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Amendment 7 (Attachment 1) authorizes an additional compensation of $1,989,000 to the City for Post Pavement Project Mitigation. This captures the pavement mitigation costs for various I-405 Project-related detours on Harbor Boulevard, Fairview Road and South Coast Drive that are outside the I-405 Project limits.
Staff requests that the City Council approve the subject amendment and authorize the Mayor and the City Clerk to execute the amendment. Staff also requests that the City Council appropriate $1,989,000 towards the Pavement Mitigation I-405 Project.
ALTERNATIVES:
The alternative to this Council action would be to not approve the amendment. This will result in potential loss of I-405 mitigation funding as well as delays to pavement mitigation work along various roadways. Staff does not recommend this action.
FISCAL REVIEW:
Upon approval from City Council, the City will receive $1,989,000 in compensation for pavement mitigation impacts along various I-405 Project detours. Funding will be appropriated towards the Pavement Mitigation I-405 Project in the Other Grants Fund (Fund 232).
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed this agenda report and the proposed amendment and approves them both as to form.
CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES:
This project works toward achieving the following City Council goals:
· Maintain and Enhance the City’s Facilities, Equipment and Technology · Strengthen the Public’s Safety and Improve the Quality of Life CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Approve Amendment No. 7 to Agreement No. C-5-3612 between Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and the City of Costa Mesa for the I-405 Improvements Project and authorize the Mayor and the City Clerk to execute the agreement.
2. Appropriate $1,989,000 in compensation towards the Pavement Mitigation I-405 Project.
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CITY OF COSTA MESA
Agenda Report
77 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
File #: 25-550 Meeting Date: 11/4/2025
TITLE:
CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE TO REQUIRE STAFFING AT SELF-SERVICE CHECKOUT
STATIONS
DEPARTMENT: CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE
PRESENTED BY: JAY BARKMAN, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MANAGER
CONTACT INFORMATION: JAY BARKMAN, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MANAGER (714) 754-5347
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council receive presentation and provide direction to staff on further consideration of an ordinance.
BACKGROUND:
At the March 18, 2025, City Council Meeting, during public comment, a few speakers raised concerns about the theft and inadequate staffing levels involving self-checkout operations at grocery stores.
Mayor Stephens and Mayor Pro Tem Chavez requested the City Manager agendize an item for City Council consideration, directing staff to provide research for potential development of an ordinance establishing staffing and operational standards for self-checkout operations at grocery retail stores.
As part of the research and review, Mayor Stephens and Mayor Pro Tem Chavez requested that staff analyze the City of Long Beach’s proposed ordinance related to the matter.
On August 12, 2025, the Long Beach City Council adopted an ordinance (Attachment 1) mandating staffing requirements and operational standards for self-checkout stations in grocery retail stores and retail drug establishments to proactively address retail theft and advance the preservation of public safety and welfare.
ANALYSIS:
In accordance with City Council Policy 300-6, proposals that are likely to involve a substantial commitment of staff time must be brought forward to the City Council for authorization. If a majority of the City Council supports the adoption of an ordinance mandating staffing and operational standards in grocery retail stores and retail drug establishments, staff will further explore operational standards in grocery stores, including the review of proposed and adopted regulations from other jurisdictions in the state and assess implementation and enforcement procedures, and prepare a draft ordinance for City Council consideration.
At the direction of the City Council, staff conducted a preliminary analysis of the City of Long Beach’s
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At the direction of the City Council, staff conducted a preliminary analysis of the City of Long Beach’s ordinance and its implementation and enforcement procedures. Additionally, staff conducted a brief analysis of the impacts on supermarkets/grocery stores and retail pharmacies with self-checkout stations in the City, should the City Council elect to model an ordinance similar to the City of Long Beach’s ordinance.
Long Beach Ordinance
The June 17, 2025, City of Long Beach City Council letter states that councilmembers initiated the ordinance after hearing from workers “who shared jarring personal experiences about the chronic understaffing over self-checkout stands” and cited frequent thefts, harassment, violence, and intimidation. According to the Long Beach Police Department the city experienced a 16% increase in petty theft crimes from 2023 to 2024.
The City of Long Beach established an interdepartmental team to research options and discuss with the California Grocers Association, who declined to meet. The interdepartmental team developed the ordinance requiring that for every three self-checkout stations provided, at least one employee must be assigned that “shall have no other work responsibilities that would interfere with their ability to maintain direct visual inspection”(ratio 1:3). The ordinance requires self-checkout stations be limited and advertised to allow no more than fifteen items.
Two categories of business are subject to the ordinance:
· Drug Retail Establishment: A retail store that sells a variety of prescription and nonprescription medicines and miscellaneous items, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, sundries, fresh produce, meats, poultry, fish, deli products, dairy products, canned foods, dry foods, beverages, prepared foods, and other merchandise.
· Food Retail Establishment: A retail store that is either: (1) over fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet in size and sells primarily household foodstuff for offsite including fresh produce, meats, poultry, fish, deli products, dairy products, canned foods, dry foods, beverages, baked foods and/or prepared foods (other household supplies or products are secondary to the primary purpose of food sales); or (2) over eighty-five thousand (85,000) square feet and with ten percent (10%) of their sales floor area dedicated to the sale of non-taxable merchandise including the sale of fresh produce, meats, poultry, fish, deli products, dairy products, canned foods, dry foods, beverages, baked foods and/or prepared foods.
Enforcement of the Long Beach ordinance is provided through a “private right of action” filed by customers or employees with penalties of $100 for each violation and increasing an additional $100 for each day the violation is not resolved. Civil penalties are limited to $1,000 per employee per day, however a store may face claims from multiple employees starting at $100 and growing to $1,000 per employee. Customers may also file a claim, but the ordinance is unclear on the limit to penalties customers may receive. Both employees and customers may also be awarded attorney’sfees and costs. The ordinance also prohibits stores from any retaliatory action against employees that file claims.
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Impacts to Costa Mesa
A review of the City of Costa Mesa business license data identified a total of 40 “supermarket, grocery/retail stores”and five (5) retail pharmacies. The Long Beach ordinance only applies to food retail stores over 15,000 square feet therefore Costa Mesa staff focused on the 16 food retail stores in Costa Mesa over that threshold.
An in-person survey of these stores found that:
· CVS drug stores in Costa Mesa comply with staffing to station ratio, however, employees were not dedicated to monitoring self-checkout stations.
· Food retail stores with self-checkout stations exceed the 1:3 ratio and do not comply. *Note: Two separate areas with only one (6 machines) open at time of visit.
As shown above, modeling the City of Long Beach ordinance in Costa Mesa will result in all retail food stores with self-checkout stations becoming incompliant with the 1:3 staffing ratio. Media reports suggest that grocery stores in Long Beach closed self-checkout stations to avoid penalties, and the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce has stated there is confusion around the square-footage thresholds in the ordinance.
Drug retail establishments, such as CVS stores in Costa Mesa, will need to ensure their employees
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Drug retail establishments, such as CVS stores in Costa Mesa, will need to ensure their employees are not assigned “other work duties.”
Lastly, in a review of retail theft data provided by the Costa Mesa Police Department for food retail stores listed in the above chart, there has been a decline in incidents of fraud, robbery, and theft from 2023 to 2025. Drug stores have experienced a decline in fraud incidents, but there has been a slight increase in thefts from 2023 to 2025 (Attachment 2).
ALTERNATIVES:
The City Council may choose to:
1. Receive and file the staff report.
2. Direct staff to further explore staffing and operational standards for grocery and pharmacy stores with self-checkout stations, work with the City Attorney’sOffice on a draft ordinance to be presented for City Council consideration at a later date.
FISCAL REVIEW:
A full fiscal impact analysis can be conducted if City Council wishes to further explore the self-service checkout station ordinance.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed this report and approves it as to form.
CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES:
This item supports the following City Council Goal:
· Strengthen the public’s safety and improve the quality of life.
CONCLUSION:
Staff analyzed the City of Long Beach’sordinance, mandating staffing requirements and operational standards for self-checkout stations in grocery retail stores and retail drug establishments. The analysis revealed that modeling the City of Long Beach ordinance in Costa Mesa will result in all existing retail food stores with self-checkout stations being out of compliance with the 1:3 staffing ratio. Drug retail stores in Costa Mesa such as CVS will need to ensure their employees are not assigned “other work duties.”
Further, media reports on grocery stores in Long Beach describe self-checkout stations closed to avoid penalties, and the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce has stated there is confusion around the square-footage thresholds in the ordinance.
Staff recommends the City Council receive the presentation and provide direction on further consideration of an ordinance establishing staffing and operational standards for self-checkout operations in supermarkets/grocery stores and pharmacy retail establishments.
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28 OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
DAWN MCINTOSH, City Attorney
411 West Ocean Boulevard, 9th Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802
ORDINANCE NO. ORD-25-0010
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF LONG BEACH AMENDING THE LONG BEACH
MUNICIPAL CODE BY ADDING CHAPTER 5.93, RELATING
TO ESTABLISHING STAFFING REQUIREMENTS FOR
SELF-SERVICE CHECKOUT STATIONS AT GROCERY
AND DRUG STORES TO ADVANCE PUBLIC SAFETY AND
PREVENT RETAIL THEFT
WHEREAS, the City of Long Beach has prioritized strategies and partnerships to help prevent grocery and drug retail theft and deter individuals responsible for it;
WHEREAS, in 2025, city leaders launched a series of community roundtables to bring together public safety officials, employees, and business stakeholders to identify solutions that help address the impacts of retail theft; WHEREAS, on March 12 , 2025 , at a Retail Theft Roundtable hosted by Mayor Richardson, Councilmember Zendejas, and Councilmember Thrash -Ntuk, retail workers from grocery and drug retail establishments throughout Long Beach shared personal experiences about the chronic understaffing of self-checkout (SCO) stations operations in their stores, the frequency of theft that occurs through SCO stations, and the associated increases in harassment, violence, and intimidation they have encountered due to understaffing of SCO operations;
WHEREAS, on April 1, 2025, City Council requested the City Manager to evaluate options for establishing labor standards and requirements related to staffing SCO operations in grocery stores and drug stores, in an effort to address grocery and drug retail theft and advance public safety and welfare. The City Council letter and comments made by members of the public during the City Council meeting included first -hand testimony Attachment 1
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28 OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
DAWN MCINTOSH, City Attorney
411 West Ocean Boulevard, 9th Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802
detailing the existing public health and safety concerns resulting from the understaffing of SCO operations in grocery and drug stores;
WHEREAS, statistical data presented in the council letter identified a dramatic increase in theft in the State of California across its retail businesses, both in highly visible incidents such as “smash and grab” incidents, as well as subtler yet pervasive forms of shoplifting including thefts involving abuse or manipulation of self -checkout retail operations. For example, in 2022, California retail stores and small businesses lost nearly $9 billion as a result of theft. Based on surveys of California retail businesses that have introduced robust SCO systems, estimates indicate that SCO operations account for between twenty and twenty -five percent of those retailers' losses underscoring the high frequency at which retail theft occurs in such operations; WHEREAS, the high frequency of theft incidents in SCO operations was shown to pose a threat to the public’s safety and undermine the community’s welfare and sense of security. Specifically, based on public testimony, incidents like these were shown to create hostile workplace conditions for employees, and unsafe shopping environments for customers; and
WHEREAS, the public meeting s held by the Long Beach City Council on April 1, 2025, and June 17, 2025, solicited comments and testimony from a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from the grocery and drug retail industry, as well as a large number of workers employed at local grocery and drug store establishments.
This public testimony highlighted the need for regulation of SCO operations to better address the issue of retail theft in grocery and drug stores and the unsafe work environments for employees and customers associated with these operations. The statistical data around retail theft in California along with the testimony presented before the City Council affirmed the need and urgency to develop targeted public policy tools to disrupt and prevent retail theft in Long Beach grocery and drug store establishments.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Long Beach ordains as follows:
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28 OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
DAWN MCINTOSH, City Attorney
411 West Ocean Boulevard, 9th Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802
Section 1. The Long Beach Municipal Code is amended by adding Chapter 5.93 to read as follows:
CHAPTER 5.93
GROCERY AND DRUG STORE STAFFING STANDARDS FOR SELF-SERVICE
CHECKOUT STATIONS
5.93.010 Purpose.
It is in the public’s interest to require grocery and drug stores to adopt effective preventative measures that will address the impacts on public health and safety that retail theft creates within the context of self-service checkout operations where theft commonly occurs but remains largely unchecked and underreported. Regulating the staffing of self - service checkout operations will address the hostile and unsafe working conditions for employees, and unsafe shopping environments for customers.
5.93.020 Short Title.
This ordinance shall constitute the “Self-Service Checkout Staffing Requirements.”
5.93.030 Definitions.
For the purpose of this Ordinance:
“City” means the City of Long Beach.
“Customer” means an individual who buys consumer goods from a Drug Retail Establishment or Food Retail Establishment.
“Drug Retail Establishment” means a retail store that sell s a variety of prescription and nonprescription medicines and miscellaneous items, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, sundries, fresh produce, meats, poultry, fish, deli products, dairy products, canned foods, dry foods, beverages, prepared foods, and other merchandise. “Employee” means a worker employed directly by a hiring entity at a Drug Retail Establishment or Food Retail Establishment. Employee does not include managers, supervisors or confidential employees.
“Food Retail Establishment” means a retail store that is either : (1) over fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet in size and sells primarily household foodstuff for offsite including 542
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28 OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
DAWN MCINTOSH, City Attorney
411 West Ocean Boulevard, 9th Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802
fresh produce, meats, poultry, fish, deli products, dairy products, canned foods, dry foods, beverages, baked foods and/or prepared foods (other household supplies or products are secondary to the primary purpose of food sales); or (2) over eighty-five thousand (85,000) square feet and with ten percent ( 10%) of their sales floor area dedicated to the sale of non-taxable merchandise including the sale of fresh produce, meats, poultry, fish, deli products, dairy products, canned foods, dry foods, beverages, b aked foods and/or prepared foods.
“Non-Self-Service Checkout station” means a station that is not a Self-Service Checkout and at which an employee provides human assistance to a customer for scanning, bagging, and/or accepting payment for the customer’s purchases. “Self-Service Checkout” means the automated processes that enable customers to scan, bag, and pay for their purchases without human assistance, including but not limited to fixed self-checkout, scan-and-go self-checkout, or mobile self-checkout. “Self-Service Checkout station” means a station at a fixed location within a Drug Retail Establishment or Food Retail Establishment at which a customer can engage in a Self-Service Checkout for the customer’s purchases.
5.93.040 Self-Service Checkout requirement.
A. Drug Retail Establishments and Food Retail Establishments that provide Self -Service Checkout options shall provide at least one Non-Self-Service Checkout station staffed by an Employee that is available during the times that a Self- Service Checkout option is available to customers, and Drug Retail E stablishments and Food Retail Establishments shall establish, implement, and advertise limits to Self-Service Checkout to purchases of no more than fifteen (15) items.
B. Drug Retail Establishments and Food Retail Establishments shall have an established workforce policy that prohibits customers from using a Self-Service Checkout station to purchase either of the following:
1. Items that require customers to provide a form of identification, including, but not limited to, alcohol and tobacco products. 543
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28 OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
DAWN MCINTOSH, City Attorney
411 West Ocean Boulevard, 9th Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802
2. Items subject to special theft -deterrent measures that are affixed to the item, including, but not limited to, electronic article surveillance, ink, or other tags, or items placed in locked cabinets, that require the intervention of an Employee to remove them before purchase.
C. Drug Retail Establishments and Food Retail Establishments shall notify the public of this Ordinance by prominently posting signage in a location accessible to customers, which includes either a link or QR code to the City of Long Beach website regarding this Ordinan ce, a summary of the public’s rights under this Ordinance , and enforcement options available to the public.
D. Self-Service Checkout stations shall be located to enable observation and surveillance from both employees of Drug Retail Establishments and Food Retail Establishments and local law enforcement.
5.93.050 Self-Service Checkout staffing requirement.
A. Drug Retail Establishments and Food Retail Establishments that provide Self-Service Checkout options shall assign at least one (1) Employee to supervise the Self-Service Checkout operation at all times that Self-Service Checkout is in operation during business hours. The assigned Employee shall have no other work responsibilities that would interfere with their ability to maintain direct visual inspection and surveillance of the Self-Service Checkout operations.
B. In the event a Drug Retail Establishment or Food Retail Establishment operates two (2) or more Self-Service Checkout stations, the Drug Retail Establishment or Food Retail Establishment shall maintain a staffing ratio of at least one (1) Employee for every three (3) Self-Service C heckout Stations (1: 3 ratio). The manner in which this standard is implemented may take into account operational and logistical feasibility.
5.93.060 Enforcement.
A. Any Customer or Employee of a Drug Retail Establishment or Food Retail Establishment may bring a private right of action in the Superior Court of the State 544
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28 OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
DAWN MCINTOSH, City Attorney
411 West Ocean Boulevard, 9th Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802
of California against a Drug Retail Establishment or Food Retail Establishment for violating this Chapter and, upon prevailing, may be awarded:
1. A civil penalty for each violation of this Chapter of one hundred dollars ($100) for each employee of the Drug Retail Establishment or Food Retail Establishment. Each day the violation is not cured, the penalty shall increase an additional one hundred dollars ($100) per employee per day up to a limit of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per employee per day for each day in which the violation remains uncured.
2. Attorneys’ fees and costs.
5.93.070 Retaliatory action prohibited.
No Drug Retail Establishment or Food Retail Establishment shall terminate, reduce in compensation, or otherwise discriminate against any Employee for seeking to enforce their rights under this Chapter by any lawful means, for participating in proceedings related to this Chapter, for opposing any practice proscribed by this Chapter, or for otherwise asserting rights under this Chapter.
5.93.080 Severability.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance or Chapter is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such a decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have adopted this Ordinance, and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause and phrase thereof not declared invalid or unconstitutional, without regard to whether any portion of the Ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.
Section 2. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage of this ordinance by the City Council of the City of Long Beach and cause it to be posted in three (3) conspicuous places in the City of Long Beach, and it shall take effect on the thirty-first (31st) day after it is approved by the Mayor.
I hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance was adopted by the City Council of the 545
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R E T A I L T H E F T A N D F R A U D A T
G R O C E R Y A N D D R U G S T O R E S
COSTA MESA POLICE DEPARTMENT
CRIME ANALYSIS UNIT
N O T E : Y T D 2 0 2 5 r e f e r s t o J a n 1 2 0 2 5 - S e p t 3 0 2 0 2 5 .
I n t h i s r e p o r t , f r a u d r e f e r s t o t h e f r a u d u l e n t u s e o f a v i c t i m ’ s c a r d , u s i n g c o u n t e r f e i t c u r r e n c y , a n d a g i f t c a r d s c a m w h e r e a s u b j e c t w i l l m a n i p u l a t e g i f t c a r d s s o t h a t t h e y c a n t a k e t h e m o n e y w h e n t h e g i f t c a r d i s a c t i v a t e d . T h e f t r e f e r s t o s h o p l i f t i n g , a n d o t h e r i n s t a n c e s o f t h e f t w h e r e t h e s t o r e i s t h e v i c t i m . R o b b e r y r e f e r s t o t h e t a k i n g o f p r o p e r t y t h r o u g h t h e u s e o f f o r c e o r f e a r .
Attachment 2
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RETAIL THEFT AND FRAUD AT
GROCERY AND DRUG STORES
COSTA MESA POLICE DEPARTMENT
CRIME ANALYSIS UNIT
N O T E : Y T D 2 0 2 5 r e f e r s t o J a n 1 2 0 2 5 - S e p t 3 0 2 0 2 5 .
I n t h i s r e p o r t , f r a u d r e f e r s t o t h e f r a u d u l e n t u s e o f a v i c t i m ’ s c a r d , u s i n g c o u n t e r f e i t c u r r e n c y , a n d a g i f t c a r d s c a m w h e r e a s u b j e c t w i l l m a n i p u l a t e g i f t c a r d s s o t h a t t h e y c a n t a k e t h e m o n e y w h e n t h e g i f t c a r d i s a c t i v a t e d . T h e f t r e f e r s t o s h o p l i f t i n g , a n d o t h e r i n s t a n c e s o f t h e f t w h e r e t h e s t o r e i s t h e v i c t i m . R o b b e r y r e f e r s t o t h e t a k i n g o f p r o p e r t y t h r o u g h t h e u s e o f f o r c e o r f e a r . 549
CITY OF COSTA MESA
Agenda Report
77 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
File #: 25-532 Meeting Date: 11/4/2025
TITLE:
HOUSING ELEMENT REZONING (NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE WE ALL BELONG) PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT UPDATE
DEPARTMENT: ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
DEPARTMENT/PLANNING DIVISION
PRESENTED BY: ANNA MCGILL, PLANNING & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
MANAGER, MICHELLE HALLIGAN, SENIOR PLANNER
CONTACT INFORMATION: MICHELLE HALLIGAN, SENIOR PLANNER, (714) 754-5608 RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council receive the presentation, provide feedback, and file this report.
550
City of Costa Mesa
Agenda Report
77 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA
92626
Item #: 25-532 Meeting Date: 11/04/2025
TITLE: HOUSING ELEMENT REZONING (NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE WE ALL BELONG) PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT UPDATE
DEPARTMENT: ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT/PLANNING
DIVISION
PRESENTED BY: ANNA MCGILL, PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
MICHELLE HALLIGAN, SENIOR PLANNER
CONTACT INFORMATION: MICHELLE HALLIGAN, SENIOR PLANNER, (714) 754-5608
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council receive the presentation, provide feedback, and file this report.
BACKGROUND:
The City’s adopted Housing Element is a State-mandated strategic blueprint for addressing Costa Mesa’s existing and projected housing needs through 2029. The Housing Element describes housing characteristics, establishes housing programs, and identifies Housing Element Opportunity Sites to meet a housing target called the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). Costa Mesa’s current Regional RHNA allocation is 11,760 units. The City must complete zoning and land use regulations described in the Housing Element, allowing approximately 17,200 units , due to needing a buffer beyond the RHNA, to adequately plan for the RHNA capacity and achieve Housing Element certification by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
In November 2022, Costa Mesa voters approved Measure K, an ordinance to allow updates to land use plans that support housing in commercial and industrial corridors without a citywide vote. Costa Mesa’s Housing Element Opportunity Sites, except for the Fairview Development Center (FDC) site owned by the State of California, are within the Measure K boundary. Costa Mesa Municipal Code 13- 200.106(g), the ordinance implementing Measure K, requires city-sponsored land use plans on sites within the Measure K boundary, such as the Housing Element Opportunity Sites, to “include a public community visioning process (e.g., workshops, design charrettes, community surveys) prior to adoption or amendment by the City Council at any required public hearing.”
In response to State-mandated housing regulations and in accordance with the City Council’s goal to “diversify, stabilize and increase housing to reflect community need s,” the City endeavors to implement the Housing Element . At its February 18, 2025, meeting, the City Council approved a Professional Services Agreement with Dudek for the Housing Element rezoning program, including a public community visioning process, and Environmental Impact Report. Since officially kicking off the 551
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project in March 2025, the Consultant Team and City staff have been working diligently on several components, including public visioning and outreach. The following is a progress report specific to community visioning and outreach.
PROJECT PROGRESSION:
Public Outreach
Public outreach is an important component of the Housing Element implementation effort. The City is committed to conducting an inclusive, accessible, and transparent community engagement process that allows for meaningful public input. Feedback collected through various outreach methods will directly inform planning decisions and implementation strategies.
Given the number of concurrent public and private development efforts in the community, establishing a clear and recognizable project identity was an early priority. Staff recognized that terms such as “Housing Element implementation” or “Housing Element rezoning program” may not be easily understood by residents who are unfamiliar with community planning terminology. To promote broader public understanding and engagement, the Planning Division and City Manager’s Office (in coordination with Dudek) collaborated to develop the project name “Neighborhoods Where We All Belong .” This name was selected to reflect the City’s intent to facilitate housing and neighborhood development to meet diverse local needs. It avoids technical language in order to be more approachable to a wider audience.
The City developed a custom logo to help identify Neighborhoods Where We All Belong, incorporating a housing roofline into the existing City of Costa Mesa logo. This visual element reinforces that the effort is City-initiated and focused on housing.
Image 1. Project logo
As shown in Image 2 on the following page , the City is employing a variety of outreach methods to ensure broad and equitable participation. Engagement activities are scheduled at different times of day, days of the week, and in multiple locations and formats to accommodate diverse schedules and preferences. Planned activities include public workshops, walking tours, po p-up events at local businesses and community events, focused stakeholder discussions, and formal public hearings and study sessions.
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Image 2. Community Visioning Process
The public outreach strategy for the Housing Element implementation is organized into three general phases.
Round 1 focused on community visioning for the future of housing and neighborhoods in Costa Mesa.
Outreach activities were designed to help identify what residents would like to see in new residential and mixed-use developments and how new development can be thoughtfully integrated into existing built-out areas. Feedback from this phase, along with state requirements, will inform the preparation of draft development regulations.
Rounds 2 and 3 will focus on sharing and refining draft plans and proposals with the community. These later phases are intended to ensure the draft regulations reflect community input as well as comply with state law. Round 2 outreach will begin in late January 2026. The project schedule, including phases of outreach, is provided in Image 3.
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Image 3. Project Timeline
Between June and October 2025, the City, along with consultants from Dudek and subconsultant, Kearns & West, planned and executed several types of public outreach and visioning activities. The community visioning and outreach plan for Neighborhoods Where We All Belong was strategically designed to maximize opportunities for public participation. In addition to a variety of events and activities in English and Spanish, the community is also able to provide input throughout the process via email, an online comment form, and the project website.
Round 1 outreach was completed on October 11, 2025. Input from the Open House, workshops, surveys, and pop-ups is being evaluated to identify priorities, opportunities, areas of concern, and ideas to help further the City’s goal of improving and increasing housing options for all Costa Mesans. A summary document of the outreach information and findings will be available to the City Council at the end of November and posted to the project website and emailed to the interest list.
Website
A project website, https://www.CostaMesaNeighborhoods.com, was established to provide online access to project information and news, outreach events, and online participation tools such as an online comment card and survey. The website is available in English and Spanish and is frequently updated as the project evolves. An example from the website is provided in Image 4 on the following page. By September 27, 2025, the project website had approximately 2,700 unique views.
The website hosted an online survey asking about priorities for good neighborhoods, priorities for designing multi-story housing, and a vision statement for future housing and new neighborhoods. The online survey received over 240 responses in two weeks. Additionally, dozens of members of the community took a written version of the survey at various pop-up events.
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Image 4. Project Website
Open House and Workshops
The City officially kicked off public engagement for the Neighborhoods Where We All Belong effort at a community Open House at the Norma Hertzog Community Center on July 30, 2025. The Open House was the first in a series of public visioning and engagement events in the first “round” of outreach actions.
Community members participated in a variety of interactive and informative activities.
Attendees watched a welcome video (available in on the City’s YouTube channel in English via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-rT-7xxL2U and Spanish via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18iCDXFXQZkm), reflected on the types of housing attendees lived in, reviewed educational boards—including maps of Housing Element and Measure K sites— enjoyed a photo booth, a prioritization exercise, and added ideas to a visioning board for future housing and neighborhoods.
The Open House was followed by three additional workshops, each designed to build on the information and ideas shared at the kickoff event while providing area-specific engagement opportunities. Based on participants that signed in, over 205 unique community members participated in the Open House and workshops. The Open House and workshops were conducted in both English and Spanish. Between 555
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these four events, the City collected input in the form of 135 special locations on maps, over 400 priority dots related to neighborhood design, and 354 visioning comments on sticky notes.
Harbor Boulevard & Newport Boulevard Workshop
The Harbor Boulevard and Newport Boulevard Workshop took place on August 21, 2025 at City Hall. In addition to the prioritizing activity and written vision board, participants engaged with large maps of both corridors, placing pins and flags on areas they frequent . Participants identified uses or areas they regarded as special or of significance, spurring discussions on how housing could be integrated along these corridors and other Housing Element and Measure K areas nearby.
Westside Walking Tour & Workshop
The Westside Walking Tour & Workshop was held on August 23 , 2025, at the Costa Mesa Senior Center. The event combined a workshop with a 1 -mile walking tour , highlighting areas of infill development along West 19th Street and Placentia Avenue. Participants had the opportunity to observe long-established development and examples of more recent residential, live-work, and mixed -use projects. Discussions centered on how to better integrate future housing, address concerns about development pressures and mobility, and c reate housing opportunities that will appeal to Westside residents. A preview of the walking tour prepared by CMTV is available on line (https://www.costamesaneighborhoods.com/round1-harbornewport-1).
North Costa Mesa & SoBECA Workshop
The North Costa Mesa & SoBECA (South Bristol Entertainment Cultural Arts) Workshop was held on September 10, 2025, at FLDWRK, a local coworking and event space. With several Housing Element Opportunity Sites identified in the North Mesa area for potential housing at 90 units per acre, participants explored topics such as building massing, height, ground floor design, and the balance of public vs. private open space. A recent 80-unit-per-acre project in North Mesa was used as a real-world example to inspire conversation about design preferences and neighborhood compatibility.
Pop-Ups
In addition to structured workshops , staff conducted Neighborhoods Where We All Belong pop -up events, which are informal and temporary activities designed to engage the community on the project and solicit public participation in a convenient setting. Locations are strategically chosen to reach residents in their daily routines, such as coffee shops and local events. As of October 11, 2025, twelve pop-up events were completed:
Three citywide/community events (Concert in the Park, ARTventure, and the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration);
Five coffee shop pop-ups (602 Coffee & Acai, Coffee Nature, MoonGoat Coffee, MoonGoat Greenhouse, and Neat Coffee);
One brewery pop-up (Salty Bear Brewing Co.); and
Three local organization event s (Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce Rise and Shine , Fair Housing Foundation Costa Mesa Workshop, and Back to Save Our Youth Night).
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Pop-ups at coffee shops initially included a brief 2 -question questionnaire. After three pop-ups, staff recognized that many community members were open to responding to more substantial questions, so long as the activity remained brief. In response, a 4-question survey was developed for the pop-ups and for online engagement. Over 90 community members were engaged through the in-person pop-ups at coffee shops and a brewery. Dozens of additional community members were engaged through the other pop-up events.
Additionally, in August, staff discussed the project with parents at a bike training at Estancia High School and handed out event flyers during Back to School Night at Adams Elementary and Paularino Elementary, and a Love Costa Mesa event. Additional pop-ups will take place in early 2026, when draft design standards are available for review.
Focused Discussion Groups
To gather more comprehensive insights into local housing and neighborhood development issues, the City convened a series of focused discussion groups with representatives from local non-profit organizations, the faith-based community, higher education, local interest groups, and the development community. The groups were intentionally small scale, with 5 to 8 participants each, to ensure every individual had ample opportunity to contribute. Thes e discussions are centered on their vision for housing in Costa Mesa, including how the City can best encourage and facilitate new housing and thriving neighborhoods. As of this report, three focused discussions have been held. The first meeting concentrated on the property owner/development community generally in North Costa Mesa and SoBECA areas, the second included organizations and builders active in the Westside area, and the third included a broader group of local organizations, higher education, non-profit and for -profit developers, and a community action group.
Raising Public Awareness
The City employed a range of outreach strategies to raise awareness about the Neighborhoods Where We All Belong effort and encourage community participation. In July 2025, the City issued a press release announcing the launch of the public outreach events and website. The release was distributed to over 10,000 email addresses and posted to both the City of Costa Mesa website and the Neighborhoods Where We All Belo ng project website. That same month, a postcard was mailed to more than 50,000 addresses in Costa Mesa. The postcard included information about the Open House and three workshops in English and Spanish, and a QR code linking to the project website.
Between July 18 and September 26, 2025, the project was promoted through nine issues of the City Hall Snapshot (the City Manager’s Office weekly digital newsletter ), which reaches approximately 12,000 subscribers. In addition, emails were periodically sent to s ubscribers of the Neighborhoods Where We All Belong interest list, which has grown to approximately 300 recipients.
To further increase awareness, the City leveraged social media platforms—sharing stories, posts, and reels across its official accounts. Fr om late July through late September, these posts generated a combined reach of more than 228,600 viewers.
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Additional advertising methods included:
Maintaining and updating the project website
Sharing the project welcome videos on the City’s YouTube channel Posting and distributing flyers at community facilities Placing event signage outside Open House and workshop locations ahead of the event Emailing local non-profit organizations and faith-based communities Distributing flyers at events such as e-bike training sessions and back-to-school nights
This multifaceted approach has helped increase visibility of the initiative and encourage meaningful participation across Costa Mesa’s diverse community.
NEXT STEPS:
The data collected at the Open House, workshops, pop-ups, focused discussions, and surveys is being analyzed to identify key findings to inform the upcoming draft regulations. Dudek is preparing a memorandum summarizing the data, key findings, and how the work may influence land use and design regulations to be posted on the website in progress. Early analysis of the input provided during the first round of outreach identified the following key themes of what Costa Mesans want in the future of housing and neighborhoods:
Affordable housing options and a variety of development types; Multi-modal transportation options with improved walkability and safer streets; Open spaces and landscaped pathways within residential developments connecting to other uses;
Public and private spaces for community gathering and culture; Eclectic character so Costa Mesa continues to feel unique from other cities; and Transparency to ensure the public has more technical information.
The planning for Round 2 of public outreach has already begun. Round 2 will give the public a chance to review and provide feedback on draft regulations. Given that there will be a tangible draft to react to, staff see this round of outreach as a good opportunity to seek input from local youth on housing for their future. Staff is exploring options for a hands -on outreach/career training with local youth.
Based on feedback received at workshops and pop-ups, Round 2 will include an online survey that is available for several weeks and an online workshop in addition to in-person workshops, pop-ups, and focused discussions.
Outside of public outreach, t he next major work efforts for Neighborhoods Where We All Belong in 2025 include, but are not limited to:
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, preparing an Initial Study and Notice of Preparation for an Environmental Impact Report;
Drafting Zoning Code amendments to comply with state law; and Drafting residential and mixed-use development zoning and objective design standards.
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GENERAL PLAN CONFORMANCE:
The public outreach conducted is a component of implementing the Housing Element, an adopted chapter of the City’s General Plan.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
There is no public notice requirement for the City Council Neighborhoods Where We All Belong public engagement update. However, the City provided the following informal notice:
The date and time of the Neighborhoods Where We All Belong public engagement update was posted on the project website.
Information about the update was emailed to the effort’s interest list.
FISCAL REVIEW:
There is no fiscal impact with this action. Within the City’s Housing Element Rezoning Program are statutory requirements and specific timelines. Funding for the next steps of the Housing Element Rezoning Program is available in the Housing Authority Fund (Fund 222). The project has a budget of $2.4 million, of which $2.26 million remains in the project balance at the time of the City Council hearing date.
CONCLUSION:
The City successfully engaged a broad audience in the first round of Neighborhoods Where We All Belong through a multitude of public outreach activities. Public engagement leads to better-informed decisions and empowers residents and other stakeholders to shape their communities. By meaningfully incorporating public input, the City will create regulations that reflect community needs, comply with state law, and lead to more positive outcomes. The City is preparing to utilize feedback from the community to inform the next steps of the project. In early 2026, the community will be invited to reconnect with this effort, review draft regulations, and continue this important work toward a future with more housing options for all Costa Mesans.
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