Acting City Manager and Fire Chief Dan Stefano presented Senior Center Recreation Coordinator Enyelber Franco with the City Manager Leadership Award for the month of July.

“Enyelber is an excellent leader and goes above and beyond for his team,” Stefano said as he announced his award at the monthly Meet and Greet. “He is thoughtful and has contributed to the Costa Mesa Senior Center culture of working hard to serve the community and also making it a point to celebrate his colleagues’ milestones, birthdays, and successes.”

Franco, who has an associate’s degree from Santa Ana College, began his journey with the City of Costa Mesa, Parks & Community Services Department in 2014 as a Park Ambassador before being promoted as a Recreation Specialist at the Costa Mesa Senior Center in 2016. He became a full-time Recreation Coordinator in 2019, where he oversees day-to-day operations at the Senior Center.

Franco has played an instrumental role in the Senior Center’s success by implementing new programs, operations and by building a rapport with his team and seniors.

During the COVID closures, he worked tirelessly to ensure that seniors were provided essential services and also some recreation. Franco didn’t hesitate to dress up as Santa Claus to cheer seniors up while delivering meals and stockings for the Senior Center’s home meal delivery program.

Franco has a keen eye for logistics and can map out an action plan for meetings and events after a quick walk through. Franco was responsible for creating the City’s first community drive in and drive up/walk up Senior Grocery Program. His new Senior Grocery Program model was so successful that community partner Second Harvest Food Bank recommended the Costa Mesa Senior Center as a site to visit for other cities to base their program after.

Franco is the primary administrator of the Senior Mobility Program, which allows qualifying seniors to use a free taxi service anywhere in the City to get to medical appointments all over Orange County.

Due to Franco’s success of running the Senior Transportation Program and his meticulous methods of record keeping, he has been asked by OCTA on several occasions to give presentations about Costa Mesa’s successes to all providers of Senior Mobility Programs within the county.

When the City was awarded American Rescue Plan funding for Meal Gap Services in November 2021, Franco developed an action plan to utilize the funding to purchase grocery gift cards for the community in a short amount of time. He worked with the Finance Department to develop a recording keeping plan to ensure tracking of the funds and gift cards. $157,000 worth of gift cards were distributed to qualifying members of the community. In addition, $50,000 worth of shelf stable meals were distributed to the community through this program.

Enyelber not only has a passion to serve the community and his team, but also has a passion for fashion. If you are lucky enough, you will get to see his collection of cardigans, boots, and tennis shoes.

In addition to being a fashionista, Enyelber’s hobbies include cycling, watching wrestling shows, collecting pins and vinyl records, and catching the latest Marvel or Star Wars movies. He is a sports fanatic and his favorite teams include the Los Angeles Football Club, New England Patriots, Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Lakers.

Chief of Inspection Ryan Bohr was presented with the City Manager Leadership Award for the month of June at the July 14 Meet and Greet.

“Ryan goes out of his way to provide the same excellent customer experience from the City that he expected when he was working in the private sector,” said City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison. “He exemplifies leadership by his initiative, commitment to his work, can-do attitude, steadfast support of his team and exemplary solutions-oriented approach to customer service.”

In 2017, Bohr closed his private construction company to become a City Building Inspector for the City of Costa Mesa. He advanced to Senior Building Inspector and in 2021 was promoted to Chief of Inspection.

After finishing a long day in the field and in the office, Bohr works with our Fire Department to do emergency building inspections at night and on the weekends. And amid a severe staffing shortage he continued working tirelessly to ensure the City’s customers receive next day inspections throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to leading the inspections team, Bohr has taken on several difficult projects of his own– including performing building safety inspections for 20 of the newest stores in South Coast Plaza, the Anduril office headquarters located north of I-405, the Orange County Museum of Arts slated to open its doors later this year and several new housing projects including 585 Anton’s Halcyon House, Vivante’s new senior housing community and the LUXE apartments at the site of the former Costa Mesa Motor Inn.

In addition, Bohr performs building safety inspections for City projects including most recently the Lion’s Park playground and the updates to the Jack Hammett Sports Complex.

Bohr is perpetually helpful, always going above and beyond to help his customers and his colleagues to achieve their goals. Because of this – and so much more– Bohr is receiving the City Manager’s leadership award.

Bohr has an Associate’s Degree in Construction Technology and a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Psychology from UC Santa Barbara.

The City of Costa Mesa received a $1.2 million earmark in the FY 2022-23 State Budget thanks to Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris to upgrade Ketchum-Libolt Park, a City park on the Westside named after two Police Officers who died in the line of duty 35 years ago.

“Assembly Member Petrie-Norris continues to respond directly to the needs of her constituents,” Mayor John Stephens said. “Recently, her tremendous support worked to secure $2.5 million in funding to rebuild our Fire Training Center. Now she’s done it again by getting an additional $1.2 million that we will use to upgrade Ketchum-Libolt Park. We are so very grateful for her efforts to benefit our community.”

This quaint park on the City’s Westside will be expanded into the adjacent parkway area to increase the overall footprint of the park and provide additional spaces for residents to recreate. The additional amenities will include new play equipment, picnic benches, and other park features identified by the community during the City’s outreach efforts.

“I’m so proud to have secured $1.2 million in the California state budget for the City of Costa Mesa to upgrade Ketchum-Libolt Park,” said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine).  “Adding a parkway and recreation amenities is just what the residents of Westside Costa Mesa need to live well and thrive in community.”

The park’s name is a tribute to Costa Mesa Police Officers James “Dave” Ketchum and John “Mike” Libolt, who lost their lives in a March 10, 1987, helicopter crash.

The park was built in August of 2005 to pay tribute to their many years of dedication to Costa Mesa and its residents.

“This park serves a community that is very much in need of parks and open space,” City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison said. “Thanks to the $1.2 million we are receiving, children and families on the Westside will have an upgraded park to visit while honoring the memory of these two valiant men.”

A portion of the funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) has been allocated to Costa Mesa and other cities that receive HOME funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The HOME-ARP Program must primarily benefit qualifying individuals and families who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or in other vulnerable populations.

HCD administers this one-time HOME-ARP Allocation. For more information go to the City’s website here.

To provide feedback to the City on how best to use these funds, please complete a short survey.

For English survey click here.

For Spanish survey click here.

Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) announced today that Governor Newsom has signed the 2022-23 State Budget into law, securing the largest ever direct appropriation to the City of Costa Mesa of $10 million for historic investments in the City’s parks and open space.

“This is a great example of a State representative responding directly to the needs of his constituents,” Mayor John Stephens said. “Recently, Senator Min worked to get the Sustainability Decathlon in Costa Mesa. Now, his efforts to champion park equity in his district is a continuation of his unprecedented commitment to local support. We are very grateful for this funding and will put it to great use for the community’s benefit.”

The $10 million in State funding for the City of Costa Mesa will be used to make extensive upgrades at multiple popular parks and widely used open space venues including the Jack Hammett Sports Complex; TeWinkle Athletic Complex; Fairview Park; and Shalimar Park, an actively used park on the City’s Westside.

“I’m so grateful to my colleagues and the Governor for prioritizing the City of Costa Mesa’s needs in this year’s budget,” said Senator Min. “This $10 million investment will create new open spaces and provide significant improvements to existing parks. As we learned during the pandemic, access to the outdoors is so important for all Californians. These funds will help to improve quality of life for Costa Mesa families now and for generations to come.”

The landmark funding allows for a citywide overhaul of key projects aimed at improving access to open space and recreational amenities throughout Costa Mesa, including the expansion of Shalimar Park, where open space is scarce.

The State funding will help restore the Fairview Park bluffs and 30 acres of rapidly eroding cliffs and approximately 35 acres of upper mesa grasslands. Fairview Park is the City’s largest park and a regional jewel, hosting 195 acres of open space – natural area, and 13 acres of manicured landscape for a total of 208 acres. Within the 195 acres of open space there are two Nationally Registered Cultural Resource Historic Sites and five distinct habitat ecosystems which are home to many rare and endangered plant and animal species.

The funds will upgrade the athletic fields at both the Jack Hammett and TeWinkle sports facilities with LED lighting to increase total playable hours for physical fitness, recreational and competitive sports. Both parks are used extensively by youth and adult athletic programs and new LED lighting will improve environmental sustainability and increase the use of those facilities after hours.

Further, the funds will also be used for expansion and improvements to Shalimar Park, a heavily used neighborhood park on the Westside that will greatly benefit from the improved recreational opportunities.

For more information on Senator Min’s $31.75 million investment into projects in District 37, which includes the City of Costa Mesa, please click here.

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

Due to the observation of the Independence Day Holiday on Monday July 4, there will be no residential street sweeping the entire week through Friday July 8, as Costa Mesa Sanitary District also observes this holiday pushing trash collection back one day.

This results in residential gutter lines being cluttered with trash cans making it difficult for street sweeper operators to do an efficient job. Street sweeping will resume back to normal schedule starting the week of July 11.

The following are a list of task that Clean Street’s operators will be conducting next week.

1. City wide alley street sweeping
2. Sweeping of park parking lots and other city-owned facilities
3. Accident call outs and special request.
4. Night route sweeping on all arterial streets.

City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison presented the City Manager Leadership Award Winner the month of June to Police Officer Kenneth Tu.

“Officer Tu has consistently demonstrated the highest level and proficiency in his crime-fighting efforts,” Farrell Harrison said. “I’m grateful for all the dedicated officers in our Police Department and am happy to present this award to Officer Tu for his bravery and exemplary work.”

In 2021, Officer Tu located and seized three guns, a large quantity of drugs in a sales case, conducted thorough interviews, and completed investigations that rarely required any follow-up.

He was directly responsible for the arrest of a catalytic converter thief, a suspect stealing tools from a vehicle, a residential burglar, and multiple felony assault suspects.

Officer Tu embraces a leadership role amongst his peers and shares his knowledge and expertise while never hesitating to jump into action and forcing entry into a burning hotel room to rescue the arson suspect, forcing entry into several buildings to provide life-saving measures to victims, engaging in foot pursuits, and tackling and arresting felons.

Officer Kenneth Tu joined the Costa Mesa Police Department in June of 2019 as a lateral transfer from the Berkeley Police Department, where he worked as a police officer since 2007.

His last assignment at the Berkeley Police Department was as a Property Crimes Detective.

Officer Tu graduated from UCLA in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering.

On Friday June 3, Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris presented a $2.5 million check to City officials to rebuild Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue’s Station 4 and training tower into a state-of-the-art Regional Training Facility.

Mayor John Stephens, Council Member Arlis Reynolds, City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison and Chief Dan Stefano formally accepted the funds that will be used to rebuild, remodel, and upgrade the Station 4 training facility.

“Emergency preparedness is one of my top priorities,” said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris. “I am thrilled to announce that, as part of the 2021-2022 State budget, I secured $2.5 million for a new Costa Mesa Regional Fire and Rescue Training Facility. Upgrading this facility will help our first responders better serve Costa Mesa, fight fires and keep our communities safe.”

The existing building is 55 years old. The new building and training grounds will also be used by neighboring cities and agencies, hence improving the region’s preparedness to address natural disasters while leading to a more resilient and collaborative fire service.

“This approved state funding will substantially upgrade our firefighter training center,” Mayor John Stephens said. “This couldn’t come at a better time. With wildfires increasing in numbers and intensity, our fire crews frequently provide mutual aid throughout California and other states. They deserve the absolute best training facilities. I’m grateful for the advocacy and hard work of Assembly Member Petrie-Norris. Such State support for Costa Mesa’s public safety infrastructure is unprecedented.”

Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Chief Dan Stefano acknowledged the extraordinary efforts by Assembly Member Petrie-Norris to support public safety.

“This is a historic moment in time for us as we realize our dream of a new, state-of-the-art Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Regional Training Facility to completely replace and enhance our existing 55-year old training tower,” Chief Stefano said. This new ‘all-hazard, all-risk’ asset will not only serve Costa Mesa, but will also serve as an important public safety resource for our entire region. We are incredibly grateful to Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris for her leadership and valued partnership, advocating for us in Sacramento and remaining diligently focused to bring state funding directly to local government and not wavering to place the highest priority on public safety.”

The new facility bridges the gap between fire dynamics knowledge and the utilization of training building and props for hands-on fire and rescue training.

The project will use locally sourced and environmentally friendly products and materials.
One of the facets that will be incorporated includes water reclamation elements that will also be added to enhance the recovery of water that is utilized as part of training exercises. The reclamation elements will be utilized to significantly reduce water waste and provide a sustainable training option during times of drought and water conservation.

The building and training grounds will also include upgrades to the existing lighting to include energy-efficient fixtures (LEDs) and will include natural light levels. Future upgrades will incorporate elements of solar-powered backup energy to be used in case of a power outage.

Additionally, low-flow faucets and other features will be installed to promote water efficiency and conservation and will include native and drought-resistant landscapes.

Climate change and the drought conditions continue to worsen, and extreme heat incidents become more frequent and severe. More than 40 percent of Orange County is designated as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone as assessed by CalFire. The City of Costa Mesa and Orange County would greatly benefit from these upgraded facilities to manage increased demand and mitigate wildfire risk during these events.

Due to the observation of the Memorial Day holiday on Monday May 30, there will be no residential street sweeping the entire week as Costa Mesa Sanitary District also observes this holiday pushing trash collection back one day.

This results in residential gutter lines being cluttered with trash cans making it difficult for street sweeper operators to do an efficient job. Street sweeping will resume back to normal schedule starting the week of June 6.

The following are a list of task that Clean Street’s operators will be conducting next week.

1. City wide alley street sweeping
2. Sweeping of park parking lots and other city-owned facilities
3. Accident call outs and special request.
4. Night route sweeping on all arterial streets.

Applications for Costa Mesa residents who would like to request a street closure to throw a block party on Independence Day are due by Thursday, June 13.

The application packets are available online or can be requested by phone at 714-754-5300. The packets include instructions and rules and regulations governing Fourth of July block parties. Applicants will also need to show proof of liability insurance for the event.

The completed applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Thursday June 13.

To obtain an online application package, visit the City’s website here.

For phone requests, please contact City Hall at (714) 754-5300 or via email at elena.martinez@costamesaca.gov.

Completed applications can be mailed Attn. Block Parties, to PO Box 1200, Costa Mesa, 92628 or delivered in person Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to the Parks & Community Services office on the third floor of City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, 92628.

City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison presented Maintenance Supervisor Juan Santos with the City Manager Leadership Award for the month of April at the monthly employee Meet and Greet event.

“Juan is an exemplary member of our Public Services team,” Farrell Harrison said. “Whether it’s nights, weekends or holidays, he consistently mobilizes his team and the resources at his disposal to assist or address any situation within the City, regardless of whether it is a street, tree, or traffic issue; and does so with a positive attitude that resonates with his team and colleagues. I’m pleased to be able to honor Juan for his hard work and dedication to our community.”

As Maintenance Supervisor, he currently oversees the City’s street and sidewalk maintenance, street sweeping, street signs and markings, storm drains and graffiti abatement sections.

Santos exemplifies “Public Service” and “Team Work” in his everyday demeanor.  From assisting with Snoopy House, Earth Day and other special events to his response to daily maintenance issues and emergency situations during wind and rain events, he is always willing and eager to assist in any way he can. When asked to tackle a new project, his usual response, without hesitation, is “we can do that” or “we will take care of that.”

Santos left the City of Long Beach Gas Department to join the City of Costa Mesa in 2001.

He started as a part-time General Aide in Facilities and subsequently hired full time as a Maintenance Worker in 2007, assigned to the Street Section of the Division.

Santos was quickly promoted to Senior Maintenance worker a few months later.  Santos was promoted to Lead Maintenance Worker in 2009 and to Maintenance Supervisor of the Street Maintenance Section in 2018.

Public Service runs in his family.  Alexa, his wife of 34 years, has worked for the City of Garden Grove almost as long as they have been married.  His oldest daughter, Jackie, works for the Orange County Sanitation District and his middle daughter, Olivia, works for Riverside County Police and Fire Dispatch.

Based on numbers released Wednesday May 11 by the County of Orange, Costa Mesa’s extensive measures to reduce homelessness are paying dividends as the number of unsheltered homeless people living in Costa Mesa dropped by 20 percent, compared to the previous count performed in 2019.

“This is fantastic news,” Mayor John Stephens said. “I’m grateful to City staff and Mercy House for their heroic work of housing so many people despite the obstacles posed by the pandemic. Since the 2019 count, we have permanently housed a total of 215 individuals, and a Federal court order allows us to enforce laws against camping in our public spaces. Through the hard work of many and the Council’s decisive actions, we are in a much better place than we were three years ago.”

The Point in Time Count by the County of Orange is conducted biennially to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness on a given night. While the last count took place in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the 2021 count to February 22, 2022 through February 24, 2022.

Costa Mesa Outreach staff and members of the City’s Network for Homeless Solutions assisted with the count, which provides vital information that helps the City better understand homelessness and helps guide the City’s provision of services.

The positive results are attributed to several factors. First, the City Council’s will to address homelessness by creating a temporary 50-bed Bridge Shelter in April of 2019, followed by the completion of the 72-bed permanent Bridge Shelter that opened in April of 2021 on Airway Avenue.

Costa Mesa partnered with the City of Newport Beach on the permanent shelter for a more regional approach to address homelessness. “The partnership with Newport beach has been exceptional as they work with our street outreach, volunteer and housing efforts,” Assistant City Manager Susan Price said.

In addition, since 2013 the City’s Network for Homeless Solutions has developed a comprehensive response to homelessness, including street outreach, community policing, nuisance abatement, intensive case management, housing navigation and sustainability, rental assistance, workforce development, affordable/supportive housing and much more.

The Network for Homeless Solutions is a collaborative effort between multiple City departments, Mercy House and other nonprofits and faith-based organizations such as Trellis and the Lighthouse Church.

Since opening its doors in April of 2021, the permanent Bridge Shelter has assisted a total of 204 individuals with shelter and associated services, 33 of whom ended their homelessness by securing permanent housing.

To view the County of Orange’s Point in Time Count click here.