City Council Meeting
February 17, 2026
Adopt an Ordinance Requiring
Staffing at Self-Service
Checkout Stations
2 Background
• August 12, 2025, Long Beach City Council adopted ordinance to mandate staffing requirements at grocery and drug retail stores • November 4, 2026, Costa Mesa staff presented a preliminary analysis of the City of Long Beach ordinance and impacts of implementing a measure in Costa Mesa.
• January 20, 2026, City Council votes 3-2 to adopt an ordinance similar to the City of Long Beach ordinance with modifications.
• February 3, 2026, Councilmember Reynolds proposed amendments adopted 6-0.
3 February 3, 2026, City Council Meeting
Amendments to Proposed Ordinance:
• Extend the right to cure from seven to fifteen days
• Delay implementation of ordinance to 60 days after adoption • Require only that signage is posted stating self-checkout is limited to about 15 items
• Revise in-store notifications to eliminate reference to enforcement options Report back to City Council with an update in one year
4 Proposed Costa Mesa Ordinance
• Applies to:
Food retail establishments over 15,000 square feet and those over 85,000 square feet with 10% of sale floor dedicated to non-taxable merchandise (groceries and prepared food)
Drug retail establishments
• Requires one employee per three stations (1:3)
• Requires signage at self-checkout limiting to 15 items and prohibits items locked or with theft-deterrent measures • Enforced through private right of action
15 days to cure
Penalties of $100 per day ($1,000 maximum per employee per day) Attorney’s Fees and Costs
5 Recommendations
Adopt Ordinance No. 2026-XX Adding Article 7 of Chapter II of Title 9 to the Costa Mesa Municipal Code relating to Grocery and Drug Store Staffing Standards for Self-Service Checkout Stations
City Council Meeting
February 17, 2026
AGREEMENT WITH BRACKENS
KITCHEN FOR KITCHEN
OPERATIONS AT THE BRIDGE
SHELTER
2 Background
April 2022 – The City executed an agreement with Bracken’s Kitchen for Kitchen Operations at the Bridge Shelter. To date, Bracken’s Kitchen has:
• Prepared approximately 36,000 meals
• Exceeded expectations regarding food quality, kitchen management, and customer service
• Volunteered to assist Life On The Streets (LOTS) with preparing breakfast for attendees at weekly meetings
• Maintained costs through private donations and fundraising 3 Request for Proposals
• The City’s agreement with Bracken’s Kitchen expires April 2026. • The City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Kitchen Operations at the Bridge Shelter in October 2025.
• The City received proposals from two (2) vendors:
• Bracken’s Kitchen
• Everytable
4 Proposal Overview
Bracken’s Kitchen
• Staffing – On-site staff and volunteers
• Meals – Cooked on-site and served
fresh
• Cost - $13.50 per person, per day
o $492,750 maximum per year
o Cost based on actual meals
served
• Additional Services –
o Culinary Training Program
o Movie Nights, Ice Cream Socials
o Pasta Party, Burgers & Brats, Surf
& Turf
Everytable
• Staffing – No on-site staff or volunteers
• Meals – Cooked off-site and delivered
• Cost - $15.75 per person, per day
o $520,262 maximum per year
o Cost based on actual meals served
• Additional Services – None
5 Staff recommends the City Council approve the Professional Services Agreement with Bracken’s Kitchen for Kitchen
Operations at the Bridge Shelter.
Recommendations
City Council Meeting
February 17, 2026
URBAN TREE CANOPY AND
LAND ASSESSMENT
2 Background – Current Conditions
• City’s urban forest of approximately
22,700 trees.
• Estimated value of over $100
million.
• 325 Different tree species.
• 94% of existing trees rated Fair or
Good.
87% rated in Good condition
• The City’s Urban Forest and canopy
contributes to:
Environmental quality
Public health
Water management
Aesthetics and real property values
3 Goals of the assessment:
• Provide a baseline evaluation of
Costa Mesa’s tree canopy.
• Analyze its distribution.
• Provide data that can guide
future strategies for urban forest
development and management
across all areas of the City.
• Means to measure progress.
Background – Assessment
4 Assessment Boundaries
• The study evaluated Urban Tree Canopy
(UTC) and Possible Planting Areas (PPA)
across multiple geographic scales:
One Citywide boundary
Six Council Districts
37 Census tracts
20 Land-use groups
34 Designated park areas
• This multi-scale approach allows for
targets decision-making to enhance
Costa Mesa’s urban forest.
5 Methodology
• Data Sources
High resolution imagery from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
GIS Layers from the City were added to
ensure accuracy with local land use
classifications.
• Pervious vs. Impervious Surfaces
Pervious land allows water infiltration.
Impervious lands prevents water infiltration.
• Suitable vs. Unsuitable Planting Areas
Suitable planting areas where establishment
is both feasible and beneficial.
Unsuitable planting areas are impractical or
conflicts with existing land functions.
6 Citywide Canopy Coverage
Canopy Coverage in the City of Costa Mesa as of
2024 – 13.88%
• Areas unsuitable for planting – 80.48%
• Area suitable for future planting – 5.63%
How does the City of Costa Mesa Compare?
• City of Newport Beach – 12.6%
• City of Irvine – 12.7%
• City of Santa Ana – 11.6%
• City of Huntington Beach – 8.8%
• City of Tustin – 10.1%
• Southern California Regional Average –
15%
Recommend minimum urban canopy cover of
20% to promote environmental resilience, mitigate
urban heat, and enhance livability.
7 Tree Canopy by Council District
District 1 has the highest tree canopy coverage while
District 5 has the lowest.
Other Districts within a 4% range of District 1.
District 1 has the lower percentage of potential planting area but is the largest District in terms of land mass.
District 4 is the smallest district by area and thus
presents less opportunity for canopy expansion.
8 Census Tracts
• Canopy cover across Costa Mesa’s Census
Tracts ranged from 3.6% to 24.26%
• Suitable planting opportunities varied from
1.38% to 23.7%.
• The most promising tracts for expansion include
Tract 525.01, due to its high percentage of
suitable space.
• Tracts with lower canopy and available area,
such as 636.04 and 636.05, may require
alternative strategies for greening efforts.
Prioritize maintenance and tree health to
preserve existing canopy.
Select the largest appropriate species tree
when trees must be replaced.
Avoid undersized ornamental trees where a
larger tree can successfully mature.
9 How Costa Mesa’s Trees Benefit the Community
10 Tree Species Composition
11 Tree Characteristics (Percent of Tree Population
by Diameter)
12 Urban Forest Composition and Risk Assessment
13 Where Canopy is Lacking
Canopy is lacking in:
• Districts 2, District 5, and District 6 with
canopy coverage between12.73% - 13.49%
• Census Tract 637.01 ad 626.01 shows the
lowest canopy percentages citywide,
ranging form 9.8% - 11.7%.
• High residential and commercial corridors
along Harbor Blvd., Bristol St., and the
South Coast Plaza area are short on
planting areas.
These areas contain impervious
surfaces, minimal public green space
and limited planting within private
parcels.
14 Where the Most Opportunity Lies
The most suitable areas for new tree
planting are found in:
• District 3 at 6.93% and District 6 at 7.46%.
• Parks
TeWinkle Park – 270,000 sq. ft. plantable
area
Wakeham Park – 177,000 sq. ft. plantable
area
These spaces feature existing soil making
them ideal for canopy expansion.
15 Areas Most in Need of Protection Vs. Expansion
• Protection:
Eastside Costa Mesa and parts of
District 1 contain large residential lots
with existing mature tree canopy of up
to 16.34%.
• Expansion
Commercial zones with only 8.63%
canopy and school properties
averaging less than 8% coverage
require expansion efforts.
FDC contain large pervious surfaces
with poor canopy coverage.
16 General Citywide Trends
Canopy coverage is unevenly
distributed:
• Favors low-density residential areas
with 23.83% canopy coverage.
• Underserves high-density residential
(15.77%) and commercial (6.73%)
zones.
• Large parcels such as Talbert
Regional Park, Fairview Park, and the
Costa Mesa Golf Course contain
extensive canopy and open space but
offer limited benefit to street-level
urban canopy goals.
• Census Tracts 638.03 and 639.02
show a combination of low existing
canopy and high planting suitability.
17 Parks and Community Services Commission
• Include a mapping of tree inventory so that the
relationship of tree canopy to pedestrian opportunity
zones, major roadway corridors and tree-deficient
areas can be analyzed.
• Collaborate with Newport Mesa Unified School
District (NMUSD) to increase tree canopy at various
school properties, especially in areas that are lacking adequate canopy cover.
• Collaborate with other districts such as Mesa Water
for tree planting efforts.
• Increase mulching activities in landscaped areas
throughout the City.
• Dedicate a portion of Capital Improvement Program
(CIP) budget for streets towards trees.
• Repurpose a portion of golf course adjacent to
Fairview Developmental Center (FDC) for increasing
open space and tree canopy.
• Conduct outreach to residents, especially in multi-family areas for additional tree planting and provide incentives for planting trees.
• Address tree canopy and social equity issues.
• Consider an Adopt a Tree program for planting and
maintenance of trees.
• Identify and promote health benefits of trees, especially in areas deficient in tree canopy.
• Identify areas where trees were removed and ensure new trees are planted.
• Incorporate tree canopy recommendations within Safe
Routes to School project.
• Prioritize areas with poor tree canopy and low unsuitable planting.
• Provide Planning Commission with the presentation on
tree canopy.
18 City of Costa Mesa Tree Benefits Website
Staff is currently working with the
consultant on the development of
the City’s Tree Benefits Website.
• Prune Schedule Map
• Information on Tree Inventory and
Canopy Coverage
• Tree Benefits Dashboard
• Tree Canopy Cover Map
• Tree Benefits Heat Map
• Links to other helpful tree related
sites.
https://costamesa-
urbanforest.wca.app
19 Next Steps
Protect existing tree canopy
• High yet reasonable standards for removals.
• Enforce tree protection standards for
construction projects.
• Provide appropriate maintenance levels and
pest monitoring of existing trees.
Tree planting
• Prioritize areas that are deficient.
• Prioritize locations that can support larger,
longer-lived trees.
• Select the right tree in the right place.
• Focus on proper maintenance of newly
planted trees.
• Encourage the planting of trees on private
property.
City Council Meeting
February 17, 2026
Training Requirements for
Elected and Appointed Officials
2 BACKGROUND
• Since 2005, California law has required ethics training for elected and appointed officials who are members of
legislative bodies
• Required ethics training must cover:
• Financial gain and conflicts of interest
• Prerequisites of office and use of public funds
• Government transparency
• Fair process requirements
3 SB 827 – CHANGES TO TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
• Expands which officials must complete ethics
training
• Shortens the deadline for initial training
• Requires fiscal and financial administration
training
• Creates new recordkeeping and website posting
requirements
4 ETHICS TRAINING – REQUIRED OFFICIALS
• Under existing law, officials who receive
compensation, including salary, stipends, or
reimbursement must complete ethics training
• SB 827 also requires training for department
heads and other officials designated by the City
Council
5 ETHICS TRAINING – DEADLINES
• Officials serving before January 1, 2026:
• Within one year of assuming office
• Every two years thereafter
• Officials assuming office on or after January 1,
2026:
• Within six months of assuming office
• Every two years thereafter
6 FISCAL AND FINANCIAL TRAINING – TOPICS
• SB 827 establishes new training requirements covering:
• Financial administration, management, policies,
reporting, and auditing
• Municipal budgets and budget processes
• Capital financing, debt management, revenues,
pensions and other post-employment benefits, and
investments
• General fiscal and financial planning principles and
laws relevant to an official’s role in overseeing
agency operations, procurement, and contracting
practices
7 FISCAL AND FINANCIAL TRAINING – REQUIRED
OFFICIALS
• Elected officials
• Department heads
• Officials who, as part of their official duties, make decisions or recommendations regarding financial
administration, budgeting, or use of public resources
• In essence, all Commissions and Committee, as well
as Department Heads, Senior Staff, Budget Officers
and Management Analysts likely to be covered
8 FISCAL AND FINANCIAL TRAINING – DEADLINES
• Officials serving as of January 1, 2026:
• Must complete by January 1, 2028, unless no longer in office as of that date
• Officials assuming office on or after January 1, 2026:
• Must complete within six months of assuming office
• Thereafter, training must be completed at least once
every two years
• Certain licensed financial professionals in good
standing may be exempt
9 RECORDKEEPING AND WEBSITE REQUIREMENTS
• The City must maintain records of compliance
with ethics and fiscal training requirements for at
least five years
• Beginning January 1, 2026, the City must also
post clear instructions and contact information on
its website for requesting training records
10 SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION TRAINING
SB 1343
• Required every two years
• Elected and appointed officials who oversee or
provide direction to staff must complete two
hours of training
• Non-supervisory employees must complete at
least one hour of training
11 SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION TRAINING –
TOPICS
• Federal and state laws prohibiting sexual
harassment
• Remedies available to victims
• Practical examples aimed an instructing
supervisors in the prevention of harassment,
discrimination, retaliation, and abusive conduct
• Prevention of harassment based on gender
identity, gender expression, and sexual
orientation
12 IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
• The City Attorney’s Office will work with the City Clerk to:
• Conduct required interactive training to ensure statutory compliance
• Implement the new retention and posting requirements
• Provide City Council with a list of designated officials and employees required to obtain the new fiscal and financial administration training
• The League of California Cities offers ethics training at its annual conference
• Sexual harassment prevention training is also available on the Department of Fair Employment and Housing website
13 Updated Training Requirements
QUESTIONS?