What Costa Mesa is about to decide

The council convenes in closed session at 4:00 PM and in regular session at 6:00 PM, City Council Chambers, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa; public hearings begin at 7:00 PM. The meeting is hybrid, in person and via Zoom webinar. These are pending decisions from the posted agendas — not outcomes. Every item links to the official record.

Sources: official regular agenda (PDF) · closed-session agenda (PDF) · Meeting pages: regular, closed session

✅ What actually passed (confirmed from the adopted minutes): According to the City Council’s adopted minutes for September 1, 2026, all seven roll-call votes carried 7-0 — Council Members Buley, Gameros, Marr, Pettis and Reynolds, Mayor Pro Tem Chavez and Mayor Stephens all voting Aye, with the minutes recording “Nays: None. Absent: None. Abstain: None.” on every item. The consent calendar was approved 7-0 except for item no. 6, which was pulled; consent included Resolution No. 2026-37 ratifying and accepting the California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Fund Program grant, with revenue and expense appropriations of $92,160 each for the 2026-27 grant in the State Grant Fund (Fund 231). The pulled item, the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant, was then taken separately: the council adopted Resolution No. 2026-36 accepting the grant and authorized an appropriation increase of $297,500 to both revenue and expenditure in Fund 231, 7-0. On old business, the council adopted Ordinance No. 2026-07, the Title 13 rewrite of land-use classifications for non-residential uses (Zoning Code Amendment PCTY-26-0001), 7-0. The two housing hearings previewed below both passed: the council adopted Resolution No. 2026-38 approving the General Plan Amendment to the Sixth Cycle Housing Element — adding opportunity sites to maintain RHNA capacity, removing certain sites, and adopting associated revisions including environmental justice policies and the CEQA determination — 7-0; and adopted Resolution No. 2026-39 declaring the city’s intent to overrule the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission’s inconsistency determination, 7-0, directing staff to forward it to ALUC and, after 45 days, to schedule a further council public hearing to consider actually overruling the determination — so that final step is still ahead. On new business, the council approved the successor Memoranda of Understanding with the Costa Mesa Police Association, the Costa Mesa Police Management Association and the Costa Mesa City Employees Association and adopted the accompanying salary resolutions — Resolutions No. 2026-40 through 2026-47, covering pay ranges for CMPA, CMPMA, CMCEA, the Confidential Unit, Deputy Police Chief, Police Recruit and Reserve Senior Public Safety Dispatcher — and authorized the City Manager and the city’s negotiation team to execute the agreements, 7-0. One item was not decided: the appeal hearing over the reasonable-accommodation request for the Ohio House sober living home at 115 East Wilson Street, Units A through E, was continued 7-0 to the October 20, 2026 meeting at the applicant’s request; the open public hearing remains open. The minutes also note that the closed-session item regarding James Alexander v. City of Costa Mesa was withdrawn from the agenda and not discussed.

The headline: the council will hold a public hearing on amending the city's Sixth Cycle Housing Element to add new Housing Element Opportunity Sites — sites the agenda says are needed to maintain Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) capacity — while removing certain others and adopting environmental justice policies. In a companion hearing, the council will consider declaring its intent to overrule the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission's finding that the "Neighborhoods Where We All Belong" zoning updates are inconsistent with the airport land-use plan, starting a 45-day clock before a final overrule vote.

🏘️ Housing & zoning

Public hearing, 7:00 PM — Housing Element amendment: on the Planning Commission's recommendation, the council will consider a resolution approving General Plan Amendment PCTY-26-0003 to amend the Sixth Cycle Housing Element, adding additional Housing Element Opportunity Sites to maintain RHNA capacity, removing certain existing opportunity sites, adopting associated revisions including environmental justice policies, and finding the amendments exempt from CEQA review. Attachments listed on the agenda include a revised Measure K sites and opportunity sites map and a letter from the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) dated August 21, 2026. Public Hearing 2
Public hearing — airport land-use overrule: staff recommends the council adopt a resolution of the city's intent to overrule the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission's (ALUC) inconsistency determination for the "Neighborhoods Where We All Belong" zoning updates and Housing Element implementation, forward the resolution to ALUC, and after 45 days schedule a second public hearing to consider actually overruling the determination. Public Hearing 3
Second reading — non-residential zoning update: the council will consider adopting an ordinance amending Title 13 (Planning, Zoning, and Development) of the municipal code to update land use classifications for non-residential uses, including personal services, artisan studios, active entertainment uses, event centers and assembly uses, fitness uses, and other non-residential uses and standards (Zoning Code Amendment PCTY-26-0001). Old Business 1
Sober living appeal, continued: staff recommends the council continue to October 20, 2026, at the applicant's request, the open public hearing on The Ohio House's appeal of the Planning Commission's decision upholding the denial of a reasonable accommodation request to deviate from zoning code requirements to operate a sober living home at 115 East Wilson Street, Units A through E. Public Hearing 1

🤝 Labor agreements

The council will consider adopting successor memoranda of understanding with the Costa Mesa Police Association (CMPA), the Costa Mesa Police Management Association (CMPMA), and the Costa Mesa City Employees Association (CMCEA), plus salary resolutions revising pay ranges for CMPA, CMPMA, CMCEA, the Confidential Unit, Deputy Police Chief, Police Recruit, and Reserve Senior Public Safety Dispatcher, and authorizing the City Manager and negotiation team to execute the agreements. The attachments are labeled as 2026–2028 MOUs with salary steps dated July 2026 through January 2028; the agenda does not state a dollar cost. New Business 1

🏗️ For contractors & vendors

$116,152 to Fonroche Lighting America for solar lighting equipment for the Joann and Cornerstone Bike Trails, purchased through Sourcewell Cooperative Agreement No. 041525-FNR (valid until July 22, 2029), with the City Manager and City Clerk authorized to execute the agreement and future amendments. Consent Item 5

💰 Grants & budget

A resolution accepting a Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant and a $297,500 revenue and expenditure appropriation increase in the State Grant Fund (Fund 231). Consent Item 6
A resolution ratifying and accepting a California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program award for traffic safety, with $92,160 in revenue and expense appropriations for the 2026-27 grant in the State Grant Fund (Fund 231). Consent Item 7
Warrant Resolution No. 2759, covering summary check registers dated July 14 through August 13, 2026. Consent Item 3

🔒 Closed session

4:00 PM, separately posted agenda. The council will confer with labor negotiators (City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly as designated representative) on four employee groups — CMCEA, the Confidential Unit, CMPA, and CMPMA — the same units whose successor MOUs appear on the 6:00 PM agenda. Closed Session 1–4
Conferences with legal counsel on three cases involving Ohio House, LLC: City of Costa Mesa v. Ohio House LLC (OCSC Case No. 30-2020-01146835-CU-OR-CJC); City of Costa Mesa v. Ohio House, LLC, Richard Perlin, Nancy Perlin, Dolores Perlin, and Brandon Stump (OCSC Case No. 30-2018-01006173-CU-OR-NJC); and Ohio House, LLC v. City of Costa Mesa (U.S. District Court, Central District of California, Case No. 8:19 cv 01710 DOC (KESx)). Closed Session 5–7
Existing litigation: Disability Rights California v. City of Costa Mesa, Cecilia Gallardo-Daly, and the City Council (OCSC Case No. 30-2026-01581983-CU-WM-CJC), and People of the State of California, ex rel. Rob Bonta, California Department of Housing and Community Development v. City of Costa Mesa (OCSC Case No. 30-2026-01583941-CU-WM-CJC). Closed Session 8–9
Existing litigation: James Alexander v. City of Costa Mesa (OCSC Case No. 30-2024-01441534-CU-PO-CJC) and RDK Group Holdings, LLC v. City of Costa Mesa (OCSC Case No. 30 2025 0149581 CU WM WJC). Closed Session 10–11
Real property negotiations on 3303 Hyland Avenue (APN 139-032-11), with Lisa Kolieb, Partner with Akerman LLP, as the negotiating party; price and terms of payment are under negotiation. Closed Session 12

🪑 Also on the agenda

Recognition of the Newport-Mesa Girls Softball 12U Silver All-Star Team and a Hunger Action Month 2026 proclamation. Presentations 1–2
Receive and file, and authorize staff to reject, claims from Paul Beckett, Kathleen DeVine, Trinh Pham Kiem, Gustavo Ortiz, Raymundo Ortiz, and two from State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Teresa Rescalvo De Ortiz; Ellie Savee). Consent Item 2
Approval of minutes for the May 13, 2025 special closed session and study session, the October 15, 2025 townhall, and the regular meetings of June 16, July 21, and August 4, 2026, plus the standard procedural waiver of full readings. Consent Items 1, 4

Council Brief summaries are produced from official public records by our automated newsroom and reviewed before publication. Items are described as posted; the council may amend, continue, or remove items at the meeting. Spot an error? hello@councilbrief.com — we publish corrections.