HOUSING OPPORTUNITY WORKSHOP - 7/30/25

 WHAT AND WHERE?

Wednesday evening around 60 of your friends and neighbors attended the first of what is supposed to be 10 opportunities for us to express our preferences on the types of new housing being planned for Costa Mesa.  It began at 6:00 p.m. and was scheduled to run a couple hours. Seating was available for 70 and, when counting city staff and consultants, there may have been 90 souls in the Norma Hertzog Community Center.  I left shortly after 7:00.

GRUB AND KID-FRIENDLY

Refreshments were provided and there was a little table with coloring supplies for children attending.  I did see a couple children last night.

PHOTOS MAY HELP

I’ve included several photos of the evening, which might help give you a sense of the event.

THE THEME

The evening was themed “Neighborhoods where we all belong.”  

CARRIE KICKS IT OFF

Carrie Tai, our new Director of Economic and Development Services, kicked the evening off, then handed the proceedings off to representatives of the Dudek organizations - consultants for this process.  In addition to their team there were many members of the Development Services staff on hand to answer questions.  And, for the most part, there was good outreach to non-English speakers via translators - a very welcome change from years past.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS, PLUS

As anticipated, many of the usual resident activists attended this meeting to learn and opine.  I will list a few I recognized.  I saw council members Arlis Reynolds and Jeff Pettis, Planning Commission Chairman Jeffrey Harlan and current commissioners David Martinez and Angely Andrade Vallarta. Arts Commissioner Charlene Ashendorf and her hubby, Dennis were there.  Former councilman Jay Humphrey and his wife Sally were in the crowd, as was former councilwoman Wendy Leece and former Planning Commissioner Diane Russell.  Major property owner George Sakioka and current FIPAC committee member Ralph Taboada attended. Uber activists Cynthia McDonald and her hubby, Rick Huffman attended, as did my pal and super-blogger Jenn Tanaka of Goat Hill Rodeo fame.  I also saw Daily Pilot ace reporter Sara Cardine chatting with attendees and taking notes.  There were also a couple photographers scampering around, but I didn’t recognize them.

MANY NEW FACES

I was encouraged by the number of new, young faces in the small crowd last night.  After all, this will be their city and they need to express their wishes in this kind of setting.

SHORT VIDEO

Following the presentation of a short video which explained why we were there - too many people, not enough housing, and expensive housing when it is available.  We learned that Costa Mesa has 100,000 jobs, and that 7,000 were added in the last 10 years.  We were told the average home price exceeds $1,000,000 and that the average monthly rent is over $2,400.

BREAKOUT!

Following the video we were permitted to scatter around the room, view the various display boards and either affix “dots” where we could indicate choices or scribble post-it notes with suggestions/preferences.

WHAT DID THEY WANT?

Many attendees carefully crafted Post-it notes asking for things like "Affordability", 

"Safety", "Schools", "Affordable Senior Housing", "Pathway to Home Ownership", "More Light At Night For Residential", "Trees For Shade", "Mixed Use", and more.

WHAT THEN?

I was told that the information provided will be homogenized and blended with information for the remaining 9 similar opportunities for community members to gather and opine scheduled for the rest of this year.  Those meetings will take place throughout the city at different venues.  The data will then be compiled and presented to the Planning Commission and City Council sometime next year.

OBSERVATIONS

I noted with great interest that there was no mention of the Fairview Developmental Center property as an “Opportunity Site”, even though that more than 100 acre site could resolve many of our housing needs.  I also noted that only slight mention was made of the State-mandated RHNA numbers - 11,760 housing units demanded by the state for our city.  That, of course, is the prime motivator for this entire exercise.

BEEN THERE - DONE THAT

I came away with the feeling of deja vu - like we’ve been here before.  Yes, the folks from Dudek are bright and professional and have a proven system for gathering public opinion on these kind of issues.  Yes, the City Staff was helpful answering questions.  I’m concerned that this has been a long time coming and that it could get mired in the “process”, as has been the case many times in the past.  Several of us have gone through these kinds of exercises before, only to find the “progress” seemed to be slogging through quicksand.  We shall see.

AWAITING THE GOAT WRANGLER’S TAKE

I expect my pal, the Goat Wrangler, will provide us with a much better, more thorough account of this meeting.  When she does I will share the link to it on my Facebook page. 

MY OPINION?

Well, because we’re a 99% built-out city, Measure K authorizes us to re-zone certain commercial and industrial areas to accommodate housing and the ONLY way to make that work is to go UP!  (The image shown here shows those areas, although they should have used darker colors.)  Yeah, I know -  “Up” is a nasty word, but it’s a fact of life. We’re just going to have to figure out how to carefully plan for nearly 12,000 new dwelling units and the nearly 30,000 new residents they will accommodate.  Our neighbors in the City of Irvine have figured it out, which you can see in the Jamboree corridor north of the 405 freeway.  And, they’ve managed to soften the impact of big complexes by using lots of large trees! Traffic and parking will be HUGE considerations, too, as will the need for more schools, shopping areas, fire stations and police officers to keep us all safe.

FINGERS CROSSED FOR PROGRESS

In the meantime, I will keep my fingers tightly crossed that this process will move forward with quickness and, by this time next year, we will have some sense of what our city leaders plan to do on our behalf.  Of course, that will be in the middle of the runup to the 2026 municipal elections, when the balance of power on our city council could change dramatically.  As I said… we shall see.  

WATCH FOR FUTURE MEETINGS

Be alert for future similar meetings, where details can be fleshed out with consultants and staff.  It’s a chance for you to voice your opinion on what our city will look like downstream.

REMEMBERING MY "OTHER MOTHER"

MY OTHER MOTHER

I’ve written about my mother in the past, but have not specifically written about my Susie’s mother, Joan Sabina (Adams) Cunningham.  So, today, to mark her birthday, I’ll give you a little information about this very special woman in our lives.

AN ABANDONED CHILD

Joan Adams was born in Worthing, England on July 25, 1919. When her mother abandoned the family her father, traveling vaudevillian, Billy Adams, placed Joan and her brother, Ivor, in the care of the Actors Orphanage, then located in Langley.  At the time the president of that organization was legendary British actor Noel Coward.  She completed her studies until she turned 16, after which she departed and stayed with her paternal grandfather in Bath and began a career as a hairdresser.

BATH, AND DAVE

She met David Cunningham, an adventurous soul, in Bath and they became soulmates.  Sponsored by his uncle Lawrie Cunningham, a haberdasher in Oakland, CA., Dave matriculated to the United States in 1937, leaving his sweetheart at home in England.  After being an “illegal immigrant” for a couple years, he received permission to remain in the country and work.  He wrote to Joan regularly, regaling her with his adventures and begging her to join him.

IMMIGRATION

Finally, as many young people were being evacuated due to the commencement of World War II, she left England for the United States.  She traveled, as an attractive 21 year-old, via ship to the United States, all the while enjoying the attention of RAF flyers aboard traveling to learn to fly US warplanes.  She arrived in New York in November, 1940 and traveled by train to Southern California where she and Dave were married on December 7, 1940 - exactly one year before the United States joined the war.  Dave attempted to return to his native Britain to serve in the armed forces, but was rebuffed.  He joined the United States Army and briefly served in Southern California.

WHITTIER AND BEYOND

Dave and Joan first lived in Whittier, California before moving to Newport Beach in 1953, where they raised 4 children - James, Susan, Lawrence and Robert.  He was a very successful businessman, holding leadership positions in several horticultural organizations and managing a wholesale nursery.  Eventually he created his own business, D.L. Cunningham, Inc. - purveyors of top quality trees and shrubs for developers throughout the state for more than a half-century.  Although no family members remain involved, the business continues to carry on the tradition of being the gold standard for product and service today.

JOAN WAS THE ANCHOR

While Dave was building the business Joan was busy managing their household and raising 4 great kids.  She was also active in local community organizations like the Daugthers of the British Empire, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Ticktockers and National Charity League.  Both were avid tennis players and played active roles in the Adoption Guild.

CLASS PERSONIFIED

Joan was the epitome of a genteel, cultured British woman.  She was a loving, supportive wife and mother, an enthusiastic friend and volunteer and an energetic, gracious hostess.  Each of her children have her easy smile and quick humor, and learned proper decorum by her example.

TRAVEL, TRAVEL AND MORE TRAVEL

Dave and Joan were frequent travelers, usually venturing far and wide with nursery business associates.  Dave retired after bringing children Susan, Lawrie and Rob into the business.  With more leisure time their travels became more frequent and extensive.  After every trip to some exotic place they would return and exclaim that they had still not found any place better than their home.

AFTER DAVE’S PASSING

Dave passed away in 1991 and Joan continued to be the strong, loving matriarch of the Clan Cunningham until her passing on July 12, 2003.

“THE BOOK” A LEGACY

Following her passing Susie found a box which contained the small diary her father kept during his emigration to the United States plus nearly 200 letters he had written to Joan during that time, telling her of his adventures and begging her to join him.  Susie decided to transcribe them for the family.  That project evolved into a 112 page hardbound book, with every word of her father’s thoughts transcribed verbatim and included family images plus period-appropriate photos.  Each child and grandchild has a copy of that book.

HAPPY MARRIAGES AND MANY KIDS

Each of their sons found wonderful mates and each pair had three terrific kids and many of those have also had kids.  The Clan Cunningham now numbers four children (including their eldest son, Jim, who passed away in 2021), nine grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren - and counting.

REMEMBERING JOAN

Every day I see pieces of Joan in Susie’s expressions and actions.  We both see her mother when we’re around her brothers and their children.  She has left a legacy of  intelligence, civility and humor that permeates the family.  She is dearly missed.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TOWN HALL 3/31/25

TIMELY MEETING - Last night my wife and I attended the first of several Emergency Preparedness Town Halls scheduled for this spring.   This one was held at the Costa Mesa Senior Center and was 90 minutes well-spent.

SMALL TURNOUT - Once again, an important community outreach effort was sparsely attended.  From my seat I counted around 20 members of the public - outnumbered again by staff.  I hope a greater effort is made to expand outreach for the future meetings.

THE TEAM - The meeting last night was conducted by senior city staff members.  Fire Chief Dan Stefano guided the discussion.  We also heard from soon-to-retire Police Chief Ron Lawrence, Fire Marshall Jon Neal, Battalion Chief Tim Vasin, Mesa Water General Manager Paul Schoenberger and the Manager of Emergency Services, Delcie Hynes.  Also in attendance were City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, Brock Coward from her staff, City Council Members Arlis Reynolds, Andrea Marr and Mike Buley, as well as other staffers, including CMPD Public Information Officer Roxi Fyad.

THE SCHEDULE - Chief Stefano kicked thing off shortly after 6:00 p.m., gave us an overview of what was on the agenda and handed it off to Chief Lawrence to briefly address the Police Department's role in the emergency preparedness planning.  Stefano explained that, while the recent Southern California fires were catastrophic, Costa Mesa and our nearby region are more likely to be affected by an earthquake - like those experienced last week in Myanmar and Thailand.

CHIEF VASIN ON THE BATTLE - Stefano then called on Battalion Chief Tim Vasin - shown here in the center with Deputy Fire Chief Jason Pyle, and Fire Marshall Jon Neal -  who gave us a description, complete with real-time video, of his deployment as a Strike Team Commander at the Eaton Fire.  He explained in detail the frustration of not being able to save homes in a fire that was driven by hurricane force winds.  His explanation of how he and his team prioritized their actions, with Life Safety being #1, helped us grasp the situation.  While most of us have seen the videos of the Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fire that was occurring simultaneously the first week of January this year, Vasin's explanation of life on the fire line gave us a very new perspective. 

JON NEAL ON NEW FIRE MAPS AND PLANNING AHEAD - Fire Marshall Jon Neal gave us a summary of how the State Fire Maps aid in the planning for such disasters and explained the creation of brand new updates on those maps and how the use will enable homeowners to know how to "harden" their homes from fires.

STEFANO ON COSTA MESA'S PLANNING - Chief Stefano then took charge again and explained how all the City Departments work in concert when planning for these kinds of disasters.  He explained the synergy between the Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue Department and the Costa Mesa Police Department, plus other city departments like the City Manager's Office, Finance, IT, etc.  He praised the City Council and senior staff leadership for finding funding for critical equipment and creative ways to deal with these issues.  He mentioned upgraded equipment, re-building old fire stations and the creation of a new Training Center.

MESA WATER'S ROLE - Then Paul Schoenberger, General Manager of Mesa Water, stepped up and explained the role of that organization in preparation for disasters.  He told us about the sources of water provided by Mesa Water, the quality of the staff (365+ days without a lost-time accident), the maintenance of the 3383 hydrants and more than 300 miles of pipes.

DELCIE HYNES PRESENTS - Then Emergency Services Manager Delcie Hynes took over the program and provided an overview of the City's emergency preparedness plans, then circled back with greater details.  She spoke about how resources - water, food, emergency services - would be severely hampered if a big earthquake hit our area.  She spoke about the need to stockpile food and water and gather important identification paperwork for easy access.  At one point she asked how many in the audience had an emergency plan - only one person raised his hand.  She spoke about the training activities that are available - CERT, etc. - for residents of our city.  She explained, in detail, the importance of making plans.  There were several handouts available to us for our use in that process...She also explained the availability of Emergency Alerts - NIXLE and ALERT OC.  The thread throughout her presentation was PLAN - PLAN - PLAN!

Q & A - A few of us in the audience were given a chance to ask questions near the end.  Among those were planning for a Tsunami; how do we address the cost of preparedness?; the options available to us if FEMA goes away?

IMAGES - I've included many images, including photos of the slides used last night.  Take some time to view them and glean valuable information provided.  The City will review how this first meeting went and advise us of the dates and locations of future meetings on this important subject.  I'll post those dates on my Facebook page when available.

FEELING GOOD ABOUT OUR PREPAREDNESS - While most of us have not done enough to prepare our personal space in the event of a major disaster, I'm quite comfortable that our municipal team and their resources are positioned to help us survive should something happen.  We are fortunate to have outstanding staff leaders and a City Council that understands these issues and takes pro-active steps to help manage them.

A REMINDER - Almost 20 years ago, in the wake of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina, I contemplated what a major earthquake along the Newport-Inglewood Fault might do to our area.  I researched it and wrote a long essay, which I attached to my then-fledgling blog.  I present a link to that entry, which is still worth contemplating, but is out of date when you consider the population increase and changes in regional infrastructure that have happened in the last two decades.  All my numbers will be low.  Anyhow, here's the link for your reading pleasure.