Free rides on demand: O.C. city’s new rideshare service transports seniors, others
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Nov. 6. I’m Carol Cormaci bringing you this week’s TimesOC newsletter with a look at some of the latest local news and events.
Clearly the biggest news this morning is how everything is shaking out locally after Election Day, but no results were available at deadline time. I recommend you check out this page on the L.A. Times website, which lists Orange County results as they come in.
So, we’re pivoting to another topic: Thanks to a $1.5-million grant from California’s Clean Mobility Options, the city of Costa Mesa has begun a pilot program offering an on-demand rideshare service to an area of town that’s central to destinations like healthcare services, transportation hubs, grocery stores and senior living communities.
The city has dubbed the new program Let’s Go Costa Mesa and has purchased a car and an ADA-accessible 10-passenger van, both electric, as part of a small zero-emission fleet.
Specifically, the service is available to residents of the city’s west side and College Park neighborhood, south of Joann Street. The drivers will take their passengers to stops within the area surrounding the East 17th Street shopping district, bordered by East 18th Street to the north and East 16th Street to the south.
People living within the program’s service area can access their ride via telephone or smartphone app free of charge, the Daily Pilot reported.
City officials unveiled the program to the public during a special ceremony Friday.
“We’re trying to create some connectivity and independence for seniors and others who are disabled or cannot afford a vehicle,” Mayor John Stephens told the Daily Pilot.
“This provides mobility for a whole demographic of folks who previously didn’t have it. It’s good for businesses, too, because it brings people into businesses who wouldn’t otherwise be there.”
Stephens explained how the new service complements Costa Mesa’s existing transportation options.
“We have pretty good ridership on bus lines throughout the city. We have a lot of protected bike lanes that we’ve put up in the last couple of years,” he said. “We’re trying to provide different opportunities for people to get around in ways that are environmentally conscious.”
MORE NEWS
• Dozens of community members from Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach turned out one night last week for a workshop and panel discussion on how the public can participate in the conversion of the old Banning Ranch oil field into the Frank and Joan Randall Preserve. Once the nearly 400-acre property is transformed it will be one of the largest nature preserves in Orange County.
• Rancho Santa Margarita Mayor Carol Gamble, who earlier suspended her reelection campaign, admitted guilt in falsifying nomination paperwork. Gamble reached a plea deal with the Orange County district attorney’s office and was charged with a misdemeanor violation of election law. She won’t spend any time in jail, but she will be sentenced to one year of probation, 160 hours of community service and will have to submit her DNA to authorities, TimesOC reported.
• Huntington Beach last week saw another court ruling against its quest to skirt a state mandate to allow for the construction of 13,368 affordable homes over the next several years. Longtime newsletter readers might recall City Atty. Michael Gates has been asserting for a long time that Huntington Beach does not have to do the state’s bidding in this matter because it is a charter city. The state sued, Gates filed an appeal that was denied, and last week he presented his argument to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Two days later, the justices ruled against the city. In their ruling, Judges Richard Tallman, Ryan Nelson and Daniel Bress stated that “no matter how California categorizes charter cities, they remain subordinate political bodies, not sovereign entities.” Next up for Gates? He’s considering taking it to the U.S. Supreme Court.
PUBLIC SAFETY & COURTS
• An 18-year-old male died after the Toyota Camry he was driving rolled onto a sidewalk and hit a tree in the area of the Meadowlark Golf Course in Huntington Beach early Friday.
• Two 19-year-old men who had turned out to watch an illegal street takeover in the early morning hours Friday had to be hospitalized after a Dodge Charger that had spun out of control careened into the crowd of hundreds of onlookers. The street takeover, promoted by social media and WhatsApp, took place at the intersection of Orangewood Avenue and State College Boulevard in Anaheim.
• Costa Mesa resident Alfredo M. Hopgood-Otero,28, pleaded guilty Friday and was immediately sentenced to 22 years in prison for a carjacking near Fashion Island and leading police on a chase before barricading himself inside a house and ultimately surrendering.
SPORTS
• About 2,000 people participated in Sunday’s 46th annual Optimism Cal Triathlon Newport Dunes in Newport Beach. Those who chose to take on the full Olympic-length triathlon swam 1,640 yards along the dunes and rode 24.4 miles down the Mountains to Sea Trail and Bikeway as well as Eastbluff Drive before closing out the event with a 6-mile run. Results are still under review and are expected to be posted by today at the triathlon’s official website.
• Also on Sunday, the weeklong ISA World Para Surfing Championship got underway in Huntington Beach, aka Surf City. For his story previewing the event, my colleague Matt Szabo interviewed Alana Nichols, who suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury on a ski trip in Colorado in 2000, paralyzing her from the waist down. Nichols has settled in as an adaptive surfer in a big way. In fact, last year at the age of 40, she scored the first-ever perfect “10” ride in ISA para surfing history at the World Championships.
LIFE & LEISURE
• Bryan Blackmon of Huntington Beach has made his no-nonsense, 87-year-old landlord Elaine Montgomery a bit of a sensation on TikTok. He’s also become sober since he moved into a room in her home three years ago, according to this heartwarming story about their funny, unscripted videos written by reporter Matt Szabo.
• Ina Garten, long known on Food Network as the Barefoot Contessa, recently appeared at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa, where she was interviewed before a live audience by actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Garten, who has authored 13 best-selling cookbooks, has a new book out, a memoir titled “Be Ready When the Luck Happens.”
• “Peter Carr: Artist for Survival” exhibit at the Cerritos College Art Gallery celebrates the former Laguna Beach resident’s life, activism and art. My colleague Gabriel San Román interviewed Andrew Tonkovich, co-curator of the exhibit, who recalled once being a student of the late Carr when he taught comparative literature at Cal State Long Beach. Carr helped found the O.C. branch of the Alliance for Survival, an antinuclear organization, so much of his artwork is reflective of his concern about the proliferation of nuclear arms, according to San Román’s report.
CALENDAR THIS
• The world-premiere production of “Joan,” at South Coast Repertory showcases the late Joan Rivers’ career trajectory. The play’s author, Daniel Goldstein, told the L.A. Times for its preview story on the production that he wanted to make the play “as authentically Joan as possible so that the people who see this will feel like they recognize her and that they’re in the room with her.” Tessa Auberjonois plays the comedian. The play, which opened last week, will run through Nov. 24. Tickets can be purchased here.
• Farmakis Farms’ will host one of its Night on the Farm craft markets this Saturday, from 5 to 9 p.m. Vendors will be there to sell a variety of crafts such as jewelry, candles, soaps, succulent arrangements, handmade cards and other items. Farmakis Farms is located at 29932 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano.
• St. James Episcopal Church in Newport Beach will host the Ukrainian Cultural Forces, a group of military musicians who will perform a free concert on Sunday, Nov. 10, as part of their “Tour of Gratitude” across the United States, thanking Americans for their support of Ukraine. The musicians, all of whom have seen action on the battlefield, will perform Ukrainian classical music as well as popular hits. The concert starts at 11 a.m., immediately following the 10 a.m. church service. St. James is located at 3209 Via Lido, Newport Beach. Parking is available around the church or in the church lot on 32nd St.
• Veterans Day is next Monday, Nov. 11. Ceremonies and other activities in honor of veterans of our armed forces will be held in several O.C. locations, with some taking place Saturday and others on the holiday itself. You can find a list of events at enjoyorangecounty.com.
Until next Wednesday!
Best,
Carol
KEEP IN TOUCH
I appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com.
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