A new Costa Mesa City Council was sworn in Tuesday, Dec. 6 with voters electing John Stephens as Mayor and re-electing Mayor Pro-Tem and District 3 Council Member Andrea Marr, District 4 Council Member Manuel Chavez and District 5 Council Member Arlis Reynolds.

“It’s not often that the voters show their confidence in the city and re-elect our full City Council,” Mayor Stephens said. “I’m honored to be working with this team to move Costa Mesa forward and grateful to everyone who supported my campaign for Mayor. Our future is bright in Costa Mesa.”

Stephens has served as Mayor since March of 2021, when he was directly appointed by the City Council to replace former Mayor Katrina Foley, whose seat was vacated when she was elected to the County Board of Supervisors to serve the Second District.

Stephens was originally elected as a City Council Member at Large on Nov. 8, 2016 collecting the second highest number of votes in a field of seven candidates. He was sworn in on Dec. 13, 2016 and served until his term ended in December 2020.

As a resident of Costa Mesa since 1989, Mayor Stephens has deep community ties and has served on the City’s Finance and Pension Advisory Committee, the Costa Mesa High School Foundation, Costa Mesans for Responsible Government and is a founding member of the St. John the Baptist Finance and Pastoral Councils.

Mayor Stephens was born in Pasadena, and raised in San Gabriel and attended San Gabriel High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Cal Poly Pomona, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1986. He received his law degree from the UC Davis Law School in 1989 and has been a practicing trial attorney for 33 years.

For more information please visit Mayor Stephens’ webpage here.

Andrea Marr was first elected to City Council District 3 in 2018, becoming one of the first three Council Members along with Chavez and Reynolds to be elected by district.

“I’m thankful to the voters of District 3, who entrusted me to continue to represent them for four more years,” Marr said. “We have accomplished so much to date, with the goal of making Costa Mesa a place where all residents can thrive. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with my council colleagues in the years ahead.”

Prior to serving on the council the last four years, her involvement included a stint on the City’s Cultural Art Committee, where she helped spearhead a number of different community art projects and events and the completion of the first-ever Arts and Cultural Master Plan. She also previously served on the Bikeway and Walkability Committee where she focused on cyclist and pedestrian safety.

Marr is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy of which she was nominated to attend by Vice President Al Gore. During her time at the Academy, she held multiple leadership positions and competed with the Academy Karate team. She was recognized for her leadership by the Naval Academy Superintendent and graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering.

Marr also holds an M.S. in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University where her coursework focused on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building program. She was a 2013 recipient of the White House Champion of Change award for her work in energy as a veteran. She is a licensed professional engineer.

For more information click Council Member Marr’s webpage here.

Council Member Chavez ran unopposed for his District 4 seat. When he was first elected in 2018, he was 23 and the youngest person to ever serve on the Costa Mesa City Council.

I am honored to once again, be elected as the Costa Mesa District 4 Council Member,” Chavez said. “The fourth district is the heart of Westside Costa Mesa and I look forward to continue advocating for infrastructure improvements, more open space, and housing opportunities and assistance.”

Chavez, who is currently the Constituent Services Manager for Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, grew up on the Westside of Costa Mesa and attended local public schools through high school. While a student at Estancia High School, he became heavily involved with the Save Our Youth program (SOY).

After graduating from Estancia High School, Chavez attended UC Irvine where he double majored in political science and religious studies and became very involved with both the UCI College Democrat Club, where he was elected President his senior year, and the Orange County Young Democrats.

For more information click Council Member Chavez’s webpage here.

District 5 Council Member Reynolds was also re-elected to her second four-year term.

“I’m proud to have been re-elected to continue to serve the Fifth District,” Council Member Reynolds said. “This is going to be a great year. We have a lot of work in progress and a great team assembled to get the job done. I’m excited to continue our work on safe streets, providing more parks and parks access, and I look forward to the visioning process to help us address the housing challenges in this city.”

Prior to being on the Council, Reynolds served as Vice Chair of Costa Mesa’s Parks and Recreation Commission and as Commission liaison to the Fairview Park Steering Committee.

Reynolds grew up in the Freedom Homes neighborhood of Westside Costa Mesa where she attended local schools. After graduating from Estancia High School, she went on to attend the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. She also earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine.

She currently is an engineer in the clean-energy industry, specializing in evaluation of energy efficiency and clean energy projects and technologies. She is a strong advocate of the City’s bikeway and walkability efforts and has been instrumental in increasing the City’s activities to encourage community outreach and engagement.

For more information click Council Member Reynolds’ webpage here.

Due to the observation of the Thanksgiving Holiday, there will be no residential street sweeping Thursday Nov. 24 and Friday Nov. 25.

No citations should be written on those days.

Street sweeping will resume back to normal schedule, starting the week of Nov. 28.

At the November Meet and Greet, City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison presented Deputy City Clerk David Nguyen with the City Manager Leadership Award.

“I am happy to present David with this much-deserved award,” Farrell Harrison said. “He is much appreciated as a behind the scenes employee who quietly does his work, processing approximately 1,000 public records request a year. He is always assisting other departments when needed and is dedicated to his job. We are grateful to have him on the Costa Mesa team.”

Nguyen handles the large number of public record requests the city receives and certifying compliance with the Public Records Act.  While he works diligently behind the scenes, he is very instrumental in ensuring Costa Mesa is at the forefront of transparency by providing documentation to the public.

During COVID, he assisted building and planning and completed requests for 215 building permits and plans. He also assists code enforcement by providing documentation to the officers for their cases.  He has uploaded approximately 6,100 pages of historical plans into Laserfiche for Code Enforcement to access in support of their cases.

Nguyen is the lead on providing responses to subpoenas and litigation. He has reviewed approximately 4,000 emails in response to subpoenas and litigation requests. He has assisted Costa Mesa attorneys by providing documents in support of our cases.

Nguyen was born and raised in Costa Mesa, attended Costa Mesa High School.  His father worked for the City for 20 years in the print shop. Nguyen got his first job in the City in 2004 in the Parks and Recreation Department.  For 12 years he did just about everything including youth sports, after school programs, and Camp Costa Mesa. In 2016 he came over to City Hall as a concierge. Since then he has continued to advance first as an Administrative Secretary, and now Deputy City Clerk.

The City of Costa Mesa celebrated another financial accolade this week from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada for its Excellence in Financial Reporting award, the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting a City can receive.

The Certificate of Achievement award, which the City of Costa Mesa has received for 24 consecutive years, is for the City’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021.

“I thank the GFOA for this prestigious recognition,” Mayor John Stephens said. “This further demonstrates that we fulfilled our stated City Council goal to achieve long-term fiscal sustainability. I’m proud of my City Council colleagues as well as our City staff for making tough decisions at the right time to ensure Costa Mesa has a bright financial future.”

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada praised the City for achieving this excellence award.

“This represents a significant accomplishment by Costa Mesa and its management,” said Michele Mark Levine, Director of Technical Services for the GFOA. “The report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate the City’s financial story.”

The Achievement of Excellence Award is one of many financial wins by the City of Costa Mesa, which was one of only two cities in the county to balance its budget without the use of reserves during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, not only did the City not use its General Fund reserves, it increased its reserves due to strong internal controls and ongoing financial prudence.  With a General Fund reserve balance of $53.5 million, Costa Mesa has emergency reserves equaling 36 percent of its General Fund expenditures, almost three times the industry baseline of 10 percent.

And the news continues to be bright as the preliminary fiscal year end numbers for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022 shows the City will post a surplus of approximately $3.6 million. Additionally, $1.5 million was deposited into a Section 115 Trust Fund to help prepay the City’s pension liabilities earlier this year.

Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings reaffirmed the City’s AA+ long-term rating on the Costa Mesa Financing Authority lease revenue bonds in December of 2020. Standard & Poor’s cited the City’s very strong economy, management, financial policies and practices, budgetary flexibility, liquidity with total governmental available cash at 60.9% of total governmental fund expenditures, and strong institutional framework as contributing factors to its outstanding credit rating.

S&P is considered the largest of the country’s Big Three credit-rating agencies, which also include Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings.

Recently Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue and the City of Costa Mesa Finance team received a site visit from two members of the Grants Management Team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department was the recipient of the FY 2020-21 Assistance Firefighter Grant. The department applied and met the criteria of this extensive application process, consequently receiving funding for the purchase of new Self Contained Breathing Apparatus.

As part of the grant management process, FEMA sent two representatives from the Grants Management Division for an onsite meeting and grant progress review.

CMFR and City Staff were pleased to welcome Sandra Tripp (Fire Grants Management Specialist) and Connie Casto (Acting Preparedness Program Branch Chief) to the City of Costa Mesa.

After an insightful joint meeting at City Hall, the FEMA partners were provided a tour of the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Regional Training Facility were introduced to City personnel, and highlighted with a hands-on experience with all of the new SCBA’s that the grant provided the department.

“It was a pleasure and a valued opportunity to meet with our FEMA Region 9 grant management partners (Ms. Tripp and Ms. Casto) and discuss the progress and monitoring of our successful AFG grant management,” said Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano. “Our city team did an exceptional job collaborating for the onsite visit, inclusive of Finance Director Carol Molina and her entire team (Anna Baca, Cathleen Serrano and Jeannie Fortune), combined with the impressive work and leadership of CMFR Division Chief Jason Pyle and CMFR Senior Management Analyst/CMFR’s Grant Programs Lead Kristin Stevens. We appreciate our strong partnership with FEMA and we will continue our active efforts in seeking out future grant funding opportunities.”

Costa Mesa Television (CMTV 3) was presented eight First Place and two Third Place awards including the top Overall Excellence In Government Programming honor for the second consecutive year at the 25th Annual STAR Awards announced on September 29.

The STAR Awards are a regional competition sponsored annually by SCAN/NATOA, which is the States of California and Nevada chapter of the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors.

The STAR Awards recognize excellence in government programming by agencies serving California and Nevada communities. Entries are judged on the basis of creativity in achieving stated objectives, technical proficiency and diversity of programming.

CMTV 3 scored the most First Place wins in the competition for the second year in a row, earning top honors in eight video production categories. Winning entries and links to the videos include:

Due to the observation of the Labor Day holiday on Monday, there will be no residential street sweeping Sept. 5 – Sept. 9 2022.

This coincides with the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, which also observes this holiday by pushing trash collection back one day.

This results in residential gutter lines being cluttered with trash cans making it impossible for street sweeper operators to do an efficient job. There should be no parking citations issued during this time.

Street sweeping will resume back to normal schedule the week of Sept. 12.

In lieu of street sweeping, the following is a list of tasks that clean streets operators will be conducting next week.

• Citywide alley street sweeping
• Sweeping of park parking lots and other city owned facilities
• Accident call outs and special request
• Night route sweeping on all arterial streets

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

The National Weather Services warns that temperatures in many Orange County communities are expected to reach high temperatures above 90 degrees this week, increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses for those who are more sensitive to heat.

Prolonged exposure to excessive temperatures may cause serious conditions like heat exhaustion or heat stroke and can even be fatal. Symptoms of heat exhaustion may include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, weakness, headache, nausea or vomiting and dizziness. Warning signs of heat stroke may include an extremely high body temperature, unconsciousness, confusion, hot and dry skin (no sweating), a rapid, strong pulse, and a throbbing headache. If symptoms of heat stroke occur, immediately call for medical assistance. Move the person to a shady area and begin cooling their body with water.

Recommended precautions to prevent heat-related illnesses include:

·         Drink plenty of water; don’t wait until you are thirsty.

·         Wear light, loose-fitting clothing.

·         Stay out of the sun if possible. When in the sun, wear a hat, preferably with a wide brim, and use sunscreen.

·         Avoid strenuous activities if you are outside or in non-air conditioned buildings. If you are working outdoors, take frequent rest and refreshment breaks in a shaded area.

·         Never leave children, elderly people, or pets unattended in closed cars or other vehicles.

·         Stay cool indoors – if your home is not air-conditioned, visit public facilities such as shopping malls and libraries to stay cool. For more information, call 2-1-1.

·         If you have pets, be alert for any sign of heat stress, heavy panting, glazed eyes, or deep red or purple tongue. Never leave pets without shade, air circulation, and fresh water. Never leave pets in a vehicle.

·         Check on your neighbors and on those who are at high risk to make sure they are staying cool – including seniors who live alone, people with heart or lung disease, and young children.

For more information on heat-related illnesses visit https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/default.html or
For more information on heat-related illnesses, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/.

Assistant City Manager Susan Price announced this week that she is retiring after an impressive 20-year career in the government sector.

“Susan is a highly respected leader and trailblazer in the field of homelessness in Orange County. Her success in this area has set a high bar throughout her tenure in Costa Mesa,” City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison said.

“Her outstanding credentials, past leadership roles and experience in the fields of public health and homelessness played a highly valued role in opening the City’s permanent Bridge Shelter, a successful collaboration with the City of Newport Beach, the Motel 6 Project Homekey collaboration with the State and County and the Network for Homeless Solutions,” Farrell Harrison continued. “I applaud her accomplishments and contributions in the region and in the City of Costa Mesa. We wish her continued success in retirement and all future endeavors.”

Price’s work in government included Community Public Health initiatives for walkability, bike-ability and community garden projects along with her decades of experience in developing and administering homeless services, housing programs and community health initiatives that continued in her role in Costa Mesa.

“Costa Mesa is such a great City, it’s been a challenging few years operating amidst the pandemic and civil/political unrest,” Price said. “I’m so proud to have been a part of this chapter where so much progress has been made. I have appreciated the opportunity working with Lori Ann and the leadership team to deliver results. I plan to continue my work on homelessness well into the future.”

Price, often referred to by the media as Orange County’s “Homeless Czar” was a perfect fit when she was hired to be the City’s second-in-command just under three years ago.

She arrived in the County of Orange in May of 2016 amid much fanfare as she had previously led successful efforts in the City of Long Beach’s Health and Human Services Department to address high-profile issues like homelessness, housing and public health.

During her tenure in Orange County she designed, developed and implemented 600 new emergency shelter beds to help address the encampment crisis, influenced a culture change in the county to effectively address homelessness across sectors and created unique strategies to effectively respond to homelessness in one of the largest counties in the country.

Price has spearheaded many capital improvement projects, tracked key legislative priorities related to the Fairview Development Center and managed complex, grant-based budgets during her career in government.

“With Susan’s departure, Nate Robbins, Costa Mesa’s Neighborhood Improvement Manager, will be assuming most of the responsibilities related to homelessness,” shared Acting City Manager Dan Stefano. “Nate and the entire team are already leaning in strong and it will be a seamless transition, as the team has been working together with Susan for the past year on these programs without pause.”

As for filling the position as Assistant City Manager, it will be filled through a formal executive recruitment process.

MEDIA CONTACT
Tony Dodero
(714) 754-5288
tony.dodero@costamesaca.gov

Finance Director Carol Molina is pleased to announce that Robert Moya, a 21-year veteran of municipal government, has been appointed as the city’s new Assistant Finance Director effective Monday Aug. 1.

Moya most recently was the Budget Manager for the City of Orange, where he held a variety of positions, including Budget Officer, Senior Administrative Analyst, Project Development Coordinator and Housing Specialist.

In his new role, Moya will assist the direction, planning and evaluation of the Finance Department, and will have oversight of the city’s budget and overall financial management functions. Some of his many duties will include supervision of staff as well as ensuring compliance and timely submission of financial reports, maintaining the City’s ledger, facilitating the preparation and review of the city’s budget, assisting the Finance Director on high priority projects, such as the Financial ERP system, and serving as Acting Finance Director when designated.

“I am humbled, excited, and grateful for the opportunity to join a City as dynamic and diverse as Costa Mesa,” Moya said. “It is truly a remarkable community, and I am looking forward to embrace the challenges and opportunities to enhance the quality of life of our residents and business community.”

Moya’s experience spans over two decades in Community Development, Economic Development, Finance, and Public Works departments. His experience in prior roles coupled with his positive attitude and strong work ethic makes Moya a solid addition to the city’s team.

Moya holds a juris doctor degree from Trinity Law School, a master’s degree in Public Administration from Cal State Long Beach and a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona.

The Costa Mesa City Council is currently seeking residents to serve on the following City Commissions and Committees:

Arts Commission: This Commission meets monthly, and consists of seven Council appointed positions. Selection for the Arts Commission will be at large, with a minimum of four Costa Mesa residents, and/or up to three non-residents. Interested candidates will be required to complete an Arts related questionnaire highlighting their individual interests and/or accomplishments related to the Arts.

The Arts Commission represents the Council’s desire for ongoing policy focus, along with responsible oversight of the City’s investments in the Arts. To align with the motto of “City of the Arts”, the City acknowledges the vital role the Arts play in the community.

The general objectives of the Arts Commission shall be to ensure that the City of Costa Mesa is a place where creativity can flourish; a place where imagination, inspiration and innovation are held in high regard; a place where Arts Education is essential to all; and a place where Arts and Culture can promote civic pride and enrich the daily lives of the Costa Mesa community. For further information, contact Arts Specialist Laurette Garner at (714) 754-5300.

Animal Services Committee: This Committee meets monthly and assists with the planning of animal related events, explores and provides recommendations to improve animal services, and promotes pet licensing within the City. The City is recruiting for two alternate members for a two-year term. For further information, please contact Recreation Coordinator Jessica Torrejon at (714) 754-5300.

Active Transportation Committee: This Committee meets monthly and assists with the review, update and implementation of the city’s Active Transportation Plan in order to make recommendations for their improvement to the City Council. The City is recruiting one regular member for a one-year term. For further information, please contact Transportation Services Manager Jennifer Rosales at (714) 754-5180.

Fairview Park Steering Committee: This Committee meets every other month and provides advice to the City Council regarding the implementation of the Fairview Park Master Plan, and impacts of Measure AA on Capital Improvement Program projects, maintenance and activities. The City is recruiting for one regular member for a three-year term, two regular members for a one-year term, one alternate member for a one-year term and one alternate member for a three-year term. For further information, please contact Fairview Park Administrator Kelly Dalton at (714) 754-5300.

Historical Preservation Committee: This Committee meets monthly and serves to maintain, preserve, educate and promote the city’s historical resources. The City is recruiting for two alternate members for a two-year term. For further information, contact Recreation Supervisor Kevin Stoddart at (714) 327-5300.

Mobile Home Park Advisory Committee: This Committee meets quarterly and addresses mobile home park issues and concerns in Costa Mesa. The City is recruiting for one independent citizen at-large for a one-year term. For further information, please contact Dan Inloes at (714) 754-5088.

Application Process – Residents who are interested in getting involved in local government are encouraged to complete a Commission/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; emailed to cityclerk@costamesaca.gov; or hand-delivered to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.

Once appointed, Commission/Committee members must complete an Oath of Allegiance, administered by the City Clerk, required by Article XX, Section 3, of the Constitution of the State of California

The deadline to submit your application is 5 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. Appointments are tentatively scheduled for the Sept. 20, 2022 City Council meeting.

MEDIA CONTACT
Tony Dodero
(714) 754-5288
tony.dodero@costamesaca.gov