The Costa Mesa Sanitary District is a special district that manages trash and wastewater management in Costa Mesa. The district also oversees small portions of Newport Beach and unincorporated Orange County.
History Following submittal of a petition submitted to the Orange County Board of Supervisors in June 1943, a special election was called in the borders of the proposed district to form the special district. At that election, held February 8, 1944, there were 471 votes in favor of forming the district and 145 against. The Board of Supervisors officially established the district on February 11, 1944. The first Board of Directors included Charles TeWinkle, who was elected as the first president, and Claire M. Nelson, who both would later go on to serve on the inaugural Costa Mesa City Council.
In 1994, the City of Costa Mesa considered merging with the district. No decision was reached on the issue.
Jim Fitzpatrick was a board member elected in November 2010 who also began service on the Costa Mesa Planning Commission in December of that year. In 2012, the other four members of the Board sought to remove Fitzpatrick via lawsuit, contending that his service as a board member and as a Planning Commissioner was incompatible, which is not allowed under state law. Fitzpatrick resigned from the Planning Commission in May 2012, then from the District Board in January 2013, after reapplying to the Planning Commission that month.
Mesa Water District began exploring the possibility of a merger with the Costa Mesa Sanitary District in 2016. Mesa Water was in support of the merger, with the Sanitary District opposed to it. The question of a merger was put before the voters in an advisory measure, 2016's Measure TT. The measure passed, but as an advisory measure had no legal effect, and the Costa Mesa Sanitary District remained opposed and sued the Mesa Water District. In 2018, the lawsuit was finally settled.
In 2016, the district moved from their previous headquarters, in use since 2004, to their new larger facility and current headquarters.
In 2018, two controversies occurred in the district. A contractor was accused of overbilling the district by charging a higher than normal amount of hours. Also that year, a wastewater supervisor was accused of racism against employees. The issues were eventually settled in court in 2022.
Governance The Costa Mesa Sanitary District is governed by a five-member Board of Directors, each elected to a four-year term. Beginning in 2020, the Directors were elected by geographic district, rather than at-large, after being threatened by a lawsuit from attorney Kevin Shenkman. The current members of the Board are: +PositionBoard MemberDivisionEntered officeTerm endsPresidentMichael Schaefer120102026Vice PresidentBob Ooten320062026SecretaryArthur Perry419922028DirectorNicole Wiltshire220242028DirectorShayanne Wright520252026
Past directors DateDirectors2/11/1944Claire NelsonWilliam LordH. Paul NormanCharles TeWinkleOtto Dodd9/21/1950Arthur Meyers9/23/1954Fred Allen11/30/1954 vacant2/25/1955Albert Hollister6/30/1955 vacant9/1/1955Ellis Porter1/8/1959 vacant1/22/1959Richard Stephens10/7/1964Thomas Thompson4/8/1965Nathan ReadeClaire Nelson12/1/1965A.C. Swartz6/1/1966Kerm Rima10/5/1966Thatcher Warren7/15/1967vacant8/1/1967 vacant8/16/1967Francis GlocknerRobert Briggs9/4/1974 vacant1/9/1975Walter Albers12/3/1975Elvin Hutchinson1/4/1978 vacant3/1/1978Orma Crank8/2/1978 vacant11/9/1978James Wahner12/13/1979Robert Hanson8/14/1980 vacant10/9/1980Harry Green12/15/1983Steven Smith12/13/1984 vacant1/25/1985James Gallacher5/20/1986 vacant7/10/1986Eric Johnson11/1/1988 vacant12/8/1988James Ferryman12/14/1989 vacant1/31/1990Franklin Cole12/13/1990Nate ReadeDick Sherrick12/4/1992Art Perry12/10/1992 vacant1/21/1993Mike Scheafer12/8/1994Dan WorthingtonArlene Schafer12/10/1998Greg Woodside12/6/2006Gary MonahanBob Ooten12/3/2010Mike ScheaferJim Fitzpatrick1/14/2013 vacant2/27/2013Arlene Schafer12/4/2020Brett Eckles12/10/2024Nicole Wiltshire8/1/2025 vacant9/9/2025Shayanne Wright
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