Meyers’ nuisances were Costa Mesa’s gain

Young Chang

Arthur Meyers had all these pet peeves. Since he was a mayor, what

were nuisances to him ended up becoming city-wide changes that affect

us even today.

Meyers, who was mayor of Costa Mesa from 1960 to 1965, had a thing

about all homes built in the city having a two-car garage, and that

all of those garages have doors.

He also insisted that all garages be used to store cars and not

anything else. (Historian and former mayor Bob Wilson said after you

parked your car, or cars, in the space, you could squeeze in patio

tables or whatever else you wanted to fit. But the space had to first

be used for cars).

“It’s just like he had another pet thing, which was the best pet

thing he ever had,” Wilson said. “No parking meters.”

I tested Mr. Wilson.

Threw out examples of all kinds of sections of streets and said,

are you sure are there no parking meters there?

Wilson didn’t waver. You can’t find one parking meter on a public

street in Costa Mesa, he said.

“Because he didn’t want them,” Wilson said of Meyers. “And so did

the rest of the council. We agreed with him.”

I told Mr. Wilson that I found that “so interesting.”

“Yeah, we’re a very interesting city,” he said.

But enough fun with parking meters.

Meyers, originally from Illinois, was appointed mayor of Costa

Mesa in 1960. He had run for city council earlier but just missed a

seat.

In Illinois, he was a dairy farmer. In Southern California, he

worked with his son-in-law making fiberglass fishing rods and other

pole-type things, according to Wilson’s history “From Goat Hill to

City of the Arts: The History of Costa Mesa.”

The former mayor was also active with the Lions Club and a leader

for the Costa Mesa Sanitary District, the Boys Club of the Harbor

Area and the Costa Mesa Park and Recreation Commission, according to

Wilson’s book.

Meyers resigned in 1965 after he moved too far north of Costa Mesa

to continue with the city.

He died in the ‘80s.

Wilson remembers that Meyers was “absolutely one of the nicest,

sweetest men you ever met and a mechanical genius.”

He also had a sweet tooth.

“He loved dessert,” Wilson said. “When we went out for dinner,

everybody would turn their pie over to him, so to speak.”

* Do you know of a person, place or event that deserves a

historical Look Back? Let us know. Contact Young Chang by fax at

(949) 646-4170; e-mail at young.chang@ latimes.com; or mail her at

c/o Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627