From: Jan Harmon
To: CITY COUNCIL
Cc: CITY CLERK
Subject: The Possibility of Eliminating Public Comments Via Zoom for City Meetings Date: Sunday, June 15, 2025 9:52:23 AM
Dear City Council
I have been a resident of Costa Mesa since 1974. I am against the elimination of Zoom (and telephonic) comments for City Meetings.
The City Council Meetings begin at 6:00 pm and many people cannot make it to the meetings, Seniors and Disabled citizens especially. You must keep the ability for these people to continue to comment and ask questions if they cannot make it to the meetings physically.
Why would Mr Gamero even suggest such a thing?
Sincerely,
Jan Harmon
Costa Mesa Resident
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From: Hannah Lund
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: Opposition of Eliminating Zoom Public Comments During City Council Meetings Date: Monday, June 16, 2025 2:39:54 PM
Dear Mayor Stephens, Mayor Pro Tem Chavez, and City Council Members, Having a voice in our community is fundamental to not only making sure that decisions can be made in the best interest of a wide range of groups, but it is fundamental to ensuring a democratic process. That is why I'm writing to ask you to please reconsider eliminating the Zoom public comment option from future city council meetings. Technology, such as the Zoom virtual conference platform, has provided greater access and opportunities for civic engagement to many people who would otherwise be unable to participate due to a lack of transportation, physical impairment, work or school schedules, or other challenges.
Eliminating this option would directly conflict with Costa Mesa's commitment to diversity, limiting the civic participation of different groups.
The first city council meeting I went to was during high school (proud Costa Mesa High School alumna!) and I remember thinking how great and considerate it was to have the option of public comment via Zoom. Now as a Student Senator at Orange Coast College, I am pleased that all student government meetings offer public comment via Zoom as well. It would be an utter shame to abolish this valued facet of Costa Mesa's community.
Please don’t stop Costa Mesa residents and businesses from providing meaningful feedback by moving forward with eliminating virtual public comment.
I strongly urge you to consider the aforementioned reasons when making your decision regarding this matter.
Sincerely,
Hannah Lund
Costa Mesa Resident & Student at Orange Coast College
(949) 205-6792
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From: Christian Lopez
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: Regular City Council Meeting 06/17
Date: Monday, June 16, 2025 1:36:34 PM
Good evening Mayor, Council Members, and staff,
My name is Christian Lopez and on behalf of Resilience O.C. and Costa Mesa Unidos, we want to express our opposition to the proposed agenda item that would eliminate the use of Zoom as a tool for providing public comment during City Council meetings. Although this agenda item has since been removed, we oppose any future attempts that look to reduce the public's participation in civic matters and strongly encourage the council to otherwise look to see how it could support civic engagement, including providing live Spanish interpretation on Zoom.
Since its implementation, remote participation through Zoom has dramatically expanded public access to civic engagement. It allows parents, caregivers, seniors, people with disabilities, working residents, and those without transportation to participate in their government—something that should be encouraged, not taken away.
I want to especially emphasize the harmful impact this change would have on our immigrant communities. Many residents—whether due to language barriers, fear of discrimination, work schedules, or immigration status— already face systemic obstacles to public participation. For these community members, Zoom provides a safer, more accessible way to engage without the added pressure or risk that sometimes comes with being physically present in a public space.
Removing this access would be a step backward. It would disproportionately affect those who are already underrepresented in the political process and effectively create unnecessary barriers to public participation. We’ve seen over the past few years how technology can be used to make government more inclusive. We are happy to see that this item is no longer being discussed and encourage council members and staff to implement ways that promote public participation for all members of the community.
Thank you,
Christian Lopez
Pronouns: (He/Him)
Tenant Rights Organizer
Resilience Orange County
www.resilienceoc.org
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 714-202-6378
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From: Tristan Miller
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: Item 4- DISCUSS THE POSSIBILITY OF ELIMINATING PUBLIC COMMENTS Date: Monday, June 16, 2025 10:03:07 AM
Dear City Council,
Our family and business oppose eliminating virtual public comments via Zoom. Eliminating Zoom comments restricts participation, especially for those who work long hours at home, run businesses, attend school, or lack access to transportation.
This will limit and make it impossible for many constituents to provide valuable feedback to the City Council, which was elected by residents from all backgrounds and allows for residents — who are taking time away from working and caring for their businesses and families — to be involved.
This new business item can only be seen as a way to eliminate public comments, and there are so many items that come before the City Council that deserve constituent input.
Thank you for sharing with the City Council,
Tristan Miller
Business Owner and Parent of three kids
member CRP OC, CCL, community volunteer
New Business
Item 4- DISCUSS THE POSSIBILITY OF ELIMINATING PUBLIC COMMENTS
VIA ZOOM FOR CITY MEETINGS
25-336
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From: mark hadleytow.net
To: STEPHENS, JOHN; CHAVEZ, MANUEL; PETTIS, JEFF; MARR, ANDREA; GAMEROS, LOREN; BULEY, MIKE; REYNOLDS, ARLIS; CITY CLERK
Cc: URUETA, STEPHANIE; office hadleytow.com
Subject: Urgent: Final Protest of RFP No. 25‑17 — Request to Postpone Award Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 2:44:39 PM
Attachments: Outlook-hadley_tow.png
From: Mark Hassan, CEO
Hadley Tow Costa Mesa (F.M.G. Inc.)
[email protected] | (562) 824‑9759
Date: June 16, 2025
Dear Mayor Stephens and City Council Members,
Hadley Tow Costa Mesa respectfully submits this final protest regarding the award of contract for RFP No. 25‑17: Police Towing Services set for Council approval on June 17, 2025.
We are one of only four proposers and have a long-standing record of law enforcement towing services, including AAA contract work and agency partnerships with CHP, Whittier PD, Fontana PD, Brea PD, and Glendale PD. Given our qualifications and performance history, we were surprised to receive a significantly lower evaluation without explanation.
On April 17, Hadley Tow submitted a formal letter of protest following the City's initial scoring notice (April 2). On April 28, Stephanie Urueta invited us to meet with CMPD staff. Regrettably, her email was filtered into spam and went unnoticed until May 18, well past the requested May 1 response deadline. As soon as we discovered it, we immediately attempted to reconnect, but received no further response from Ms. Urueta.
Subsequent calls were left unanswered despite multiple attempts, and only this morning did we learn that emails from [email protected] had been blocked by Ms.
Urueta herself.
This series of missed communications prevented us from engaging in a clarifying discussion or addressing concerns. To date, we have received no written response to our April 17 protest, and no acknowledgement of our repeated outreach attempts. This outreach of miscommunication has even prolonged until today, my unanswered phone calls and emails up until this very moment as I keep repeatedly trying.
In light of these facts, we respectfully request that:
The Council postpone approval of the contract until our protest is fully addressed and unresolved procedural issues are rectified.
Hadley Tow be granted a fair opportunity to engage in a meeting with CMPD staff and receive a written response to our protest.
We appreciate your attention to these serious concerns and believe that fair and transparent evaluation is essential to uphold the integrity of the RFP process.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Mark Hassan
CEO/President
11819 Hadley St.
Whittier, CA 90601
(562) 824-9759- 24 Hours
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