🧨SPECIAL UPDATE RE CHAOTIC CITY COUNCIL MEETING 🧨

On July 15, 2025, the Costa Mesa City Council met for its regular meeting. Nothing controversial was on the Agenda, but that didn’t mean the meeting went smoothly. The meeting started with the signing of the National Anthem. One member of the audience sang loudly, so loudly that even the Mayor remarked on its volume. At Mayor John Stephens’s request, the Clerk called the roll, but then reminded the Mayor of the moment of solemn expression that should have come before the roll call. Sitting in the audience, I could see that all council members bowed their heads while the pastor said his words, except for Council member Loren Gameros (District 2), who took this time to look about the room. The Orange County Model Engineers received recognition and a plaque for their 40 years of service to the community. After the OCME supporters left, the Chamber was about 2/3rds full, probably as a result of a poster seen around town (see photo below).

Flyer seen around town before City Council meeting

Public Comments. The meeting’s beginning felt familiar. It was similar to the City Council meeting of May 1, 2018, as the subject of the public comments was about the ability of ICE to come to Costa Mesa and use tactics, some illegal, in an attempt to enforce immigration laws. However, that meeting had an entirely different decorum. At that 2018 meeting, Trump supporters filled the Chamber, some of whom in 2016 had been at the Fairgrounds for the Trump rally that got out of hand. When I tried to get into the Chamber, I was denied entry until another person left because the Council Chamber was filled to capacity. On that Agenda was an item requesting direction to be (or not be) given on action concerning SB 54, the California Values Act, legislation over which the federal government was suing the State. Then Mayor Sandra Genis laid down the law early in the hearing on the meeting, and when one audience member crossed the line, she had the sergeant-at-arms remove her. There were 96 public comments on this Agenda item alone. There was another eruption of shouts at the very end of the meeting, but there were no long interruptions.

While the end result, a resolution opposing the act, wasn’t what many Costa Mesa residents desired (see commentary by Leah Ersoylu https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/opinion/tn-dpt-me-commentary-immigration-20180503-story.html ), the nearly seven-hour meeting proceeded with only one hiccup. And many audience members stayed until the end.

Unlike the 2018 meeting, last Tuesday’s meeting was not orderly. There was no item on the Agenda about the actions of ICE, so any comments had to be made during the initial public comment period. The first commenter, Flo Martin, was able to tell us about her terrifying experience under a communist regime and asked that the Costa Mesa Police Department protect the residents who are fearing for their lives now. She said that the receipts for the Fish Fry had dropped by 40%. During her time at the microphone, she got the respect she deserved, but it went downhill after that. Chants of “ICE! ICE! ICE! We love ICE!’ started. Despite the continual admonitions of “Order!” and “Excuse me!” and “This woman has the floor!” by Mayor Stephens, his efforts to tamp down the disruptive activities of half a dozen or so Trump and ICE supporters went unnoticed. Shouting continued by supporters on both sides of the issue. When a close-face shouting match broke out between two men on opposite sides, Interim Police Chief Joyce LaPointe had to break it up, as the sergeant-at-arms was dealing with another unruly MAGAT, and the Fire Chief and captains were dealing with others. Physical threats were made, hate speech exchanged, and middle finger salutes thrown. Nearly an hour into the meeting and 15 commenters out of 38, the Mayor was repeatedly yelling “Order! Order! Order! Order!” as all hell was breaking loose. Council member Andrea Marr leaned over to the Mayor, and it appeared to me that she told him he must call a recess. She rose from her seat, as did Council member Arlis Reynolds. Marr motioned to another police officer in the Chamber to come her way, and the meeting went into recess. Some council members stood near the door that leads to the back hall, and some disappeared behind that door. The audience never calmed down. Meanwhile, a dozen more police officers were brought into the Council Chamber. A few minutes later, when the meeting resumed, the Mayor had to yell “QUIET!” at the top of his lungs. He then made an announcement that “We have PD here. If there's more disturbances, at my order, people are going to have to leave. I don't want to do that. I don't want to make that order, but I'm prepared to do it. Is everybody clear?”

The MAGAs continued their chatter amongst themselves and then continued to disrupt the speakers at the podium. At about speaker 17, the Mayor finally directed the sergeant-at-arms to remove one of the most egregious offenders. However, the Mayor was still yelling “Order! Order! Order!” About an hour and a half into the meeting, around speaker 27, the MAGATs finally departed, and the Council Chamber quieted down. Most, but not all, the comments were completely about ICE and the terror that the residents are experiencing from its presence. There were personal stories about children being kept inside all day, not being sent to school, about the feelings of fear and terror, and not being able to work or acquire food. Some speakers touched on subjects such as parking issues and fireworks. Several speakers spoke about the need for better governance, for an investigation of the complaint by our former City Manager, and the need for an ethics policy and code of conduct. Council Member Comments. At about two hours into the meeting, Andrea Marr (District 3) started up the Council member comments. She thanked the residents who came to speak and the Costa Mesa Police Department, who had jumped into action when called in. She gave instructions as to what to do if you see something like ICE activity and translated those comments into Spanish. She also spoke about other actions being taken by the City, the Chamber of Commerce, and other volunteers; she requested that the City agendize an increase to business license fees and that an ethics policy be brought back to the Council for review.| Arlis Reynolds (District 5) spoke about why she had pulled the Consent Calendar Item for a resolution on the CalTrans inaction on the intersection of Industrial and Newport Boulevard; she announced an ebike rodeo on Wednesday, August 7, at Estancia High School. There will be a fair housing workshop on August 14. She spoke very movingly about her family’s history of repatriation. Her grandmother was born in Montana to Mexican immigrants. Despite her citizenship, she was deported to Mexico. She spoke about the community’s issues with ICE. “It’s a public safety issue and public safety is absolutely in the jurisdiction of the City Council.” She reiterated some of what Marr said about what the City is doing. Reynolds asked that the City help residents who need legal aid and legal defense find that. She asked Staff to work on accommodating residents who want to participate in the civic process but cannot leave their homes. Jeff Pettis (District 6) spoke about attending the July 3 City event at the Fairgrounds and why he likes Gameros. He touched on the replacement of stolen plaques in Fairview Park and the Study Session held the previous week. Mike Buley (District 1) spoke about meeting with law enforcement about ongoing investigations. He asked about getting security cameras on City-owned property. He asked about charging a TOT or a similar tax on the sober living homes. He commended the Mayor on his attempts to control the crowd that evening. He said he is a free speech absolutist. He said the takeaway was that the Council should do something. He said he thinks SB 54 (enacted seven years ago) is unproductive. Loren Gameros (District 2) said that there was a lot that the general public didn’t get to see or hear some of what went on in the Chamber that evening. He said there were several fearmongers who would not give others an opportunity to speak. He talked about the deportations and impacts on the community. He thanked the Police Department, and in particular the sergeant-at-arms. He finished with a remark about the July 3 City event. Manuel Chavez (District 4) spoke about the impacts of ICE creating fear in the neighborhoods of Costa Mesa; he also spoke about the determination and hope of the community to continue to forge better lives here. Chavez thanked those who came to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves right now. He asked that a resolution supporting SB 627 (No Secret Police Act) be brought to the City Council for consideration. He would like the City to explore options for legal aid, and he is giving consideration to the budgetary issues the City is facing. He wants the City to study at-will evictions and the possibility of a moratorium. John Stephens (Mayor) thanked the Staff who helped with the July 3 event. He is going to be participating in a demolition derby or race at the OC Fair. He asked the question: How do I keep the Latino community safe? He admitted that his use of the gavel in the meeting was worthless. He said he is committed to erring on the side of letting everyone speak in the Chamber. He said he would try to do better next time, and that there would be a next time. He read the statement that he and Chavez wrote that can be found here: https://www.cityofcostamesanews.com/statement-from-mayor-and-mayor-pro-tem-on-federal-immigration-actions/ He said further action would depend on what the City Council decides to do. He spoke about his wife’s family’s experience during WWII. He didn’t offer any solutions or give direction to Staff. John Stephens was a Council member in 2018 and was at the May 1 meeting. This wasn’t his first rodeo. He has had experience with an unfriendly crowd, and while he wasn’t the Mayor that night, he had an example to follow. Yes, it was a difficult situation, but he should have been prepared for it. In 2018, there were tons of officers on hand because the City knew MAGA was descending upon us. On Tuesday, I pulled up in the parking lot at 5:45 p.m., saw about a half dozen wackadoodles and knew what was coming. There was a pop-up for the City Council set up on the steps of the City Council Chamber, along with a table for the OC Rapid Response Network, so the City saw what I did. Why wasn’t PD called in at that time? Joyce LaPointe, the Interim Police Chief, should answer to that. After what I witnessed on Tuesday, I am having some doubts that she should be our next Police Chief, much less the Interim Chief. She admonished someone who brought a small cardboard sign into the Chamber, but did nothing about a Proud Boy who waved a large metal flag pole. What the heck?! The only reason I felt safe was that there were more people there who opposed ICE’s operations in our community than out-of-town disruptors. Stephens became impotent when confronted with six or so Proud Boys. Thank goodness there weren’t more, and thank goodness a strong woman came to his rescue. But isn’t that what Katrina Foley did for years? Drag Stephens along by her coattails? Now that she isn’t here to be his “wingman,” we can see the weak Mayor that Stephens is. I have to wonder what that “Formal Complaint -- Mayoral Potential Conflicts of Interest, Illicit Interference, and Undue Influence in City Operations, Permitting and Contracts” written by the former City Manager contains. I’ve put in a public records request for it. The City should produce it, as it is not the subject of a lawsuit, and as it was given to a private investigator, who seems to be hired by the City, not the City Attorney, it should not be subject to attorney-client privilege. I’ll withhold comment until I see it, but when and if I do, I will disclose its contents. City Manager Report. The Interim City Manager, Cecilia Gallardo Daly, announced a new webpage for the City for those who are looking for opportunities to volunteer, donate, or lend other types of support to members of the community. https://www.costamesaca.gov/community/costa-mesa-cares ; she announced the addition of new officers to the Police Department; she said that LaPointe thinks we will be a maximum staffing levels by the end of the year; an Open House for the rezoning project on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Norma Hertzog Community Center at 845 Park Avenue. City Attorney Report. None. Consent Calendar. None of the items were pulled. There were the usual abstentions by Gameros (wife works at Priceless Pets) and Stephens (campaign contribution from Ware Disposal). A motion was made to approve by Reynolds, seconded by Marr, and the items were unanimously approved. Public Hearings. The Hive Project was pulled from the Agenda and will be heard on August 5. That left one public hearing item: a Mitigated Negative Declaration, General Plan Amendment, Rezone, Master Plan, and Tentative Tract Map for 40 residential condos at 220, 222, 234, and 236 Victoria Street. This item took more than one hour and twenty minutes to get to a vote, but I’m going to keep it short. This is the development that the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council turn down. There are so many deviations and weird planning requests by the developer, and it is a really bad location for housing. When I walked into the Council Chamber earlier in the evening, I noticed that Don Lamm, a former member of the City’s planning staff turned consultant (also former City Manager of Westminster), was there. Staff gave a presentation, followed by Lamm, who presented for the developer and answered questions by the council members, including concerns about traffic and pedestrian safety at the awkward street in front of the project. Despite the recommendation of the Planning Commission to turn it down, on motion by Stephens, seconded by Gameros, the project was unanimously approved. Old Business. None. New Business. There were two items, as the Fairview Park contract was pulled from the Agenda: 1.     Residential Permit Parking Program- Cabrillo Street Between Orange Avenue And Santa Ana Avenue. The residents on Cabrillo requested a parking permit zone. Because this is a new parking zone, it has to come to the City Council. Because Cabrillo stops and starts, the residents on Cabrillo from Tustin to Irvine will need to apply for their own permit program. On motion by Marr, seconded by Chavez, the permit program was unanimously approved. 2.    Randall Preserve. Reynolds presented an update on the Frank and Joan Randall/Genga preserve. The Coastal Corridor Alliance and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority have been doing excellent and meaningful outreach efforts. Specifics weren’t covered, but the City, City of Newport Beach and County are working on fire prevention efforts while the land is being remediated (expect that to go on for a few more years). DATES TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR (REZONING MEETINGS): Wednesday, July 30: Open House at Norma Hertzog Community Center beginning at 6:00 p.m. (see City’s flyer).

Thursday, August 21: Harbor/Newport Event No. 1 (no details yet).

Saturday, August 21: Westside Event No. 1(no details yet).

Wednesday, September 10: North Costa Mesa SoBECA Event No. 1 (no details yet). We will have to see how these meetings go. If they split people up into groups where we can’t hear each other’s questions, then that meeting will automatically receive an “F” grade. Unless a visioning advisory committee is appointed, none of these meetings will result in a positive outcome. Planning must be taken out of the control of developers, who can sway the City Council with campaign contributions, and put into the hands of the community and professional urban planners.

Flyer for Planning Open House