Adapting to the times

Deepa Bharath

City Manager Allan Roeder sees Costa Mesa as a microcosm of Orange

County.

It has homes, businesses, corporations and a world-class shopping

center

“Within its 16 square miles, our little city represents the county

as a whole,” Roeder said.

But Costa Mesa wasn’t always what it is today. Roeder came to the

city 30 years ago when he was in college, he said.

“It’s grown physically since then,” he said. “The demographics

have changed dramatically.”

But what makes Costa Mesa special is that despite its super-quick

growth and development, it still attracts those with an affinity to a

small-town and community feel, Roeder said.

From the city’s point of view, gone are the days when it would

suffice to communicate exclusively with elected officials, Roeder

said.

“The focus has shifted from officials to the neighborhood level,”

he said. “And that’s because of the growth of community involvement.

It’s amazing how much we respond to individuals in the community.

That’s a healthy development.”

City Hall has seen “enormous turnover” throughout the last 20

years and an expansion in the police, recreation, code enforcement

and maintenance departments, Roeder said.

Roeder has been largely responsible for “building a cohesive,

professional management team” in city hall, said recently retired

police chief David Snowden.

“He also inspired us to do the same in our individual city

departments,” he said.

Snowden said the police departments has been strong since the

city’s inception. For his part, Snowden said he tried to

“civilianize” several functions in the police department.

“I think that made things a lot more efficient because it allowed

sworn officers to spend more time on the streets fighting crime,” he

said.

Roeder sees the city’s future as getting into areas “that were

skipped because we grew so quickly.”

The city, in the future, needs to develop a stronger identity for

itself, he said.

“Costa Mesa has been through the awkward teen stage when we felt

we didn’t fit in,” he said.

People who live in this city are “independent thinkers,” said

Roeder.

“It’s these different kinds of people who lend that vitality to

Costa Mesa,” he said. “So what’s our identity? Maybe it’s multiple

identities. Who knows? It simply remains to be seen.”