Public Comments — Costa Mesa City Council, September 16, 2025

From: MUNOZ, SANDY
To: GREEN, BRENDA; TERAN, STACY
Subject: FW: Regarding New Business Item #3 - Endemic Environmental Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 11:42:15 AM
Importance: High

From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 11:18 AM
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: Regarding New Business Item #3 - Endemic Environmental Importance: High

Dear Mayor and City Council Members,

I respectfully request that the Council postpone awarding the $1.44 million restoration contract for Fairview Park (Item 3, September 16 New Business) until after the Fairview Park Master Plan is presented and the community has had an opportunity to review and comment.

I have lived in Costa Mesa for over 55 years and have seen how civic trust erodes when major decisions appear disconnected from broader planning. Delaying the contract would allow the restoration scope to be fully aligned with the Master Plan, reduce the risk of costly rework, and increase public confidence through a transparent, integrated process. A brief postponement could also identify opportunities for cost savings and ensure the restoration supports long‑term park objectives and community priorities.

Please consider directing staff to defer contract award until after the Master Plan public presentation and a public comment period has closed. Thank you for considering this step to promote transparency, fiscal prudence, and greater community trust.

Sincerely, John Rittenhouse

From: MUNOZ, SANDY
To: GREEN, BRENDA; TERAN, STACY
Subject: FW: Please Vote No on New Business Agenda Item 3 – Fairview Park Mesa Restoration Project Date: Monday, September 15, 2025 12:09:49 PM
From: Andreas Arpiarian <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2025 9:18 AM
Subject: Please Vote No on New Business Agenda Item 3 – Fairview Park Mesa Restoration Project

Dear Council Members,
Please vote no on New Business Agenda Item 3: Professional Services Agreement with Endemic Environmental Services Inc. for the Fairview Park Mesa Restoration Project.

Below are several reasons why this proposal does not make sense for Costa Mesa:

1. Negative Impacts on the Community
Approving this item will harm many residents of Costa Mesa as well as visitors to Fairview Park. Specifically, it calls for fencing off large areas of the north mesa that contain small trails highly valued by the community.

City staff did not collect community input on this project.

Impacts, particularly negative ones, on the community are not considered in the staff report.

Input from the Parks and Community Services Commission and the Fairview Park Steering Committee is not included.

There is no evidence that staff evaluated how youth, families, and seniors currently use the areas proposed for closure.

2. Premature Decision Before the Master Plan Revision
This item should be considered only after City Council has reviewed and provided direction on the upcoming Fairview Park Master Plan Revision.

The draft Master Plan Revision is scheduled to come before Council on September 16, 2025.

Staff’s proposed “temporary fencing” is likely to become permanent. The Fairview Park Master Plan Revision Technical Reports already recommend protective fencing around the entire mesa. This would permanently close many small trails and eliminate activities currently enjoyed outside of sensitive areas.

Many residents have voiced and will continue to voice opposition to extensive fencing during the Master Plan Revision process.

Extensive fencing prevents open play, which the community needs more than ever.

3. Restore Only the Minimum Required Acreage
The City does have contractual obligations under the 2011 OCTA Environmental Mitigation Program. However, those obligations do not require restoration in this part of Fairview Park, nor do they require restoration beyond the minimum acreage.

The City is required to restore 9.5 acres, yet staff is proposing 15.35 acres, which is 162% of the required amount.

This unnecessary expansion adds cost and increases negative impacts on residents.

Staff should locate a less utilized portion of Fairview Park for restoration. There are areas that are barren and not used by the community.

4. Significant Change Requiring a Public Vote under Measure AA Issuing this contract constitutes an “expansion or intensification of use,” which Measure AA defines as a “Significant Change” requiring a citywide vote.

This proposal benefits one group—those involved in restoration activities—while disadvantaging others who value the openness and small trails.

Measure AA allows an exception to the citywide vote requirement for minor restoration projects. However, that exception was not intended to permit sweeping, community- impacting changes in the name of restoration.

To make large, impactful changes without a citywide vote ignores both the intent and the clear language of Measure AA.

Conclusion
All Costa Mesa residents and the surrounding community should be able to enjoy the city’s remaining open spaces. The City has a responsibility to balance the needs and desires of all groups that care about Fairview Park. The staff recommendation would turn open space— much of it currently outside environmentally sensitive areas—into fenced-off zones.

Please vote no, or amend this item, so that the community can continue to use the north mesa of Fairview Park for peace, recreation, and open space. Closing large, well-used areas of the park does not serve Costa Mesa or its residents.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Andreas Arpiarian
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From: kari nieblas
To: STEPHENS, JOHN; CHAVEZ, MANUEL; PETTIS, JEFF; MARR, ANDREA; GAMEROS, LOREN; BULEY, MIKE;

REYNOLDS, ARLIS
Cc: CITY COUNCIL; CITY CLERK
Subject: 9/16/25 City Council Agenda, New Business Item #3 - please deny new permanent fencing in Fairview Park Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 8:27:52 AM
Dear City Council,
Please deny approval of the professional services agreement (PSA) proposed as part of Item #3 on tonight’s Agenda.

The Project would permanently fence-off Park area from recreational use The PSA would engage Endemic Environmental Services (Endemic) to perform habitat restoration and monitoring services at Fairview Park for 7 years. It would also permanently fence-off a large area of Fairview Park from community/recreational use.

The Mesa Restoration Project Map shows that Endemic would install 6,400 feet of “Temporary Fence” surrounding a large area of the north part of the Park (the north mesa). (Attachment 1). This includes many small trails and the dirt mounds frequently used for recreation by Park visitors.

The proposed PSA provides the objective to restore habitat within the area, and then replace the temporary fence with “a permanent fence” to “protect the restored habitat from recreational impacts….” (Attachment 3, p. 5, Objective 2.2).

The Project requires approval under Measure AA
Newly restricting use of this large area of the Park would be counter to the intent and the letter of voter- approved Measure AA. The purpose of Measure AA is to “[k]eep Fairview Park as a natural and open space….” (emph. added), and to ensure that Costa Mesa officials and citizens have a voice in any “development or change” to Fairview Park (emph. added). (Costa Mesa Municipal Code (CMMC) §12-86).

More specifically, Measure AA requires that any “significant change to Fairview Park” must be approved by the City Council and the City voters. (CMMC §12-89).

Building “permanent structures” is a “significant change” under Measure AA. (CMMC §12-87 [“‘Significant change’ means (1) Any of the following activities within Fairview Park:… h. Building of permanent structures;….”).

The proposed fencing is a permanent “structure” which requires approval under Measure AA. (CMMC §12-87 [A "[s]tructure" is "installed on, above or below ground" and specifically includes "poles"]; see also, e.g., 14 Cal. Code Regs. §15303(e) [“fences” are accessory "structures" under California regulations]).

While Measure AA does not apply to significant changes for “restoration purposes”, this Project isn’t limited to restoration. Instead, the addendum describes this as the “Fairview Park Coastal Sage Scrub and Flower Fields Habitat Restoration and Enhancement
Project” (Attachment 2, p.3 [emph. added]). As
described in the addendum, the proposed Project is designed to fulfil the City’s conservation and preservation commitments, and
to implement “voluntary habitat restoration and enhancement initiatives to augment the conservation value of the site.” (Attachment 2, p. 3 [emph. added]). The point being that the Project goes beyond “restoration” – to “enhancement” and newly converts existing Park recreation/habitat areas into only habitat.

The Addendum does not consider the Project’s recreational impacts The “Fairview Park Master Plan IS/MND (1997) Addendum to the File” (Addendum) finds no significant impacts to protected species resulting from the proposed Project. (Attachment 2, p. 10). However, the Addendum’s description of the proposed Project does not describe the 6,400' of permanent fencing (Attachment 2, p. 3), and the Addendum also fails to consider any impacts to recreation (which would occur with installation of the proposed fencing).

Conclusion
Please deny the approvals recommended in Item 3. If the item is brought back for future consideration, the Addendum should describe the fencing and consider the recreational impacts, and the Project should be agendized as a significant change that restricts recreation in Fairview Park and requires approval under Measure AA.

Thank you.

Kari
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From: MUNOZ, SANDY
To: GREEN, BRENDA; TERAN, STACY
Subject: FW: No on New Business Item #3
Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 8:20:40 AM
From: Lee Whittington <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2025 6:34 PM
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: No on New Business Item #3

I will not be able to make the City Council meeting on the 16th but wanted to voice my thoughts on Business Item #3. I believe the approval of the proposal for the restoration project with Endemic Environmental will significantly limit many of the activities that Fair View Park provides for and that Costa Mesa residents have come to enjoy.

Fairview Park is a treasure within Costa Mesa, providing for numerous community activities including bird watching, hiking, mountain biking, BMX riding, Concerts in the Park, and RC glider flying. The diversity of activities is unrivaled by other nearby community parks and makes Fairview Park so special and unique. I've enjoyed all of these activities (except BMX riding ). I love that I can go birdwatching, mountain biking, hiking, and gliding on various Saturday mornings all within the same location! As a retired Boeing aerospace engineer, I also love seeing younger generations develop a love of nature and aviation at Fairview Park.

My concern is that the restoration project with Endemic Environmental will include fencing off parts of the north mesa, closing access to some hiking and mountain bike trails, bike mounds, Concerts in the Park and the RC glider flying field. The significant diversity of activities that Fairview Park currently provides will become much more limited. I encourage the City Council to keep the incredible balance of nature and recreational activities that Fairview Park currently provides intact and vote No on New Business Item #3.

Regards,

Lee Whittington

From: MUNOZ, SANDY
To: GREEN, BRENDA; TERAN, STACY
Subject: FW: Sept 16 council meeting
Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 10:20:28 AM
Attachments: Letter to City Council - 2025-08-05 New Business Item 3.pdf From: Mike Costello <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 15, 2025 5:01 PM
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: Sept 16 council meeting

Dear council members,

I am forwarding to you a letter my friend Mat Garcia wrote, as he said everything I want to say and he said it better than I could. Please vote against New Business Item 3.

--
Thanks,
Mike

Mike Costello
714-875-7994
[email protected]

From: Mat Garcia
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: Fw: August 5, 2025 Council Meeting - New Business Item 3 - Endemic Environmental PSA Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 10:35:19 AM
Attachments: Letter to City Council - 2025-08-05 New Business Item 3.pdf Hi City Clerk,
Please record this email and the attached letter as part of the public record for tonight's city council meeting for New Business Item 3.

Thank you,
Mat Garcia
From: Mat Garcia <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, August 4, 2025 13:09
To: CITY CLERK <[email protected]>
Subject: Fw: August 5, 2025 Council Meeting - New Business Item 3 - Endemic Environmental PSA

Hi City Clerk,
Please record this email and the attached letter as part of the public record for tomorrow's city council meeting for New Business Item 3.

Thank you,
Mat Garcia
From: Mat Garcia <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, August 4, 2025 12:59 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>; GRUNER, BRIAN <[email protected]>
Subject: August 5, 2025 Council Meeting - New Business Item 3 - Endemic Environmental PSA

Dear Council Members,
Please see the attached letter urging you to vote no on New Business Agenda Item 3 regarding the Professional Services Agreement with Endemic Environmental Services Inc. for the Fairview Park Mesa Restoration Project.

Key concerns include:

Lack of community input
Premature action ahead of the pending Fairview Park Master Plan Revision (draft due Sept. 16)
Overreach in restoration area—162% of what is contractually required by OCTA Negative impacts on park access and use, especially for families, youth, and seniors Potential Measure AA violations due to permanent fencing and significant changes without a public vote
The proposal threatens to eliminate cherished open space and recreational trails without proper community engagement. I respectfully ask that this item be rejected or significantly amended to protect public access and balance diverse community interests.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Mat Garcia
Costa Mesa Resident
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August 4, 2025
Dear City Council Members,
Please vote no on New Business Agenda Item 3 - PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH ENDEMIC ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES INC. FOR THE FAIRVIEW PARK MESA RESTORATION PROJECT, etc. Here are some reasons why it does not make sense for Costa Mesa.

1. Approving this item will negatively impact many residents of Costa Mesa and visitors to Fairview Park. Speciﬁcally, fencing oƯ large areas of the north mesa that contain small trails that are highly valued by the community.
a. StaƯ did not collect community input on this project. b. Impacts, especially negative impacts, to the community are not factored in by staƯ.
c. Input from Parks and Community Services Commission or the Fairview Park Steering Committee is not present in the staƯ report.
d. No evidence of staƯ consideration given to how the community, especially the youth, families, and seniors, uses the current areas which are proposed to be closed.

2. This item should be considered only after the City Council has had the opportunity to weigh in and provide direction on the Fairview Park Master Plan Revision, which the draft is coming to Council soon.
a. The Draft Master Plan Revision is tentatively scheduled to come to Council on September 16, 2025.
b. The staƯ proposed temporary fencing will lead to permanent fencing. And that is not what many in the City want.
i. While the staƯ report’s map for this item speciﬁcally uses the term “temporary fencing” to close oƯ the areas to be restored, the Fairview Park Master Plan Revision Technical Reports [posted on the City’s website] recommend that “protective fencing should be installed along the perimeter of the [entire] Mesa” (source 2023 Vegetation Map and Habitat Restoration Opportunities for Fairview Park - LandIQ Technical Report p. 14 of 283) which will be permanent fencing leading to closure of many existing small trails and activities (which exist outside of environmentally sensitive areas of the park, see Figure 2) that currently are enjoyed by many residents of Costa Mesa and the surrounding communities.
ii. Many residents have already and will speak out against proposed extensive fencing oƯ of Fairview Park during the Master Plan Revision process.
iii. Extensive fencing prevents open play which is needed more than ever.

3. Only perform the minimum, contractually required acreage restoration. a. Understanding that the City has contracted obligations to fulﬁll the 2011 OCTA Environmental Mitigation Program, the City is not required to fulﬁll that obligation in this location of Fairview Park and the City is especially not obligated to restore additional acreage beyond what is required by the OCTA Contract. This only adds cost and, in this location, increases the negative impact to residents.
b. The City is required to provide 9.5 acres of restoration to fulﬁll their contracted obligations, but staƯ is choosing to provide 15.35 acres of restoration. That is 162% of the area that is required. c. Please have staƯ locate an area of Fairview Park that is less utilized by the community. There are portions of the park that are barren and are not utilized by the community.

4. The issuance of this contract is an “expansion or intensiﬁcation of use” which Measure AA speciﬁcally deﬁnes as a “Signiﬁcant Change” requiring a vote of the Costa Mesa Electorate.
a. This item is an expansion and intensiﬁcation of use that is favored by and beneﬁts one group of the community over others. Speciﬁcally, people that actively participate in the maintenance and ‘restoration’ activities stand to beneﬁt from this item, while people that enjoy the openness and small trails stand to lose.
b. Measure AA’s purpose is to give the voters of Costa Mesa a voice in large changes to Fairview Park. Measure AA provides for an exception to the City- wide vote for Signiﬁcant Changes requirement if the Signiﬁcant Change is for restoration purposes (Section 6). However, Section 6 of measure AA is meant to allow regular and needed, small project restorations to occur without having to endure the cost and time of a City-wide vote, not to allow major, community impacting changes to Fairview Park in the name of ‘restoration’ .

To make large, impactful changes to Fairview Park without a City-wide vote is to ignore the intent and the ﬁrst ﬁve and a half pages of Measure AA.

All residents of Costa Mesa and the surrounding community should be allowed to enjoy the remaining open spaces of Costa Mesa, and the City should balance the uses and desires of all groups that have interest in protecting Fairview Park. The staƯ recommendation turns open space (much of which is currently outside of deﬁned environmentally sensitive areas of the park) into fenced-oƯ environmentally sensitive areas. Please vote no or amend this item so that the community can continue to utilize the north mesa of Fairview Park to ﬁnd solitude and peace in the open spaces that remain. Closing oƯ large areas of some of the most actively used portions of the park does not help the City of Costa Mesa or its residents.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Mat Garcia
Resident of Costa Mesa

Figure 1. Map from the staƯ report showing proposed restoration area.

Figure 2. Map showing the west side of Fairview Park’s environmentally sensitive or restricted areas identiﬁed by the City in 2023. This map is currently posted on the City’s website. (https://www.costamesaca.gov/community/fairview-park/model-aircraft-permits)

Figure 3. Small trails on the north mesa will be closed, likely forever, within the areas identiﬁed to be fenced oƯ (most of the area in the green box).

From: Benjamin Tigner
To: CITY COUNCIL; CITY CLERK; FVPMP; DALTON, KELLY M.; GRUNER, BRIAN Subject: Please Vote NO on Agenda Item 3, Sept 16, 2025 Council Meeting Date: Monday, September 15, 2025 4:47:05 PM
Dear Mister Mayor, Members of the City Council, and Costa Mesa City Staff:

I write today in support of the Harbor Soaring Society (HSS) and their efforts to retain access to the flying field at Fairview Park.

I am urging the city not to accept City Staff’s recommendations regarding Agenda Item 3 during the Sept 16, 2025, Council meeting (recommendation to enter into a professional services agreement with Endemic 25-425 Environmental Service, Inc). Acting on this recommendation is not in the City’s best interest.

HSS’s use of the Fairview Park flying field is part of the broad benefit that the park’s current multi-purpose use brings to Costa Mesa. As it currently operates, Fairview Park is an asset to the entire community, balancing public recreation with nature conservation in a thoughtful, rational way.

HSS’s use of the flying field, in particular, supports Costa Mesa youth access to STEM- related mentoring while creating little to no negative impact on the Park’s natural environment. HSS’s extremely light footprint is a credit to its disciplined membership and their responsible stewardship of the land around the field. Unlike many other park users, they release no toxic chemicals, use no carbon-based fuels, make very little noise, operate only when/where they are approved by the city, meanwhile providing educational opportunities to the city’s entire youth population. Costa Mesa should be encouraging more organizations like HSS to enrich the community by providing access to low-environmental-impact STEM-based activities. Access to model aircraft, and appropriate areas to operate them, was an important part of my development as an engineer; please do not deprive Costa Mesa youth of this opportunity.

I urge you to follow HSS’s recommendations, summarized below:

1. Do not fence off more sections of Fairview Park. Especially ones with small trails that large amounts of the community use and enjoy.

2. Select a different area for restoration. There are many options in Fairview Park.

3. Move this item to after the Fairview Park Master Plan Revision topic is completed so that Council can give direction on the entire park before signing a $1.44M, 7- year commitment.

4. Stop accepting mitigation grant or off-set grant funds so that the City of Costa Mesa maintains control of Fairview Park.

5. Do NOT restore the optional acreage but only restore the OCTA contracted minimum amount of acreage in an area that is not the mesa.

Thank you for your thoughtful attention to this issue!
Best regards,

-Ben Tigner
Business Operator, Engineer, Entrepreneur
(949) 813-9405
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Dear Mayor Stephens and City Council Members,
Fairview Park Alliance is writing to you urge you to VOTE YES on Agenda Item #3 under New Business – Endemic Environment Contract for the mesa restoration in Fairview Park.

Here are some good reasons to pass it:

1. It would allow an update to the 1997 Study acknowledging the Crotch’s Bumble Bee and Western Burrowing Owl’s existence in Fairview Park.

2. It would finally start the long-term restoration that the community has been waiting for in the Fairview Park Master Plan since 1998. (FPMP p.38,42) (see FPMP link below)

3. It would provide a designated trail system. (see FPMP link below)

4. It would allow the cultural resources to be protected. (see FPMP link below)

5. It would meet the city’s obligation to OCTA and its Environmental Mitigation Program. (see staff report link below)

6. It is exactly what Measure AA was written for and complies fully with Measure AA. (see Measure AA (Ordinance 16-17) link below

7. It acknowledges the unique natural and archaeological park that only Costa Mesa has.

I saw an email sent to all of you dated Aug. 4, 2025 by the president of the gliderplane club, Mr. Garcia. There were many inaccuracies in it. I will address these inaccuracies and hope you consider them and verify them by doing your own investigating.

1. One inaccuracy in Mr. Garcia said was that the only people out there helping to restore Fairview Park’s habitats are “conservationists” and not the community. This is a false dichotomy. The volunteers ARE the community. They are all residents of the community who mostly are local Costa Mesa residents but some come from Santa Ana or other neighboring cities. Most of them walk, run, or bicycle in Fairview Park on a regular basis.

Fairview Park is their get away from their loud and busy lives. • The majority of the community has said many times over the years at EVERY community outreach, at every community meeting for the master plan update, that they want

2 Fairview Park to be a passive nature park. It should matter that 70.9% of Costa Mesa voters passed Measure AA.

2. Another inaccuracy - Mr.Garcia suggests that the mesa restoration is not in accordance with Measure AA. That is not true either. This mesa restoration project is in total compliance with Measure AA. Restoration is not a ‘Significant Change’ like Mr. Garcia claims. • Please read for yourselves in Measure AA Section 6 “Exceptions” It says that “Exceptions” This ordinance shall not apply to any Significant Changes to Fairview Park that are made for:

1. Restoration purposes, or;…

3. Mr. Garcia then has the audacity to say he knows the intentions of the authors of Measure AA! I was one of the authors and he got it wrong again! He says the authors only wanted “small” restoration projects, not “large” ones.
• As a contributing writer of Measure AA, I can say that is not correct and I refer you to Section 3 of Measure AA, the definition of “Restoration” (which would be exempt as a Significant Change)says:
“Restoration” means any act or activity whose purpose is to restore any part of Fairview Park to the natural non-developed state.”
There is no language about a “large” vs. “small” restoration project in Measure AA.

Measure AA also says activities that would be allowed without an election included “Restoring Fairview Park to its natural non-developed state”. (Please see Measure AA attachment)

4. Mr. Garcia also claimed in his email that restoration would keep seniors, children, and the public from using that area. That is not correct either. • The public doesn’t use that area in the first place. It has nonnative prickly tocolate brush on it. It is also a core archaeological site to be protected so the public shouldn’t be on it anyway. (See Cogstone Report). I am attaching a photo of the area. I suggest you go and look for yourselves.

5. Mr. Garcia also claimed that this mesa restoration was a premature action and overreaching a restoration area. This is not true because this restoration has been in the Fairview Park Master Plan since 1998 but there were no funds to start it. Now there is. 3 • What is true is that by passing this mesa restoration you will be allowing a long-awaited restoration objective to begin and at the same time fulfilling an obligation by the city to OCTA. This is a smart and efficient way of utilizing funds for two projects at once.

I imagine a high-impact activity like gliderplane flying in a vernal pool watershed has forced Mr. Garcia to attack restoration.

I encourage you all to read:
• Staff report on this agenda item City staff has done a good job showing the background and all aspects of the project.
https://costamesa.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14556932&GUID=D2710338-B8A9- 4F90-BC10-7E30267659ED
https://costamesa.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14494250&GUID=FC044DE9-B223- 4028-B71B-AF692A854306

• Technical Reports on the city’s website under ‘ Fairview Park Master Plan’. There are three technical reports about the biological resources and archaeological resources. https://www.costamesaca.gov/community/fairview-park/fairview-park-master-plan

• Fairview Park Master Plan (2008) “The overwhelming consensus is to continue a park for passive use by individuals and small groups and to enhance the natural environment of the park for those uses and as a habitat preserve.” (FPMP p.25) http://ftp.costamesaca.gov/costamesaca/parksandrecreation/fairviewpark/FairviewPar kMasterPlanSept2008Update.pdf

• Measure AA
https://weblink.costamesaca.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=83110&dbid=0&repo=C ityofCostaMesa&cr=1

If you read all of these documents, then you will understand Mr. Garcia’s inaccuracies and why the plants and animals that live there are unique, essential for biodiversity, and important to protect for our very own well being. You would also see why this mesa 4 restoration project is a good thing to happen to Fairview Park and the community. But after that, you need to go for a walk in Fairview Park.

You need to experience Fairview Park.

You need to smell the coastal sage scrub
You need to hear the different bird calls
You might even listen to your thoughts
You need to experience the difference between only using Fairview Park and appreciating Fairview Park. Flying gliderplanes uses Fairview Park by degrading and damaging sensitive habitat, kicking the birds out, and stressing the natural resources. Gliderplanes can fly elsewhere. In fact, they have better amenities for their planes less than 20 miles away.

Vernal pools can’t be moved. Extinct species can’t be brought back. The vernal pools, their watersheds, and the grass/flower fields that surround them are all interconnected. They contain endangered and threatened plants and animals that rely on each other for their survival. You can’t move them. Please pass this agenda item and start restoring the mesa.

If you have any questions or would like to comment on anything I’ve written, please do not hesitate to email me. FPA is more than willing to give any of you a guided tour of the different habitats that Fairview Park offers the community.

Sincerely,
Kim Hendricks
Fairview Park Alliance - President
From: SUSAN BURGESS
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: Fairview Park Mesa Restoration Project
Date: Thursday, September 11, 2025 5:37:16 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
Please support the Mesa Restoration Project at Fairview Park. It is the only place in Orange County that has vernal pools (temporary/seasonal wetlands). This habitat is critical not only for the federally endangered fairy shrimp, but the park is also home to other endangered species such as the Crotch’s bumblebee. This important creature pollinates native plants like poppies as well as fruits and veggies we enjoy such as blueberries, tomatoes, and squash.

Burrowing owls are another threatened species that are trying to live in Fairview Park. They do a fantastic job of controlling the insect and rodent populations. Did you know that one family of burrowing owls can consume 7,000 insects and 1,800 rodents in one season? Can you imagine how many rats and mice would be at Estancia High School and nearby neighborhoods without them?
People will always have places for their hobbies, but once these habitats and creatures are gone, they are gone for good.

I urge you to support this restoration project.

Sincerely,
Susan Burgess
Sent from my iPhone
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From: Leann Johnson
To: CITY CLERK
Subject: City Council Public Comment
Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 11:37:15 AM
Dear Mayor, Members of the City Council, and City Staff, I want to clarify several points (LIES) raised in recent social media comments and a certain newsletter sent out by a very marginal community that represents only about 10 Costa Mesa community members regarding New Business Item 3 on September 16, 2025.

I don’t know when reading staff reports and asking questions became so cumbersome but I want to chime in on clarifications I think are worth noting.

1. No Impact on Trails or Existing Uses
The proposed project will not close off existing trails, remove public access, or eliminate community activities within Fairview Park. That’s been clearly evident. Maybe ask the events department or the Costa Mesa foundation before listening to others. Suggestions to the contrary are incorrect. The scope of this restoration work does not include fencing off trails or prohibiting recreational uses outside the designated restoration boundaries.

2. Not a New Approval – Already Voted and Funded
This project is not before the Council for approval or reconsideration. The City Council has already voted to approve this restoration project, and it is fully funded through secured grant dollars. Agenda Item 3 simply awards a contract to a qualified environmental services firm to complete the work that has already been authorized.

3. Unrelated to the Master Plan
This action has no connection to the ongoing Fairview Park Master Plan revision. It does not alter or preempt master planning discussions. It is a fulfillment of prior Council direction tied to existing grant agreements.

Conclusion
The project is moving forward as previously approved, with no loss of trails or community uses. The item before Council is a contract award for implementation, not a policy decision about the Park’s future.

Thank you for allowing this clarification.

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Mesa

City

Clerk:

[email protected]

Mayor

John

Stephens

City

Costa

Mesa

77 Fair

Drive

Costa

Mesa,

92626

RE:

SUPPORT

Fairview

Park

Restoration

Project

Actions

Dear

Honorable

Mayor

Stephens

and

Council,

Coastal

Corridor

Alliance

(CCA)

writes

support

the

Staﬀ

Report

dated

August

2025

to:

1. Approve

the

Addendum

the

1997

Initial

Study/Mitigated

Negative

Declaration

for

Fairview

Park;

2. Award

the

Professional

Services

Agreement

(PSA)

Endemic

Environmental

Services,

Inc.

(Endemic);

3. Authorize

the

10%

contingency;

and,

4. Authorize

staﬀ

execute

the

PSA

and

future

amendments.

First,

CCA

has

had

very

positive

experiences

with

Endemic,

its

work

ethic,

and

work

product.

highly

endorse

their

skills,

abilities,

and

knowledge

Fairview

Park.

get

behind

the

future

work

their

staﬀ

this

project

and

oﬀer

our

help

completing

the

required

restoration

work

should

volunteers

needed.

Second,

CCA

supports

the

City

making

ﬁnal

decision

this

matter

and

stop

postponing

the

Fairview

Park

restoration

obligations.

The

City

years

behind

its

commitment

for

the

restoration

work.

Most

the

Orange

County

Transportation

Authority

(OCTA)

restoration

projects

have

already

received

ﬁnal

sign-oﬀ

from

the

permitting

agencies.

And,

Fairview

Park

only

59%

complete—14

years

after

being

awarded

taxpayer

funds.

Kelly

Dalton,

Fairview

Park

Administrator,

has

secured

grant

funding

this

important

restoration

work,

which

timeline.

Delaying

this

project

risks

losing

the

grant

funds

and

necessitating

the

funding

coming

out

the

City’s

General

Fund.

P.O.

Box

15333

Newport

Beach,

92659

(949)

216-0880

CoastalCorridor.org

Contrary to what some are saying, the restoration and mitigation area is not going to stop public access or even change the trail system. All of the authorized trails accessing Fairview Park, Talbert Regional Park, and Santa Ana River will remain fully intact. Further, restoring the Mesa and protecting habitats fulﬁlls the 1998 Fairview Park Master Plan designation for how the Park should be stewarded, upheld further by the passage of Measure AA, with no requirement for public engagement on these types of projects. That said, public engagement has actually been available at every OCTA Environmental Oversight Committee meeting since 2008, well before the City of Costa Mesa received this award.

CCA urges the City to complete this contract quickly, without delay, and let OCTA know the City stands behind its commitment for this restoration work.

Please let us know if you have any questions. I can be reached directly at: (714) 719-2148.

Sincerely,
Terry M. Welsh, MD
President
cc: City Council ([email protected])
Fairview Park Master Plan Team ([email protected])
P.O. Box 15333 Newport Beach, CA 92659 (949) 216-0880 CoastalCorridor.org

From: MUNOZ, SANDY
To: GREEN, BRENDA; TERAN, STACY
Subject: FW: Fairview Park Restoration
Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 8:17:53 AM
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 6:35 AM
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: Fairview Park Restoration

Greetings,
I am delighted to hear that the Council has the opportunity to vote on a contract that will advance much needed restoration at Fairview Park. Restoration of almost 10 acres & the

5.5 acres on the mesa will benefit wildlife & residents alike. This park is so incredibly special - we bought our home on Darrell St. in part because of its proximity to the open space - and we enjoy birding there frequently, as well as walking our dog, Shado.

Restoration has taken so much longer than we'd hoped back in 1995, so I hope the council gives this latest project the full support it deserves.

Amy Litton
874 Darrell St.

Costa Mesa, CA
949-734-9520
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August 26, 2025
Submitted via email to the Costa Mesa City Clerk: [email protected] Mayor John Stephens
City of Costa Mesa
77 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
RE: Support for the Professional Services Agreement for the Fairview Park Restoration Dear Honorable Mayor Stephens and Council,
Hills For Everyone (HFE) is one of the four organizations that negotiated the Environmental Mitigation Program (EMP) included in the Orange County Transportation Authority’s (OCTA) Renewed Measure M (now called OC Go). The EMP was supported by more than 30 environmental and community based organizations, including ours.

Supervisor Bill Campbell noted that the measure passed with more than 66.67% of the vote due to this environmental support. OC Go is more than just the EMP, it is a commitment to voters, drivers, and transit passengers that OCTA, its member cities, and residents can count on the promises made in the sales tax measure to Orange County voters.

We write to you today to urge your adoption of the staff’s recommendation to approve the Professional Services Agreement for the Fairview Park Mesa Restoration Project.

By way of background, HFE is a 47-year-old non-profit organization that established Chino Hills State Park (CHSP) and is still working to conserve the remaining natural lands in the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor at the juncture of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties. While Fairview Park is well outside our geography, our consultant Melanie Schlotterbeck serves as the Vice Chair of the Environmental Oversight Committee (EOC), which oversees EMP expenditures. She has been in this position for 18 years and has the institutional knowledge of the program and this project to provide these comments.

We write to put our full support behind the City’s obligation to meet the funding needs of this restoration project, to support the Fairview Park restoration project’s completion, and support the full compliance with the City’s EMP restoration contract.

As part one of the original 12 voting members when the City of Costa Mesa received its $2 million award for restoration of Fairview Park, we urge the City to complete its obligation and stop delaying actions needed to meet your legal and contractual obligations with OCTA. This contract and the promise behind it puts OCTA in jeopardy of losing its freeway project permits if the restoration commitments are not fulfilled. This would be unprecedented for the EMP. Many other well deserving projects from non-profits and cities alike were not selected, but Costa Mesa’s project was selected based on its merits.

Please know that many agencies at the federal, state, and regional levels are awaiting the outcome of this decision. Please do not delay. Please follow staff’s recommendation from the August 5, 2025 memo and fulfill the commitment the City made to voters in 2011. Enough time has passed, the City is behind and must catch up.

Approving the staff’s recommendation relays to everyone that Costa Mesa is serious about complying with its obligation for 23 acres of mitigation at Fairview Park. Please approve the staff recommendation at the September 2, 2025 meeting.

Sincerely,
Claire Schlotterbeck
Executive Director
cc: The Honorable Jamey Federico, OCTA Board Member and EOC Chair Dan Phu, Orange County Transportation Authority

August 28, 2025
Submitted via email to the Costa M
esa City Clerk: [email protected]
Mayor John Stephens
City of Costa Mesa
77 F
air Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
RE: SUPPORT - Costa Mesa and the Fairview Park Mitigation Requirement Dear Honorable Mayor Stephens and Council,
The Environmental Coalition that Supported Renewed M
easure M (M2 Coalition) is writing to
support the approval by the City of Costa Mesa for the Professional Services Agreement (PSA) with Endemic Environmental Services, Inc. (Endemic) for restoration work at Fairview Park. The M2 Coalition consists of more than 30 organizations involved in the passage of the half cent sales tax measure managed by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). This Coalition covers a broad range of organizations and interests that specifically supported OCTA’s Environmental Mitigation Program (EMP).
1 As you know, the City of Costa M
esa successfully applied for and was awarded $2.0 million of EMP funding to restore the Fairview Park Mesa. During this application process, the City committed to restoring 23 acres and owes a remaining 9.5 acres of restoration to fulfill that commitment. City staff, specifically Kelly Dalton (Fairview Park Administrator), has gone to extraordinary measures to not only meet the requirements of the M2 funding requirements, but to also solicit additional funds to complete the remaining acreage. It is clear about staff’s intent to make good on the promise made to voters to complete this mitigation. It is now up to the Council to demonstrate the same commitment.

OCT
A relied on both acquisition and restoration projects to get the permits it needed for the 13 freeway projects covered under M2 (now called OC Go). The permitting agencies, including the United States Army Corps of Engineers, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and two Regional Water Quality Control Boards, have all agreed to the list of acquisition and restoration projects, including the Fairview Park restoration.

This means beyond OCTA, five regulatory agencies are counting on the City to complete its required actions for fulfilling the remaining 9.5 acres of restoration.

CA-ORA-58 is a large pre-contact village and burial site in F airview Park that is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places and the Native American Heritage Commission’s sacred sites inventory. The restoration is supposed to include the removal of construction and paving debris that was deposited on CA-ORA-58 as a misguided protection measure. California Cultural Resource Preservation Alliance and Acjachemen and Tongva descendants have worked together for years to fend off numerous development plans that threatened the site. The restoration and proper capping of CA-ORA-58 must be supervised and monitored by a qualified professional archaeologist and a culturally related Native American.

The M
2 Coalition is writing to urge the City to follow staff recommendations as outlined in the August 5, 2025 memo to City Council to:

1. Approve the Addendum to the 1997 Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for Fairview Park;

2. Award the PSA to Endemic;

3. Authorize a 10% contingency; and,

4. Authorize staff to execute the PSA and future amendments.

Imm
ediate action assures all agencies, boards, and residents that Costa Mesa will fulfill its obligations under the EMP. Please do not risk Costa Mesa’s good name by ignoring your obligations for this mitigation requirement. Please do not risk losing the California Department of Fish and Wildlife grant award by delaying action any further. The residents—and especially the Orange County voters—that approved M2 are awaiting completion of this work.

Since the City has been out of compliance for several years and the Environm ental Oversight
Committee and full OCTA Board are awaiting the City’s action, we urge you to swiftly approve the staff recommendations without delay.
2 Sincerely,
Endangered Habitats League ·
Friends of Coyote Hills · Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks · Hills For Everyone · California Cultural Resource Preservation Alliance · Saddleback Canyons Conservancy · Wild Heritage Planners · Women For: Orange County · Amigos de Bolsa Chica · Orange County Coastkeeper · Orange County Interfaith for the Environment · The Trust for Public Land · Canyon Land Conservation Fund · Inter Canyon League · Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. · Chino Hills State Park Interpretive Association · Laguna Canyon Conservancy · Newport Bay Conservancy · Stop Polluting Our Newport/Still Protecting Our Newport · The Conservation Fund · The Nature Conservancy · California Wildlife Foundation (California Oaks Fund/California Oaks Coalition) · Inland Empire Waterkeeper · Latino Health Access · Planning and Conservation League
3 From: Cynthia McDonald
To: PETTIS, JEFF; REYNOLDS, ARLIS; CHAVEZ, MANUEL; STEPHENS, JOHN; Andrea Marr; GAMEROS, LOREN;

BULEY, MIKE
Cc: [email protected]; GREEN, BRENDA; CITY CLERK Subject: New Business Item 3 - PSA with Endemic Environmental Services Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 1:19:58 PM
Dear City Council and Mayor:

I support approval of this contract and the Fairview Park Mesa Restoration project. This project is very important to the restoration of part of Fairview Park and reflects the desires of the residents to preserve, protect, and restore Fairview Park, as are the goals of Measure AA. The project will not require a vote of the people under Measure AA. It is also supported by the current Master Plan.

There is a lot of misinformation being spread about the project. As you will see from the map of the project, the restoration area is north of the flying field currently being used by the Harbor Soaring Society. This project will not impact HSS's use of the park unless HSS lands planes outside of the runway. To be clear, revoking HSS's use of the runway is not on the agenda, and therefore cannot be considered this evening without violating the Brown Act.

The project will keep trails open so the public can access approved trails. It will not remove any approved trails, only the unapproved trails that have been damaging the habitat and endangering protected species.

Please approve the PSA with Endemic so the project can move forward, and the grant funds are not lost.

Thank you for your consideration.

Cynthia McDonald
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From: MUNOZ, SANDY
To: GREEN, BRENDA; TERAN, STACY
Subject: FW: Fairview Park Restoration
Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 4:04:26 PM
-----Original Message-----
From: Christine Reese <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 1:55 PM
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: Fairview Park Restoration
Hello!
I understand that there will be voting tonight for the funding of Fairview Park Restoration.

Myself and my household would like to voice our support for this funding to occur.

As time goes on we can find ways to safely increase community activities but for now we believe it is important to nurture the land and fully restore it first.

It is also our obligation to the state to follow through on these environmental concern.

This is our home and let’s take care of it,
Thank you
Christine Reese
1885 Parkview Circle
Costa Mesa
Also in our household
Sylvia Weber
Wayne Weber
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Costa Mesa City CouncilSeptember 16, 2025

Costa Mesa City Council
September 16, 2025