Costa Mesa Police officers recently attempted 19 residential home checks of Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS), Formal Probation and Gang Terms Probation offenders. Over the course of the evening, the team made multiple contacts, which included 21 offenders, 15 of whom were classified as being on formal supervised probation or were PRCS/Probation offenders living in Costa Mesa.

An additional six offenders on Supervised Gang Terms Probation were also contacted. The compliance checks resulted in 14 offenders being arrested for violations of conditions of their probation and/or new criminal law violations. Teams also assisted patrol on a felony battery investigation and searched a hoarder/unsafe nuisance house at 769 W. Wilson Street where they contacted 17 persons inside.

Code Enforcement will have to follow up due to numerous violations and safety issues at the home.

The public is invited to view some of Costa Mesa’s finest homes decked out for the holidays as well as the new Heroes Hall museum at the OC Fair & Event Center at the third annual Costa Mesa Home Tour on Dec. 1.

The event dubbed “Home for the Holidays” is presented by the Costa Mesa Middle and High School Foundation and takes place from 3 to 8 p.m. and will finish with a closing reception at the Room & Board store at SOCO.

Tickets to the event are $50 and proceeds will benefit high school arts programs as well as help provide transportation for Orange County students who are visiting Heroes Hall on field trips.

In addition to Heroes Hall, those taking part in the event will get to visit five local homes that are decorated for the holiday season.

Sponsors for this year’s event includes the City of Costa Mesa, Greenleaf Gourmet Chop Shop, Room & Board, Gatehouse, SOCO, Pottery Barn and realtors from RE/MAX and Star Real Estate.

For more information on the Home Tour please click here.

Below is a video of last year’s Home Tour

The OC Fair & Event Center  will celebrate the Nov. 11 Veterans Day holiday Friday with a public dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Heroes Hall veterans museum at 1 p.m. at the OC Fair & Event Center.

Heroes Hall at the OC Fair & Event Center will be a permanent, year-round museum with exhibitions, performances and educational programs that celebrate the legacy of Orange County veterans and others who have served our nation. The two-story exhibition space will rotate themes semi-annually with each focusing on an aspect of the personal stories and experiences of veterans.

The event free to the public.

The fairgrounds property was once part of the Santa Ana Army Air Base, a 1,300-plus-acre training facility active during World War II. Orange Coast College, Vanguard University, Costa Mesa High School, Davis Elementary School, Tewinkle Park and several commercial and residential areas are also on former army air base land.

The dedication ceremony will be a salute to local veterans and veterans groups including Vincent Okamoto – the most decorated Japanese American veteran of the Vietnam War and a Los Angeles Superior Court judge – and Santa Ana Army Air Base veterans.

Approved by the OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors in 2014, Heroes Hall is expected to encompass more than 12,000 square feet with indoor/outdoor exhibit space. Crews broke ground in March and the former “Memorial Gardens,” a two-story, 5,000-square-foot WWII-era building, was placed on the site in April to house exhibitions.

Crews have been diligently working on the building and the surrounding courtyard which includes a 50-foot-wide centerpiece designed after the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration that is awarded by Congress for gallantry and bravery in combat at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The City of Costa Mesa donated $50,000 toward the construction of Heroes Hall.

Attendees on Friday are also invited to attend the free Veterans + Labor Community Celebration scheduled at the OC Fair & Event Center on the same day from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Details for the community event are available here.

The Heroes Hall Veterans Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit, provides fundraising support for exhibitions, education, programs and operation. Information about how to become involved and make a contribution is available at ocheroeshall.org.

For more information about Heroes Hall  visit ocfair.com/heroeshall.

Heroes Hall is at the OC Fair & Event Center, which is located off the 405 and 55 freeways at 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa. For more information about the event center, please visit ocfair.com, become a fan on Facebook.com/OCFair, follow us at twitter.com/ocfair or call (714) 708-1500.

In a push to position Costa Mesa as a desired tourist and conference destination spot, Council Member Katrina Foley was successful in getting a Maryland-based nonprofit that advocates for children and adults with attention-deficit disorder to hold its annual conference in Costa Mesa for the first time in its existence.

One of three Keynote Speaker of the CHADD conference, which takes place Nov. 10 through Nov. 12 at the Orange County Hilton in Costa Mesa, will be renowned sports agent and high-profile Orange County leader Leigh Steinberg.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to speak to this prestigious group of professionals and parents searching for solution and treatment for the ADHD diagnosis,” Steinberg said. “ADHD diagnosed individuals can be among the most productive and impactful members of our society.”

The nonprofit conference is the annual get together of the Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or CHADD, which was founded in 1987 to help parents who have children with the disorder. The group claims up to 12,000 members nationwide.

“Organizations who choose to host conferences in Costa Mesa provide a significant impact to our city,” said Paulette Lombardi-Fries, President of Travel Costa Mesa. “Not only are they spending time in our hotels, they dine, shop and enjoy various arts and entertainment attractions only Costa Mesa offers, all of which enhances the economy and boosts tourism.”

Other keynote speakers are Luis Rohde, a Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and Sue Smalley, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at UCLA.

In addition, the attendees of the  conference will hear from some of the leaders in attention deficit disorder research, including UC Irvine Professor Jim Swanson.

“CHADD brings several experts to Costa Mesa, which provides an extraordinary opportunity to get an update this week at the 2016 Annual Meeting,” Swanson said. “In the Keynote Presentations, Research Symposia, and Workshops, some of the most credible local, national and international experts in the field will be discussing current controversies about ADHD.”

Swanson also said five groups from UC Irvine and Orange County will discuss local programs focused on a number of cutting-edge topics for innovative new treatment of ADHD.

According to the CHADD website ADHD is medically and legally recognized as a treatable yet potentially serious disorder, affecting up to nine percent of all children, and approximately four percent of adults.

The City of Costa Mesa’s second annual juried art exhibition, ARTventure, this year will feature a special tribute to coincide with Veterans Day, offering up free photographic portraits to those who served in the military.

ARTventure, which opens on Nov. 11 and runs through Nov. 13, is a fusion of art and entertainment that has expanded to two local venues at SoCo, Cisco Home and the Design Within Reach showrooms.

The Faces of Freedom project, which is run by photographer Jon Haverstick, will be on display during the ARTventure exhibit and veterans who attend on Saturday Nov. 12 can be photographed and become part of the exhibit.

“The Faces of Freedom Project is an ongoing effort to say ‘Thank You’ to the men and women of our military through the medium of portraiture,” Haverstick said in a statement.  “It features elegant black and white portraits of many of the patriots I’ve been privileged to meet over the past few years through a number of veteran outreach events.  Some are people you know. Some are homeless.  Some have passed away since their portraits were made for this project.  All have sacrificed for my freedoms.”

For the event, art is carefully paired with furniture, fixtures, and interior design elements, along with live entertainment featuring musical, theatrical, literary and culinary forms to heighten the artistic experience.

The event will begin with an opening reception and Awards Ceremony from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and that will include hors d’oeuvres and beverages and live musical performances.

Saturday’s festivities begin at 10 a.m. and run to 5 p.m. and will include a pottery demonstration by Costa Mesa High School students. Sunday’s events begin at 11 a.m. and run through 3 p.m. with a performance by the All American Boys Chorus to culminate the event.

Click here for a full schedule of events.

Raised or elevated sections of sidewalk between a half an inch and two inches in height is one of the leading causes of trip and fall accidents. In response to this, the Maintenance Services Division is expanding its sidewalk preventative maintenance program to improve the City’s walkability and decrease the City’s liability.

Beginning Monday, Oct. 24, 2016, the Penhall Co. began sidewalk grinding in the College Park tract, while City maintenance crews focus on City-owned parks and facilities.

Using this hybrid approach of in-house staff and outside contractors working simultaneously at separate locations throughout the City, it is expected that over 2,500 sections of elevated sidewalk will be ground smooth this year.

Currently work is being finished in the College Park neighborhood, at which point crews will move to the east side of Costa Mesa and work on the streets between Mesa Dr. to the north, Santa Isabel to the south, Irvine Blvd to the east and Newport Blvd to the west.

Meet 1-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix, Elli. She is a smart, energetic  and playful girl who understands all of her basic commands. She is very loving and would do best with a family that would be patient with her while she transitions into her new home.

Click here for more information on how to bring Elli home today.

On Tuesday, Nov. 1, longtime Costa Mesa resident and community volunteer Rick Kapko was presented the Mayor’s Award during the City Council Meeting.

Kapko has volunteered in the Costa Mesa community for many years, dating back to his involvement with his three sons boy scouts and youth sports. Kapko has a long list of community involvement that includes, scout leader for over 12 years, little league manger and board president, AYSO coach, Costa Mesa United Board member and Newport Mesa Schools Oversight Committee just to name a few.

Kapko is well recognized for not only his volunteer work throughout the Costa Mesa community but his leadership and integrity.

“Rick Kapko is a model Costa Mesan,” Mayor Steve Mensinger said. “For over a decade Rick has donated not only his time but himself, building and maintaining strong relationships throughout the community.” The mayor then mentioned his wife, Nancy, who also has been dedicated to the community.

“Both he and Nancy are proverbial volunteers,” Mensinger said. “They hate the limelight. They declined this award several times.”

Kapko expressed his gratitude for the honor.

“Thank you Mr. Mayor and council for this wonderful award,” he said. “It’s been a gift to be able to give back to this community.”

City of Costa Mesa staff is diligently working to facilitate a fair and impartial election process.

Today, City staff became aware of a picture that was posted on a Facebook page that was photo-shopped or altered in some method.

The picture is of a candidate for City Council and the City’s Police Chief and Fire Chief.

The altered picture now includes a campaign sign supporting certain candidates as well as a statement at the top of the picture that implies political endorsement.

To be clear, the Police Chief and Fire Chief did not approve this altered picture and they do not endorse any candidates.

The Executive Management Team of the City, including the Police Chief and Fire Chief, do not get involved in local elections or endorse candidates.

It would be inappropriate and a violation of our professional ethics to do so.

The City is asking that the individual responsible for falsely implying that the City’s Police and Fire Chiefs have endorsed any candidates to cease and desist from any further action that wrongly implies this or any similar statement.

Meet Gordy, a 2-year old Chihuahua mix who loves taking walks and exploring the world around him. He is the perfect size to be carried around and would love to relax in his new owners arms. Gordy is well-mannered, well-tempered and would make a great addition to your family, visit with him today.

Click here for more information on how to bring Gordy home today.

Costa Mesa CEO Tom Hatch presented Chief of Code Enforcement Fidel Gamboa with the CEO Leadership Award at the monthly Meet and Greet event on Thursday Oct. 27 where new employees are welcomed and new promotions celebrated.

“Controversy often accompanies the cases Code Enforcement handles,” Hatch said. “And there can be many heart breaking reasons why a resident is not complying with Code.  Fidel has honed the skill of balancing the direction of City officials and compliance with Code, while compassionately dealing with residents.”

Named Chief of Code Enforcement in February of 2015, Gamboa oversees 12 full-time and part-time Code Enforcement Officers as well as a management analyst and one support staff.

Code Enforcement is responsible for enforcing a variety of complaints including those involving dilapidated properties, group homes, and homeless matters. Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,700 cases have been opened to address complaints received from a variety of sources including the online Costa Mesa Connect and telephone hotline.

Gamboa was also instrumental in establishing the new Community Improvement Division of Development Services, providing assessments of current staffing and their deployment as well as comparing our Code and with those of other cities, formulating recommendations to improve the division where appropriate.

With the exception of a small stint at the City of Irvine, Fidel has worked for the City of Costa Mesa since 1994 as a Crime Scene Specialist in the Police Department but, primarily, in Code Enforcement since 2000.  He has a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from UC Irvine.

In addition to honoring Gamboa, CEO Hatch welcomed several new employees including, Nadia Flores, Office Specialist, City Clerk Division; Johnwilly Aglupos and Roger Rath, Assistant Planners, Development Services; Danielle Garza,  Permit Processing Specialist, Finance Department.

In the Parks and Community Services Department new employees include Geovanny Benitez  and Jordan Brucelas, Recreation Leader III; Karen Caspa, Trenton Cooper, Silvia Hernandez, Matthew Nguyen, Tu Nguyen, Sunya Ungar-Rujijanyawat Janet Zuazo, Recreation Leader, Jason Ramos, Recreation Leader IV and Paul Lopez – Maintenance Worker; and from the Police Department, Michele Wilson, Police Records Technician.

Those celebrating promotions included Heather Hamilton promoted to Management Aide in the Information Technology department and Laura Gomez and Gabriela Ruiz who were both promoted to Recreation Leader IV in Parks and Community Services.

In effort to maintain higher-quality housing stock in the City, the code enforcement/community improvement division on a regular basis addresses simple property maintenance issues such as deteriorated paint. Small improvements make a big difference.

In this example, Code officer Uriel Sanchez worked with a property owner on the 600 block of Plumer street to address some paint issues on his building. The end result was a drastic transformation not only of the building but of the attitude of the tenants and property owner.

They all agreed that the transformation brought a new sense of pride to the neighborhood which motivated the property owner to paint another building he owns in the same neighborhood.