MEDICAL LINKAGES

• 245 in 2017
• 772 since 2012

 SOCIAL SERVICE LINKAGES

• 191 in 2017
• 386 to date

MENTAL HEALTH LINKAGES

• 235 in 2017

OC HEALTH CARE AGENCY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONTACTS 2017

• 752 total contacts
• 483 self-disclosed homeless

PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM CONTRACTS

• 221 total contacts
• 47 self-disclosed homeless

The Network for Homeless Solutions collaborates with the County of Orange, the Department of Social Services, Social Security and Department of Motor Vehicles on homeless issues.

In addition, the Network has partnerships with local non-profits including Mercy House, Collette’s Children’s Home and Families Forward.

In addition, the Network for Homeless Solutions partners with the Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene in the Westside of Costa Mesa, which serves as a homeless service center and periodic shelter for extremely vulnerable individuals.

The Network regularly delivers bus passes to homeless and recently housed individuals for medical, job and housing appointments and in addition provides taxi rides to homeless individuals needing transportation for reconnections, housing or medical appointments.

Highlights of the NHS partnerships include the following:

• 51 individuals helped by Mercy House over three years.
• 79 individuals helped by Collette’s Children’s Home over three years.
• 58 individuals helped by Families Forward over two years.
• 580 collaborative actions in 2017 with non-profit housing providers for the purpose of providing housing support to recently housed clients.
• 294 field support actions assisting both Costa Mesa Police Department park rangers, police officers and residents with homeless individuals seeking assistance.
• 41 emergency housing placements in 2017.

As part of the on-going Bristol Street Improvement Project, Sully-Miller Contracting Co. will begin grinding existing deteriorating pavement on Bristol Street, between Baker Street and Randolph Avenue, on Friday, Feb. 16 beginning at 8 p.m.

On Saturday, Feb. 17, from 6 a.m. to early afternoon, Sully-Miller will be installing new pavement on Bristol Street, between Baker Street and Randolph Avenue. Adjacent businesses have been notified of this scheduled work and access to them will be maintained.

Please expect intermittent delays during the construction. The median curbs on Bristol Street between Baker Street and Newport Boulevard will be completed in the next two weeks and the landscaping by the end of March 2018.

Click here for a map of the area under construction.

The improvement project includes roadway resurfacing, new storm drain catch basins, new landscaped medians, new traffic signal installation and a storm water diversion project.

This project represents more than $6.5 million in improvements with funding coming from various sources including Federal, State and County agencies, gas tax and local funds.

This project will provide a smoother ride along this stretch of Bristol Street, better operational conditions for vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and improve the water quality of the Back Bay area by providing treatment for some of the storm water runoff.

The construction fencing around Lions Park was expanded on Wednesday Feb. 14, resulting in the closure of the parking lot entrance on Anaheim Avenue and limiting parking availability at the Donald Dungan Library and the Downtown Recreation Center.

The entrance from Park Avenue will be open for park visitors. The parking spaces in front of the portable trailers will be reserved for personnel working on the Lion’s Park Project but may be used by staff and the public on the weekends.

Additionally, the parking spots adjacent to Fire Station No. 2 may be reserved for Donald Dungan Library staff. Street parking on 18th and Anaheim will remain unaffected by these changes. This fencing will remain in place for four to eight weeks.

During this closure, vehicles may not double park or stop anywhere in the parking lot for pick-ups/drop-offs, or any other reason, as the added congestion may pose a safety issue and inhibit or prevent emergency vehicle access to the lot.

Lions Park is currently undergoing a $36 million upgrade that will result in a new library and community center. Click here for more information.

Due to the observation of the President’s Day holiday on Feb. 19, there will be no residential street sweeping.

In addition, no parking enforcement will be done the entire week per city policy.

Street sweeping will resume back to normal on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018.

For more information, residents can call the city’s street sweeping hotline  at (714) 327-7471, which has been updated with this information.

Click here for more information on the city’s website.

The Costa Mesa City Council is currently seeking residents to serve on the following city committees:

Access Building, Fire and Housing Board of Appeal: This committee advises on matters pertaining to building construction. The board meets and hears appeals on an as-needed basis. There are five regular member vacancies and two alternate member vacancies with a term expiration of April 1, 2022. Minimum qualifications should include: Civil Engineers, Structural engineers, Fire protection engineers, Electrical/mechanical engineers, Architects, Certified Access Specialists (CASp), and related state or federal licensed professionals, such as fire marshals.  Residents or individuals that conduct business within the City are encouraged to apply.  For further information, please contact Building Official Issam Shahrouri at (714) 754-5604.

Bikeway & Walkability Committee: This committee, which meets monthly, assists with the review, update and implementation of the city’s Master Plan of Bikeways and pedestrian pathways in order to make recommendations for improvements to the City Council. There are seven regular member vacancies with a term expiration of April 1, 2020. For further information, please contact Transportation Services Manager Jennifer Rosales at (714) 754-5180.

Cultural Arts Committee: This committee, which meets monthly, works to promote the city’s slogan, “Costa Mesa City of the Arts.” The committee works to establish programs, events and information that help residents access the arts in many different venues, and through multiple sources. There are three regular member vacancies and one alternate member vacancy with a term expiration of April 1, 2020; and one alternate member vacancy with a term expiration of April 1, 2019. For further information, please contact Recreation Supervisor Ashley Thomas at (714) 754-5052.

Finance and Pension Advisory Committee: This committee, which meets monthly, provides advice to the City Council regarding events and issues which may affect the financial status of the City.  It also evaluates annual and long-term pension and financial impacts from changes in CalPERS contribution rates and/or actuarial schedule changes.  There are six regular member vacancies with a term expiration of April 1, 2020. Applicants shall have pension knowledge or shall be residents or individuals that conduct business within the City and have a background that includes experience in securities trading, financial planning, banking, auditing, accounting, or a closely related and relevant field. For further information, please contact Management Analyst Ray Hull at (714) 754-5227.

Historical Preservation Committee: This committee, which meets monthly, serves to maintain, preserve, educate and promote the city’s historical resources. There are four (4) regular member vacancies and two alternate member vacancies with a term expiration of April 1, 2020. For further information, please contact Recreation Supervisor Ashley Thomas at (714) 754-5052.

Housing & Public Service Grants Committee: This 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). There are four regular member vacancies and one alternate member vacancy with a term expiration of April 1, 2020. For further information, please contact CDBG Consultant Mike Linares at (714) 754-5678.

Application Process – 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; emailed to cityclerk@costamesaca.gov; or hand-delivered to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.

The deadline is 5 p.m., Thursday, March 1, 2018.  Appointments are tentatively scheduled for the March 20, 2018 City Council meeting.

City Manager Tom Hatch presented Recreation Coordinator Kevin Stoddart with the City Manager Leadership Award at the monthly Meet and Greet employee recognition event on Thursday Jan. 25.

“As someone who has managed recreation and community services in the past, I know how important Kevin’s work is in regards to teaching kids about water safety and preventing drownings,” Hatch said. “I know I appreciate him, but even more I know his colleagues appreciate him as a hard worker who does the best job for the public we serve.”

Stoddart is a seven-year employee who began with the city as a part-time lifeguard and eventually was promoted to a full-time Recreation Coordinator.

In his role, he ensures the city remains compliant with all local, state, and federal laws governing water safety, and his staff is well-equipped to provide this same level of care during the busy summer months when Aquatics is the busiest.

He works to make sure his staff is trained properly, and his work ethic extends beyond that of his job description.

In January 2017, Stoddart was assigned the teen program, and he saw this as an opportunity to develop his staff and use his critical thinking skills to think of new ways to increase program attendance. And he was successful – in fact, so successful that the program reached new high records in attendance.

While his leadership is evident to both his supervisors and his peers, the same can be said in his interactions with the general public. His level of customer service is bar none, and again, his critical thinking enables him to provide customers with more than a “no” or a “maybe” – he always looks for ways to accommodate the public to the best of his ability and ensure their experience with the Parks & Community Service is a memorable one.

He is a great contributor to the team and always looks and is willing to share creative ideas to take the department to the next level.

In addition to honoring Stoddart, City Manager Hatch welcomed several new employees and congratulated one on a promotion.

The new employees include, Antonette Penalba, an intern working with the Network for Homeless Solutions, Stacy Daugherty, the city’s new Finance Director, Jonathan Cruz, a Recreation Leader II and Cassandra Gamboa and Yassmin Perez, both Recreation Leader III.

Police Aide Miguel Villana was also recognized as well as Mikaela Soriano and Don Vu, two new interns in Public Services. Finally, City Manager Hatch congratulated Arash Rahimian for his promotion to senior engineer.

In response to a civil nuisance abatement legal action filed only 21 days ago on Jan. 2 by the City of Costa Mesa, Morningside Recovery LLC has agreed to shut down its remaining three sober living homes in the city, all of which were in violation of the city’s sober living home ordinances, and to pay the city $20,000 in legal fees and enforcement costs.

“This is a great outcome for the residents of Costa Mesa,” said Mayor Pro Tem Allan Mansoor. “We are happy that the group home operator decided to work with us and settle this without significant court costs for either party. Hopefully, this sends a message to others that we will strictly enforce our city ordinances and ensure that our neighborhoods maintain a balance that is good for all residents.”

The city had taken the abatement action against Morningside, several related entities and the owner of the properties, Barry Saywitz, LP, for failure to apply for and obtain conditional use permits and otherwise comply with in the city’s sober living home ordinances.  The city had initially taken code enforcement action against six Morningside’s facilities within the city.  While three ultimately closed, the properties on Orange Avenue, Peppertree Lane and Pomona Avenue remained in operation.

As a result this settlement, the facilities on Peppertree Lane and Pomona Avenue are required to close immediately, while the one on Orange Avenue is required to close on or before Aug. 31, 2018.

In addition, Morningside agreed that in connection with the closure of its sober living facilities, it will not “curb” residents onto the city streets and will otherwise comply with the provisions of the city’s ordinances relating to eviction of residents.

The City of Costa Mesa has entered into an agreement with the Newport Center Animal Hospital and Pet Hotel Suites in Newport Beach to provide animal shelter services and veterinary care.

This agreement is on a temporary basis until a permanent solution to the city’s animal care needs can be analyzed and a long-term decision made by the City Council.

The Newport Center Animal Hospital is owned by Dr. Anthony M. Rizk, who has direct experience in shelter medicine and disease control.

“We believe the Newport Center Animal Hospital will offer high-quality care for the dogs, cats and other animals that are lost or abandoned in the City of Costa Mesa,” City Manager Tom Hatch said. “Because Dr. Rizk is experienced in shelter medicine, we think this is an ideal short-term solution for us and for our residents who care deeply about their pets.”

Under the new agreement, a veterinarian will be on site six days a week and on call on Sundays. The city will pay the hospital $20,833 per month for the shelter services.

“My interest is to provide the best care for the animals that come to my hospital,” said Dr. Rizk. “I am looking forward to working with the city of Costa Mesa and the community to assist these animals.  I’m excited to be back to where I started in shelter medicine and to fully utilize my shelter care skill sets.”

The City of Costa Mesa’s newly formed Animal Services Committee will be tasked with researching shelter options and proposing a long-term solution to the City Council over the coming months. The committee was appointed at the Tuesday Jan. 16 Council meeting and consists of seven members and two alternates.

“The City Council formed our new committee because our pets deserve the best care possible, and I look forward to working with committee members to ensure that will happen,” Mayor Sandy Genis said.

The multi-level Newport Center Animal Hospital is fully indoors and climate controlled with animals afforded larger spaces with unique amenities, including cat condos equipped with perches. For dogs, there are play areas as well as calming videos and music.

Most of the suites are plexi-glass enclosures designed to prevent the spread of communicable diseases and decrease potential injuries to animals.

The hospital is staffed with 20 full-time employees, 10 of whom are caretakers. The employees walk dogs on a daily basis and assist with visual exams and other veterinary care needs. Other services that will be provided at the shelter are:

• Initial entry exams
• Pre-adoption exams
• Pre-adoption spay and neuter
• Vaccinations
• Microchip placement and enrollment
• Free follow-up post-adoption exams
• Veterinary care until adoption
• Daily visual exams

The hospital is also equipped with an in-house laboratory, in-house pharmacy, digital imaging and radiography, ultrasound and digital dental radiographs. The facility features a state-of-the-art surgical suite and offers laser surgery and therapy.

Under the new agreement, any remaining animals at the Humane Society’s Huntington Beach facility will be examined by a doctor of veterinary medicine upon transfer on Sunday Jan. 21 to the new Newport Center facility and will be under the care of Dr. Rizk.

For the short term, the Newport Center facility will not offer adoption services. City staff is currently negotiating with local rescue groups and third party non profits to provide those adoption services until a long-term solution is found.

Dr. Rizk has committed to employing the best practices in veterinary care and in emergency medicine and surgery. He has worked for and volunteered his time and surgical skills across Humane Societies, shelters, and rescues in Los Angeles and Orange County.

In addition, he is well versed in exotic pet medicine and the hospital serves pigs, birds and rabbits with medicine. There is dentistry and oral surgery, as well as soft tissue and orthopedic surgery available.

Dr. Rizk is a member of American Veterinary Medical Association and the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association and is a graduate of the University of Illinois veterinary school. He completed his undergraduate work at UCLA and worked on university research studies focusing on animal behavior and neurology as an instructor and teaching graduate student.

The Newport Center Animal Hospital was established in 1972 and was purchased by Dr. Rizk in 2016. It is located at 1333 Avocado Ave, Newport Beach. Click here to visit the website.

Dr. Rizk is planning to offer interested community members a tour of the facility in upcoming weeks.

Residents who find missing or injured animals or who believe their animal is lost should continue to call the city’s Animal Control dispatch at (714) 754- 5674. For general questions regarding animal control or to report wildlife related issues please call the Animal Control hotline at (714) 754-5311.

On Tuesday Jan. 2, the City of Costa Mesa filed legal action in Orange County Superior Court against the owner and operators of three large sober living homes operating in violation of the city’s ordinances.

“We have enacted the strongest ordinances in the state to regulate sober living homes,” Mayor Sandy Genis said. “We filed this legal action to compel compliance with our ordinances and to protect the residential character of our neighborhoods for the benefit of all Costa Mesa residents.”

In the legal action, the city is asking the court for a preliminary and permanent injunction and nuisance abatement against the sober living operators, Morningside Recovery, LLC, True Recovery, Inc., the Discovery House, LLC. The complaint states that the operators failed to obtain a conditional use permit and didn’t even apply for one.

The owner of the homes, Barry Saywitz Properties One, LP, Barry Saywitz Properties Two, LP and Barry Saywitz as an individual are also named in the complaint. The properties at issue are 1798 Pomona Ave., 2558 Orange Ave. and 2964 Peppertree Lane.

The Pomona Avenue property is being used as a group home consisting of 14-16 recovery beds. The Orange Avenue property is a group home consisting of four, two-story condominiums that house people recovering from alcohol and/or drug addiction, and the Peppertree Lane property is four two-story condominiums that also operates as a group home for people recovering from alcohol and/or drug addiction.

For more information on sober living issues in Costa Mesa and to learn more about the city’s sober living ordinances click here.