City of Costa Mesa Earns Award for Saving Tax-Payer Dollars

Costa Mesa captures top award for its "Costa Mesa Minute" show

 

The City of Costa Mesa earned a “Golden Hub of Innovation” award for the “Costa Mesa Minute” daily news and information video last week from the Assn. of California Cities – Orange County.
The Golden Hub of Innovation awards honor local agencies that successfully implement the programs and policies that save tax-payer dollars and improve services for residents. Local and regional governments submitted nearly 60 applications in nine different categories.

Costa Mesa captured first place in the Technology and E-Government category.

“Local governments are the laboratories of innovation,” said Lacy Kelly, CEO of the Assn. of California Cities – Orange County. “We are proud to honor these leaders, whose innovations are saving taxpayer dollars and creating efficiencies in government.”

The Costa Mesa Minute is a daily video designed to give Costa Mesa residents city-related news and information in a high-quality, entertaining and easily digestible format.

The content focuses heavily in government news, including previews of upcoming public meetings, traffic delays, details of city-sponsored events and has a special focus on schools, youth sports, arts and nonprofits.

The program airs weekdays and is available on the City’s website and all city social media platforms resulting in increased transparency, information sharing, and public engagement. The show is produced by Dane Bora, Brad Long and Bill Lobdell.

“We are proud that this Costa Mesa innovation has been recognized as a the best new technology and e-government initiative for the past year in all of Orange County,” City CEO Tom Hatch said.

Costa Mesa TV Channel Wins 4 Awards

CMTV 3 wins four awards for broadcasting excellence

Costa Mesa Television Channel 3 (CMTV 3) was honored last week by the Southern California and Nevada chapter of the National Assn. of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors at the 18th Annual STAR Awards with one first place, two second place and one third place awards.

Established in 1997, the STAR Awards recognize outstanding programs produced by public, educational, and/or government access facilities serving California and Nevada communities.

CMTV 3, the City of Costa Mesa’s television station, earned top honors in the “Promo” category for its “Costa Mesa, My Sweet Home” music video production (click here to watch). The lip-dub video features 215 residents lip-syncing the words to “Costa Mesa, My Sweet Home,” a song by local musician Dan Krikorian. The 3-minute, 45-second video was shot at 47 locales around Costa Mesa.

CMTV 3 received second place awards in the categories of “Talk Show” and “Magazine Show,” and third place for “Overall Excellence in Government Programming Under $400,000 Operating Budget.” “City Talk,” a previous 4-time winner of Best Talk Show, and “The Community Report,” CMTV’s longest running show, received the second place awards.

“We are very pleased to be recognized for our work,” said Dane Bora, the city’s video production coordinator. “Every year the quality of programs receiving STAR Awards continues to impress, so it is exciting that our work was recognized for these awards.”

CMTV 3 has now been recognized by association for excellence in local programming with 14 first place STAR Awards since 1997, including eleven in the past nine years. Additionally, CMTV 3 has earned numerous second and third place honors in a variety of categories over the years.

Mandles Candles for Men, Manly Men

Happy Father's Day.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX

Still 2 months to go. What will I do til' then?

Costa Mesa Promotes Nick Cerciello to Fire Captain

Nick Cerciello promoted to fire captain

 

Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano has recently promoted Nick Cerciello to the position of fire captain.

Cerciello joined the Costa Mesa Fire Department in 2006, after holding positions with Ventura County Fire Department, Orange County Fire Authority and Tustin Federal Fire Department.
"Nick has demonstrated sound leadership qualities, relevant technical competencies and a strong commitment to professional development," Chief Stefano said. “We look forward to the many contributions Nick will bring to the organization in his new role.”

Photo caption: Captain Nick Cerciello (third from left) is welcomed on his first day assigned to Station No. 2 by (from left)  Battalion Chiefs Tim Vasin and Fred Seguin and Fire Chief Dan Stefano.

OCTA Recommends $1.7 Mil Grant for Costa Mesa

$1.7 million grant proposed for multipurpose trail, bioswale along Arlington Drive

 

A Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) committee has recommended awarding $1.7 million to Costa Mesa to build a one-mile-long multipurpose trail and environmentally friendly bioswale along Arlington Drive.
The recommendation will go to the OCTA Board of Directors on April 14 for final approval.
The project—ranked No.1 out of 16 applications—will remove 70,000 square feet of asphalt to construct a decomposed granite trail and a landscaped, natural drainage area that will collect urban runoff and naturally filter the water as it trickles down to the water basin under Costa Mesa.

The bioswale will be used in lieu of curbs, gutters and storm drain pipes, which will reduce the long-term costs associated with storm water management facilities.

The funding will be proposed for Fiscal Year 2014-15. Once the budget is adopted, the project's design phase will begin. Construction would be expected to begin in late 2015.

The estimated cost of the project is $2.6 million. Match grant funding will be proposed from in-kind staff serves and drainage fee revenue equaling $910,000.

Costa Mesa Hosts SoCal Emergency Response Workshop

Costa Mesa hosts first multi-agency Community Emergency Response Team workshop

Posted Date: 3/13/2014

 

Costa Mesa recently hosted the inaugural Southern California Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Workshop to connect, coordinate and train CERT instructors and program managers and to create more resilient communities.

More than 100 CERT programs throughout California were represented at the daylong event that was coordinated by Brenda Emrick, the Costa Mesa Fire Department's community education and CERT program manager.

Training courses included advanced programs, instructor development and crisis communications. As the host city, Costa Mesa was assisted by its own CERT program volunteers—Dottie Garrett, Bobbie Bradley and Cindy Brenneman—who helped organize and register the nearly 160 participants.
The event was sponsored by CaliforniaVolunteers, a state office that manages programs and initiatives aimed at increasing the number of Californians engaged in service and volunteering.
CERT educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
(Pictured in photo from left: Mike Staley, CaliforniaVolunteers; Chad Fitzgerald, State Workgroup Co-Chair, Clovis Fire Department; Wilson Lee, State Workgroup Co-Chair, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; Costa Mesa Fire Chief Dan Stefano; and  Brenda Emrick, Costa Mesa CERT coordinator.)

 

CERT workshop volunteers (from left): Brenda Emrick, Dottie Garrett, Bobbie Bradley, Cindy Brenneman, Erica Arteseros (San Francisco CERT program manager), and Carol Parker (Menlo Park Fire District CERT program manager).