City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly to present info on Measure C and its changes to Costa Mesa’s 41-year-old business license tax system
Next Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 7:30-9 a.m., City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly will provide information on Measure C to the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce Rise & Shine Breakfast event. The breakfast will take place in the Norma Hertzog Community Center.
Costa Mesa voters will be asked in the upcoming election to decide on Measure C, officially titled the Costa Mesa Fair Business License Reform, Small Business Protection Measure.
The measure would overhaul Costa Mesa’s 41-year-old business license tax system.
Here are the details: According to the city, businesses with $500,000 or less in annual gross receipts – which amounts to about 72% of Costa Mesa businesses – would see no increase.
Businesses earning more than $500,000 would pay 50¢ for every $1,000 of gross receipts, with the annual tax capped at $15,000 for businesses grossing $30 million or more.
City officials estimate Measure C would generate approximately $5.6 million annually. And, because it is a general tax, the money would be available for general city services, including police and fire response, crime prevention, homelessness programs, clean public areas, roads and infrastructure.
The measure requires annual independent audits and a public spending disclosure.
To be clear, Measure C does not impose a tax directly on Costa Mesa residents; it only changes the business license taxes paid by businesses operating in the city over a certain amount.
The breakfast is free for both members of the chamber and non-members. Still, they have requested you register at www.costamesachamber.com/events.
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And some more about that upcoming election:
Orange County voters can begin preparing for the November 3 general election, with voter guides already on their way and vote-by-mail ballots becoming available next week.
Mailing of County Voter Information Guides began September 24. Voters who are registered by October 5 will receive a guide by mail, and vote-by-mail ballots also become available that day.
October 19 is the deadline to register to vote for the election. The first Vote Centers will open October 24, followed by additional locations on October 31.
Election Day is November 3. The Registrar of Voters is expected to finalize results by December 3.
More information is available at www.ocvote.gov.
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Here’s a hot one for you! Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue is inviting the community to a special Open House on Saturday, Oct. 10 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the CMFR Regional Training Center (Fire Station 4), 2300 Placentia Ave.
The event is being held in celebration of Fire Prevention Month.
I’ve been to these before and they’re wonderful and exciting for kids. Families will have the opportunity to meet Costa Mesa firefighters, get an up-close look at fire trucks and engines, and even try their hand at some of the tools of the trade. Visitors will be able to spray water from a fire hose and try on firefighting gear, offering youngsters – and maybe even a few grown-ups – the chance to see what being a firefighter feels like.
Members of Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue’s Community Risk Reduction Team will also be on hand to share fire-safety information and practical tips residents can use to help protect their homes and families.
The open house offers residents an opportunity not only to have some fun, but also to meet the firefighters who serve the community and learn more about what happens inside a working fire station.
So, mark the calendar, bring the family and prepare for a morning with Costa Mesa’s bravest.
For additional information, contact Capt. Mike Ruhl at 714.754.5091, or reach out via email to mike.ruhl@costamesaca.gov.
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Gyms in this day and age are popular…very popular. Sure, everyone wants to get in better shape and hence, better health, but you have to find the right place to make that happen.
One of the new concepts to town is D1 Training, a leading fitness enrichment facility utilizing five core tenets of athletic-based training. Locals Brian & Vanessa Hogan and Josh & Amy Walz have opened their new location at 1781 Newport Blvd.
D1 Training employs a sports-science backed training regimen led by certified trainers to help people of all ages achieve their sport and fitness goals.
The concept is a franchise business. Other franchisees nationally include such names as NBA star Chris Paul and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.
As far as Brian and Josh, you might recognize their names. Both go back a number of years in the area. Both grew up together in Newport Beach and were teammates on the Corona del Mar High School football team in the mid-1990s, each continuing their athletic quests on to college.
Meanwhile, wives Vanessa and Amy attended crosstown rival Newport Harbor, where both were multi-sport athletes and became lifelong friends. Vanessa, in fact, went on to compete individually at the Division I level in tennis.
The translation – four athletes, two rival high schools and one community that shaped all of them.
Both families have raised children through local youth sports programs, with both Hogan and Walz spending more than a decade coaching in them themselves.
“Josh and I played football together at CdM, our wives played for Newport Harbor, and between the four of us we have almost 50 years in this community,” said Brian. “Opening D1 in Newport-Mesa is how we give that back to the next group of kids coming up.”
D1 Training offers four age-based programs including Rookie (ages 7-11), Developmental (ages 12-14), Prep (ages 15-18) and D1 Adult. Each program is based on the five athletic-based tenets: dynamic warm-up, performance, strength program, core and conditioning and cool down.
For more information on D1 Training Newport-Mesa, visit https://d1training.com/facility/newport-mesa, or call 949.989.2927.
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Speaking of fitness, this one is about an exciting fundraising effort. On Friday, Oct. 16, HeroPicks (a Costa Mesa business) CEO Ryan Beckmann, a father and hockey coach, will try to stay in motion for a full 24 hours at Motion Fitness Group (250 Fischer Ave.) as the live centerpiece of SLEEPLESS, an 18th-annual national breast cancer fundraiser that has to date raised more than $640,000.
People are invited to join in from home, a local gym or track, and don’t need to complete the full 24 hours to take part.
There’s a formal kick-off, on-camera time with Beckmann himself and overnight visuals once the challenge is well underway.
Find out more at https://heropicks.org/party/sleepless-24-hours.
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Finally, the Costa Mesa Sanitary District is hosting an Eco Expo, their 5th annual, tomorrow, (Wednesday, Sept. 30) from 2-6 p.m. at their headquarters at 290 Paularino Ave.
This is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the community’s sustainability. Explore interactive exhibits, hands-on activities and fun giveaways while discovering simple ways to recycle more and conserve resources. Meet local environmental experts and organizations, ask questions and enjoy an afternoon of learning.
It’ll be fun for all ages!

