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We are Costa Mesa A network of residents and business owners who care about our city. The page is dedicated to community news, pictures and events that highlight improvement.

We are your neighbor, your friends, your local business owner, your teacher. REMINDER ***NO ADVERTISING (SPAM), PETTY POLITICS, FUNDING REQUESTS, INSULTING MEMBERS, CUSSING (BAD LANGUAGE), OR FIGHTING!!!*** PLEASE KEEP IT CLEAN, RESPECT OTHERS. IF YOU THINK OF VIOLATING THIS POLICY YOU WILL BE BANNED!!!..THANK YOU

Who’s running in District 3? Daniel Morgan and Cara Stewart sat down with Goat Hill Rodeo to talk about Fairview, housin...
10/07/2026

Who’s running in District 3? Daniel Morgan and Cara Stewart sat down with Goat Hill Rodeo to talk about Fairview, housing, traffic, and why they’re running. Swipe to see where they stand.

Ballots are in the mail. Hear the full conversations at Goathillrodeo.com. We’ll put the link in our bio.

Ballots for the Nov. 3 general election are in the mail to Orange County voters, sent starting Oct. 5. The last day to r...
10/06/2026

Ballots for the Nov. 3 general election are in the mail to Orange County voters, sent starting Oct. 5. The last day to register is Oct. 19. After that, same-day registration is available at vote centers through 8 PM on Election Day. Select vote centers open Oct. 24, and all open Oct. 31. Return your ballot by mail (postmarked by Nov. 3), at any drop box, or at a vote center by 8 PM Nov. 3, and track it at ocvote.gov/track.

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: VOTE NO ON MEASURE CThe Orange County Register Editorial Board is urging Costa Mesa voters to re...
10/05/2026

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: VOTE NO ON MEASURE C

The Orange County Register Editorial Board is urging Costa Mesa voters to reject Measure C, the city’s proposed business license tax increase.

Measure C would change a business tax structure that has been in place since 1985 and is projected to bring approximately $5.6 million per year into the city’s general fund.

Under the proposal, businesses with more than $500,000 in annual revenue would begin paying based on their gross receipts.

But the Register argues the bigger issue is Costa Mesa’s fiscal record.

According to the California Policy Center’s Fiscal Health Dashboard, Costa Mesa received a “D” grade for fiscal health from 2022 through 2025. Former State Senator John Moorlach has also pointed to Costa Mesa as consistently ranking near the bottom among Orange County cities for fiscal health.

The Register Editorial Board argues that before asking local businesses for more money, City Hall should demonstrate greater financial discipline:

“Measure C is simply another liability dumped onto contributing members of society by a government that refuses to live within its means.”

Local businesses are already dealing with higher labor, operating, regulatory, and other costs. Now voters are being asked whether City Hall should collect millions more from them each year.

The Orange County Register’s recommendation: NO on Measure C.

🗳️ Election Day is November 3

09/29/2026

Voters passed Measure K on November 8, 2022. It lets the city allow housing on certain commercial and industrial land. Last night the Planning Commission recommended the zoning package that carries that out.

The package covers more than the sites on the city’s housing-element list. It sets citywide design rules for apartment and mixed-use buildings, and it drops minimum parking requirements for residential properties.

The vote was 3 to 1. Commissioner Dixon voted no. He wanted the rezoning limited to housing-element sites, the land the city has to rezone to meet state housing law. The other three backed the staff package, which also takes in the rest of the Measure K sites.

City Council hearings on this package are scheduled for October 6 and October 20, with final adoption expected October 20. Nothing changes until the Council votes.

Big night for Costa Mesa housing. Tonight at 6 PM, the Planning Commission takes up the citywide Measure K rezoning, whi...
09/28/2026

Big night for Costa Mesa housing. Tonight at 6 PM, the Planning Commission takes up the citywide Measure K rezoning, which will shape where new homes can go and what they look like.

Not sure what zoning, RHNA, or a density bonus means? Swipe through for a plain-English guide.

City Council Chambers, 77 Fair Drive. Public comment is open to everyone, and you can speak for up to 3 minutes. You can also watch live on Costa Mesa TV or at youtube.com/costamesatv.

09/17/2026

Huge Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke out, and packed City Hall on Tuesday!

Because residents got involved, the City Council backed away from the 4,000 unit FDC plan, capped it at 2,300 units, increased open space, and removed the golf course road from the current plan.

But this fight is not over yet.

City staff has already said 2,300 units with the required affordable housing is not financially feasible, and the City’s own traffic analysis said a second access road would still be needed at 2,300 units.

The State also owns the property, meaning these issues could come right back as the project moves forward.

This is what happens when we organize around the issues that matter to them: City Hall has to listen.

Thank you, Costa Mesa. Stay involved.

FAIRVIEW DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER VOTE TONIGHT.The Council votes on the Fairview Developmental Center plan at 6 PM, hearings...
09/15/2026

FAIRVIEW DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER VOTE TONIGHT.

The Council votes on the Fairview Developmental Center plan at 6 PM, hearings begin at 7. This is one of the last real chances to speak before density, traffic, and open space decisions on this 110-acre site get locked in.

If you can make it, come fill out a speaker card. Even two minutes matters.

📍 City Hall Council Chambers, 77 Fair Drive
🗓️ TONIGHT • 6:00 PM

Tomorrow night, the Costa Mesa City Council votes on the Fairview Developmental Center plan, up to 4,000 new units on a ...
09/14/2026

Tomorrow night, the Costa Mesa City Council votes on the Fairview Developmental Center plan, up to 4,000 new units on a single 110-acre site, with only two roads in or out, both onto an already-busy Harbor Blvd.

The City’s own traffic study says intersections fail without funded improvements. And in the City’s own 2024 survey, two thirds of residents said they wanted a lower-density, better-planned alternative.

We support housing at Fairview. We don’t support maxing out density on a site with this many unresolved traffic and safety questions.

Show up, fill out a speaker card, and tell the Council what you think before they vote.

📍 City Hall Council Chambers, 77 Fair Drive
🗓️ Tuesday, Sept 15 • 6:00 PM (hearings begin at 7:00 PM)

Costa Mesa’s cannabis shops have generated $8.5 million in tax revenue since sales began, and $842,000 of that is sittin...
09/10/2026

Costa Mesa’s cannabis shops have generated $8.5 million in tax revenue since sales began, and $842,000 of that is sitting in a fund originally earmarked for first-time homebuyer grants. This week, the City Council still couldn’t agree on what to do with it.

The idea, dating back to 2021’s Measure Q, was to use a slice of cannabis tax revenue to help residents with down payments or closing costs. But with Costa Mesa’s median home price now at $1.4 million, a one-time grant of $25,000-$35,000 would barely make a dent for most buyers.

Council options on the table: launch the homebuyer grant pilot anyway, shift the money into the city’s Housing Trust Fund, or redirect it to the general fund. For now, they’ve decided to do none of the above and just let the fund keep growing.
Even Mayor John Stephens, who’s leaving the council in December, admitted the program he envisioned, cutting checks to local families, isn’t going to happen before his term ends.

Measure C is on Costa Mesa’s November 3 ballot, and it could significantly change what local businesses pay to operate i...
09/09/2026

Measure C is on Costa Mesa’s November 3 ballot, and it could significantly change what local businesses pay to operate in the city.

The measure would replace the city’s current max $200 annual business license tax with a revenue based system that could reach as high as $15,000 for some businesses.

With empty storefronts along Harbor Boulevard and local businesses already raising concerns about permitting delays, is now the right time to increase the cost of doing business in Costa Mesa?

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