54, Costa Mesa ... Costa Mesa...

54, Costa Mesa ... Costa Mesa chief of code enforcement, charged

with making sure the lawns are tidy, the paint is smooth and the city

looks good ... Takes her job very seriously because she loves the

city and wants to see it at its best ... She knows some people have

come to expect little code enforcement from the city because of its

“soft on property maintenance” reputation ... The lack of such

enforcement sent the city into a state of “disrepair,” which Benson

is determined to lift it out of ... She has been instrumental in

proposed shopping cart laws, designed to rid city streets of the

unsightly retail tools ... “I think it will make a huge difference in

the way the city looks and I think a lot of people will be happy to

see them off the streets.” ... Last year’s ranking: 87