 | |
| Special district overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 1, 1960 |
| Headquarters | 1965 Placentia Avenue Costa Mesa, CA |
| Special district executives |
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| Website | https://www.mesawater.org/ |
The Mesa Water District is a special district that manages water distribution to most of Costa Mesa, a portion of Newport Beach, and John Wayne Airport. [1]
The city of Costa Mesa, having been incorporated in 1953, provided municipal services such as a water supply to its residents. In 1957, the city held a special bond election for the construction of water-related infrastructure, which failed. [2] During this period, various other water districts had been in operation in the Costa Mesa area, including the Newport Heights Irrigation District (formed 1918), the Fairview County Water District (formed 1946), and the Newport Mesa County Water District (formed 1954), which had previously replaced the Newport Mesa Irrigation District. [3] With the multiple districts and the city having overlapping boundaries, Governor Edmund Brown, Sr. signed the Costa Mesa District Merger Law in 1959, which combined the districts and city services into one. [3] [4] Officially designated as the Costa Mesa County Water District, the district began operations on January 1, 1960. [5]
In 1978, legislation was adopted to change the name to the Mesa Consolidated Water District. [4] [6] In January 2013, following a $500,000 rebranding effort, the district again changed their name to the Mesa Water District. [7]
Mesa Water District began exploring the possibility of a merger with the Costa Mesa Sanitary District in 2016. [8] Mesa Water was in support of the merger, with the Sanitary District opposed to it. [9] The question of a merger was put before the voters in an advisory measure, 2016's Measure TT. The measure passed, but as an advisory measure had no legal effect, and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District remained opposed and sued the Mesa Water District. [10] In 2018, the lawsuit was finally settled. [11]
Mesa Water has faced controversies following rate increases in 2010, 2017, and 2022. [12] [13] [14]
Mesa Water District is governed by a five-member Board of Directors, each elected to a four-year term. [15] Each director is elected by geographic division and has been since the districts formation in 1960. [3] The current members of the Board are:
| Position | Board Member | Division | Entered office | Term ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | Shawn Dewane | 5 | 2005 | 2026 |
| Vice President | Marice DePasquale | 3 | 2017 | 2024 |
| Director | Jim Atkinson | 4 | 1998 | 2026 |
| Director | Fred Bockmiller | 1 | 1996 | 2024 |
| Director | James Fisler | 2 | 2009 | 2024 |
Orange County, often known by its initials O.C., is a county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, and more populous than 19 American states and Washington, D.C. Although largely suburban, it is the second-most-densely-populated county in the state behind San Francisco County. The county's three most-populous cities are Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Irvine, each of which has a population exceeding 300,000. Santa Ana is also the county seat. Six cities in Orange County are on the Pacific coast: Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, and San Clemente.
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wayne Airport edge city, one of the region's largest commercial clusters, with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light manufacturing. The city is home to the two tallest skyscrapers in Orange County. The population was 111,918 at the 2020 census.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the transportation planning commission for Orange County, California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for the transportation system in the county, including freeway expansions, express lane management, bus and rail transit operation, and commuter rail funding and oversight.
State Route 55 (SR 55) is an 18-mile (30-km) long north–south state highway that passes through suburban Orange County in the U.S. state of California. The portion of the route built to freeway standards is known as the Costa Mesa Freeway. SR 55 runs between Via Lido south of Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach and the Riverside Freeway in Anaheim to the north, intersecting other major Orange County freeways such as SR 22, SR 73, and Interstate 405 (I-405).
South Coast Plaza is a regional shopping mall in Costa Mesa, California. The largest shopping center on the West Coast of the United States, its pre-COVID sales of over $1.5 billion annually were the highest in the United States. Its 275 retailers represent the highest concentration of design fashion retail in the U.S., with the second highest sales-volume in California at $800 per square foot ($8,600/m2)—second only to Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose-Santa Clara, at $809 per square foot ($8,710/m2). The national average is $411 per square foot ($4,420/m2). The mall is anchored by three Macy's stores, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and Saks Fifth Avenue. South Coast Plaza is the largest shopping mall in California and the 4th largest in the United States.
Fashion Island is an outdoor regional shopping mall in Newport Beach, California. Opened in 1967 by The Irvine Company as the anchor to their master-planned Newport Center district, Fashion Island is anchored by Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.
Corona del Mar High School (CdM) is a public school located in the Eastbluff neighborhood of Newport Beach, California, and belongs to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. It is a combination of a middle school and a high school. The school was founded in 1962 and has an enrollment of approximately 2,100 students. The school covers an area of just over 1,700,000 square feet. According to US News, there are 92 full-time teachers.
The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located on the campus of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. The museum's collection comprises more than 4,500 objects, with a concentration on the art of California and the Pacific Rim from the early 20th century to present. Exhibits include traditional paintings, sculptures, and photography, as well as new media in the form of video, digital, and installation art.
The South Coast Metro is a district in Orange County, California within the cities of Santa Ana and Costa Mesa. The area is a dense mix of residential, office, and retail developments that spreads out from the South Coast Plaza mall. It forms part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wayne Airport edge city, a concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a traditional central business district. The edge city's area is defined to include John Wayne Airport, the Irvine Business Complex (IBC), The District and The Market Place shopping centers, and the University of California, Irvine campus. This larger definition extends into Newport Beach, Irvine, and Tustin.
The Daily Pilot is a daily newspaper published by the Los Angeles Times to serve the communities of Sunset Beach, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and Laguna Beach in Orange County, California.
Newport-Mesa Unified School District is a school district in Orange County, California, United States, that mainly serves the cities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. The district was founded on July 1, 1966. It currently serves approximately 18,600 at twenty-two elementary schools, two intermediate schools, four high schools, one alternative education center, and one adult education center.
Estancia High School is located in Costa Mesa, California and is part of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District which serves approximately 21,000 students who reside in the cities of Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. Estancia High School is a comprehensive high school which serves the needs of approximately 1,200 students in Grades 9-12.
The Newport Pop Festival, held in Costa Mesa, California, on August 3–4, 1968, was the first music concert ever to have more than 100,000 paid attendees. Its sequel, billed as Newport 69, was held in Northridge, California, on June 20–22, 1969, and had a total attendance estimated at 200,000.
James V. Selna is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) is a California Special District formed in 1961 and incorporated under the California water code. IRWD headquarters are located in Irvine, California.
Kona Lanes was a bowling center in Costa Mesa, California, that operated from 1958 to 2003. Known for its futuristic design, it featured 40 wood-floor bowling lanes, a game room, a lounge, and a coffee shop that eventually became a Mexican diner. Built during the advent of Googie architecture, its Polynesian-inspired Tiki styling extended from the large roadside sign to the building's neon lights and exaggerated rooflines.
The Byron-Bethany Irrigation District (BBID) is a special district serving the water needs of regions of Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Joaquin Counties in California. This area is about 30,000 acres (12,000 ha) and serves 160 agricultural customers, as well as residents of the all-inclusive Mountain House village community are served as well. Notable recipients of BBID's services in the area are The Patterson Pass Business Park, Prologis International Park of Commerce, and Cordes Ranch. The water comes from the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and the Delta–Mendota Canal.
The 2023 Los Angeles special election was held on April 4, 2023 with a runoff occurring on June 27, 2023. Voters will elect a candidate in a nonpartisan primary, with runoff elections potentially scheduled. One of the fifteen seats on the Los Angeles City Council was up for election due to the vacancy of one member, councilwoman Nury Martinez of District 6, who resigned in the wake of the 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal. Sharon Tso was installed as a caretaker to the district, but no formal appointment was made. There was potential for a recall over Kevin de León's statements made during the 2022 Los Angeles City Council scandal as well, though due to the lack of signatures turned in by the deadline on April 1, 2023, the petition to recall de León failed. Former City Attorney Mike Feuer also proposed that a special election be held on a referendum to replace the Council's ability to redraw the City Council districts with an independent commission before the 2024 elections.
Municipal elections in Costa Mesa are held every two years. Beginning in 1982, the elections were consolidated with the statewide general elections. From 1954 to 2016, voters could select as many candidates as open positions, meaning the total vote count could exceed voter registration numbers. Following the passage of Measure EE in 2016, Costa Mesa moved from a system of electing either two or three councilmembers at-large every two years, to a seven member city council with a directly elected mayor, with a two-year term, and six city councilmembers with four year terms.
The Costa Mesa Sanitary District is a special district that manages trash and wastewater management in Costa Mesa. The district also oversees small portions of Newport Beach and unincorporated Orange County.