Westside

Costa Mesa animal control officers pulled eight cats from the backyard of a Westside home that caught fire Saturday. The home at 1985 Arnold Avenue had extensive clutter inside, fire officials said. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, which apparently started in a bathroom wall heater, officials said in a news release. Two people were inside the home and one was taken to a nearby hospital. Animal control officers brought the cats were taken to an animal shelter. - Mike Reicher Twitter: @mreicher

A Costa Mesa man suffered serious injuries after being stabbed, police said Monday. The 25-year-old was walking with a friend near the intersection of Placentia Avenue and Wilson Street about 12:20 a.m. Sunday, when they were confronted by two other men who asked them where they were from, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department. One of the suspects allegedly threw a brick or stone, which hit the victim in the side of the head. A fistfight ensued, police said. One of the men pulled out a knife and stabbed or slashed at the victim's chest and stomach before fleeing, police said.

Kathleen Eric Re: Geoff West's Oct. 11 commentary, "Focus on the Westside must be for all who live there." In West's commentary on the Westside he notes that all one hears these days is "Westside, Westside, Westside. Until recently that was just so much ambient noise to me." I'm pleased that West has decided to take note of the ambient noise of the Westside. Perhaps he is hearing more of a "Westside, Westside, Westside" buzz these days because the decibel level is rising.

About 50 residents filled Harbor Christian Fellowship church Monday night to share their concerns about speeding traffic, rehabilitation homes, gang and drug activity, and other Westside issues during a town hall meeting sponsored by Councilwoman Wendy Leece. "Our City Council wants to work with the residents and the Police Department and know your concerns," said Leece, her words translated from English to Spanish by Pastor Christian Parra. Officer Julian Trevino said the area near the church — the Police Department's 10th district — saw 382 calls for service in January that ran the gamut from traffic tickets and patrol checks to fires and assaults.

Jennifer Kho WESTSIDE -- A Latino Community Network meeting last week about family issues quickly evolved into a discussion about the city's Westside. "The city spends more money on other parts of the city because those parts are more adamant," said Phil Morello, a Westside resident. "People with a lot of money -- the Segerstrom family, Mesa Verde and the Eastside -- are influencing the Westside. They don't want things to happen here that have happened in other parts of the city.

It is difficult to imagine how anyone could oppose a plan to get doctors, nurses and basic healthcare where they are needed. But that is just what is happening on the Westside of Costa Mesa. A plan is in the works that calls for a 4,800-square-foot health center at Rea Elementary. By its third year, the center -- a joint venture by the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and the Children's Hospital of Orange County -- is expected to handle 9,000 doctor's visits annually, and CHOC would lease the building from the district for $12 a year.

COSTA MESA ? The City Council on Tuesday approved three plans that could transform the city's Westside from an industrial area to a metropolitan hub of shops, restaurants and homes. The plans will allow new commercial and residential zoning on 618 acres of a 1,788-acre area. The council unanimously approved the plans. "All I would ask is that people give it a chance ? keep bringing your opinions forward [about] how we can improve it," Councilman Gary Monahan said. "We asked for innovation.

Alicia Robinson Even though the City Council has approved a conceptual plan for the future of the Westside, that plan hasn't quelled debate about how quickly the changes should be wrought. Tuesday, the council overturned a planning commission decision that would have allowed a construction-contracting business to move into a property that's been home to Faulkner's Mower Shop for 25 years. Property owner Michael Faulkner wants to sell the parcel, and the prospective buyer, Norman Dias, needed a permit to put a small, construction-contracting business on the site.

While we applaud the Costa Mesa City Council's efforts last week to narrow the focus of the Community Redevelopment Action Committee, more must be done to ensure the group's efficiency and effectiveness. We suggested, in an August editorial, that the 80-member committee appears much too large to accomplish its goals in 18 months, as is intended. While we would never want to limit anyone's voice or opinion, a paring down of the group must occur. People will still be more than welcome to share their thoughts, concerns, etc., but the advisory group's final decision -- or suggestion to the City Council -- should come from a much smaller group.

It was with great interest that I read the letters in the Daily Pilot responding to my commentary on the Westside ("Focus on Westside must be for all who live there," Oct. 11). Michael W. Berry, Judith M. Berry and Robert M. Beard had interesting views on the issue. I also enjoyed Maj-Gun Mansoor's letter very much. One cannot disagree with Beard's contention that otherwise undocumented individuals might find a greater sense of community if allowed to utilize the Mexican Identification Card to open bank accounts and conduct business with those banks.

Population density, parking and the intricacies of owners versus renters were all topics raised during a City Council discussion Tuesday night regarding a proposed condominium project in Costa Mesa. The 22 live-work units along Industrial Way would be combined with a similar but larger condo complex on the site of Anchor Trailer Port, a mobile home park on Newport Boulevard slated for closure and conversion later this year. Newport Beach-based IntraCorp is the developer of both Westside projects, which would have about 60 similar units combined over about 3 total acres.

Miguel Perez began noticing positive changes to his Shalimar Drive neighborhood about a month ago. "The houses before were dirtier," he said. A fresh coat of paint now covers many multi-family apartment complexes in the struggling neighborhood. That's in part because the city of Costa Mesa began targeting the Westside last summer with its Residential Neighborhood Enhancement Program. The collaboration between the Planning Commission and City Council was started in January 2011 to address a reduction in code enforcement employees, said Principal Planner and Zoning Administrator Willa Bouwens-Killeen.

About 50 residents filled Harbor Christian Fellowship church Monday night to share their concerns about speeding traffic, rehabilitation homes, gang and drug activity, and other Westside issues during a town hall meeting sponsored by Councilwoman Wendy Leece. "Our City Council wants to work with the residents and the Police Department and know your concerns," said Leece, her words translated from English to Spanish by Pastor Christian Parra. Officer Julian Trevino said the area near the church — the Police Department's 10th district — saw 382 calls for service in January that ran the gamut from traffic tickets and patrol checks to fires and assaults.

Just a few minutes before 5:30 a.m. Friday, in 42-degree weather, five residents pull into Estancia High School. One by one, they park their cars in the lot next to the campus tennis courts. It's still dark outside. Quiet. Most of the people who use nearby Placentia Avenue are still asleep. Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger gets there first. He's the organizer and creator of the relatively new activity, which they're calling the Costa Mayberry Walking Club. They like to substitute the "Mesa" with "Mayberry," the fictional 1960s town of "Andy Griffith Show" lore.

Members of several city departments attended an impromptu community meeting Wednesday aimed at addressing burglary, drug use, vandalism and other crimes along and near Ford Road in Costa Mesa. Residents in the Westside neighborhood near The Triangle complained to city officials that homeless people leave their belongings atop garages and carports. They described car and home burglaries, finding syringes, a fear of not being able to leave their cars unlocked as they transfer grocery bags from their trunks to their homes, vagrants living in a nearby storage yard and identity theft.

A Costa Mesa man suffered serious injuries after being stabbed, police said Monday. The 25-year-old was walking with a friend near the intersection of Placentia Avenue and Wilson Street about 12:20 a.m. Sunday, when they were confronted by two other men who asked them where they were from, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department. One of the suspects allegedly threw a brick or stone, which hit the victim in the side of the head. A fistfight ensued, police said. One of the men pulled out a knife and stabbed or slashed at the victim's chest and stomach before fleeing, police said.

Costa Mesa animal control officers pulled eight cats from the backyard of a Westside home that caught fire Saturday. The home at 1985 Arnold Avenue had extensive clutter inside, fire officials said. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, which apparently started in a bathroom wall heater, officials said in a news release. Two people were inside the home and one was taken to a nearby hospital. Animal control officers brought the cats were taken to an animal shelter. - Mike Reicher Twitter: @mreicher

Save Our Youth is ready to celebrate another year of helping students succeed with all the trappings of a good party: margaritas, delicious food and an inspiring story. SOY is hosting its fourth annual Fiesta on Thursday evening to celebrate helping students on Costa Mesa's Westside raise their grades, go to college and stay out of trouble. "It's a celebration of SOY," said Mary Cappellini, the event coordinator. SOY was created in 1993 in response to escalating gang problems on the Westside.

Life isn't fair. I get it. Growing up, this was pointed out pretty much every time my sisters and I fought. When we whined about one getting something another didn't, my parents would point out that life does not dole out everything equally. However, my parents did have a sense of justice, and while we may not have received exactly the same stuff at the same time, over time we were shown equal favor and provision. We learned that whining and throwing fits did not help in winning favor.

The principals of Newport-Mesa Unified's 11 underperforming schools will meet with the board of education Tuesday to discuss how to improve each campus. The school board scheduled a special meeting at 4 p.m. to talk about possible solutions at campuses on the Westside and in other sections of Costa Mesa that lag behind their counterparts on the Eastside and in Newport Beach. "This is the time for the board to just get together and talk about the issues we want to talk about," said board President Dave Brooks.