People seemed to like my first post on local resources for news and information about what’s going on in Costa Mesatown. But let’s be honest: these sources are a bit… bland. Who wants straight news these days? Where’s the color? Where’s the angle? Where is the heat?

So, without further ado, I give you the spicy resident toolkit. The links below do not even feign to be objective or balanced. They are written by passionate advocates, dedicated activists, ticked-off residents, AstroTur- I mean, grassroots political organizations, and other extremely biased and opinionated sources. So you have been warned!

And please: drop a comment if I’ve missed a source and I’ll add it.

The Activists

Costa Mesa 1st. Maintained by the super-resident husband and wife team of Rick Huffman and Cynthia McDonald, Costa Mesa 1st is a political advocacy organization “working for a livable Costa Mesa”. We might all have a different vision of what “livable” means, but Costa Mesa 1st generally advocates for “smart growth”, including backing Measure Y in 2016 and then opposing Measure K in 2022. While I don’t agree with Costa Mesa 1st on most things (we do share a soft spot for active transportation), their blog posts are some of the best researched and best informed pieces around. So they are definitely worth following.

Fairview Park Alliance. This organization does exactly what it sounds like: advocate for protecting and expanding Fairview Park. The group has a decidedly conservationist and ecological bent; you won’t see any fans of the Harbor Soaring Society or other “active” uses of the park here. Its board includes City Council public comment staple Kim Hendricks (hardly a meeting goes by without a slideshow from her showing off Fairview Park’s wildlife) and former City Councilperson Wendy Leece. The Alliance’s Facebook page is a bit more active than its website so I’d follow it over there; check them out for all the happenings at Fairview Park as well as its surrounds.

Costa Mesa Alliance for Better Streets. As Costa Mesa’s active transportation advocacy group, you’ll find CMABS at City Council meetings, writing letters, lobbying for and against legislation, and generally making a fuss over anything and everything that improves walking, bicycling and transit-riding in the city. And I would know because I’m on the board. Board members also include Someone Cares Soup Kitchen super volunteer Mike Lingle, Active Transportation Committee members David Martinez, Flo Martin and Ralph Taboada, chronic City Council commenter and Streets for All Director of State Policy Marc Vukcevich, and Vice Chair of the Planning Commission Russell Toler. The best way to follow CMABS is to subscribe to its newsletter or follow it on Instagram and Facebook. Who knows; it just might radicalize you into a member of the vast bike wing conspiracy.

Newport-Mesa Uncensored. I hesitate to list this Instagram account as it is focused entirely on criticism of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, so it is somewhat tangential to city politics. But this group does break the occasional scoop in between throwing bombs on issues like transgender rights, racy library books and critical race theory, so it can be worth to take a peek through your fingers once and a while.

We Are Costa Mesa. More one to keep an eye on than to follow per se (it doesn’t seem to produce any actual content at the moment), this new organization has been holding neighborhood walks for the last couple of months. What they are doing on these walks isn’t clear; while they have a number of petitions circulating that focus on crime and general livability, they seem awful organized for a group only asking questions. Additionally, the strong overlap between this group and the Scott Baugh for Congress campaign gives the impression this isn’t just a grassroots org. I expect we will hear more from them as election season heats up.

Resilience OC/Costa Mesa UNIDOS. Politically Democratic and focused on issues facing the City’s Hispanic community, Resilience OC and their promotoras de salud, in particular one of their leaders, Juana Trejo, have been extremely active recently at City Hall advocating for renter protections and rent control. Hot off of successes in Santa Ana (which passed rent control and comprehensive rental protections) and Sacramento (with the passage of SB 567), Resilience OC was the driving force behind the City’s recent eviction ordinance.

The Resident Bloggers

A Bubbling Cauldron. Geoff West has been a staple of the Costa Mesa commentary scene for decades. While his blog isn’t as active as it used to be, he still attends many city events and does a great job giving detailed reports about what was said and who attended. It is also an invaluable resource for city political history. As a newer resident I’ve learned a lot flipping through his archives.

Costa Mesa Lampoon. Recently started by resident and former City Council candidate Chris McEvoy, the Lampoon promises to grind its ax on many of the recent changes to city policy. He specifically takes issue with Measure K and recent active transportation improvements. It’s content-light at the moment but that might change.

Costa Mesa Confidential. Is it a resident blog? Is it a political front organization? Slickly produced and gleefully controversial, CMC loves to criticize the Democratic City Council majority. It also has a peculiarly Mesa Verde focus 🤔. They’ve been somewhat quiet recently but I expect that to change as we draw nearer to the 2024 elections.

Goat Hill Rodeo. One part irrepressible nerd, three parts arrogant lawyer; what’s not to love? Hit the subscribe button and get this upstart rag delivered right to your inbox. But lord girl: add that AI widget that summarizes your tomes, ya windbag! Ain’t nobody got time for that.