Costa Mesa

Top Five Hits: Creme Tangerine in Costa Mesa

​ Here are the top five selling records this week from Creme Tangerine at the Lab, 2930 Bristol St. in Costa Mesa, (714) 932-0552.The number one spot this week goes to the Black Keys' new release, El Camino.

Chad Martin Jurjaks, "Fucking Mexicans" Attacker, Pleads Guilty to Hate Crimes

​Chad Martin Jurjaks, a Costa Mesa white dude, pleaded guilty Thursday to yelling "Fucking Mexicans" as, without provocation, he punched a 42-year-old man and his 26-year-old nephew outside a 7-Eleven in his racially charged hometown last March. The counts the 31-year-old copped to were two felony ... More >>

Diss-Abled

[Hey, You!] The horrible traffic off Newport Boulevard heading into Costa Mesa creates another jerk

First Taste: Ramen Yamadaya Costa Mesa

ProfessorSalt.comYamadaya's Kotteri ramen​They're finally open! Back in November we reported that Yamadaya's first Orange County restaurant was opening by the end of that month. They put up hand-written signs in their papered-over windows counting down the days. "8 Days," the sign promised, and ... More >>

2Mex

Tiki Bar

Richard French Falls or Leaps to Death From Six-Story Parking Structure for Arts Venues

​Let's just get this out of the way first: it probably had nothing to do with the touring production of the musical White Christmas at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, nor Hal Landon Jr.'s 32nd annual turn as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at South Coast Repertory across the walk. But something p ... More >>

Feds Bust Alleged Internet Auto/Boat Sales Scam By Russians

​The U.S. Department of Justice in Los Angeles announced this afternoon that a federal grand jury has indicted six foreign nationals--including one in Costa Mesa--for operating an Internet-based sales scam that allegedly defrauded more than $4.2 million from unsuspecting shoppers since 2007.Accord ... More >>

Taste Test: Santouka Irvine

​The good news is the ramen at the newly opened Santouka inside the newly opened Mitsuwa Marketplace is identical to the venerable and always consistent Santouka in Mitsuwa's Costa Mesa store. The bad news is that the food court is half the size. Actually, it's a stretch to call it a food court. W ... More >>

Fur Free Friday Covers South Coast Plaza

​Animal rights activists plan to spend their Black Friday not in lines in front of cash registers but in front of the malls themselves. That's because it's also Fur Free Friday, "the most widely attended annual demonstration in the history of the animal protection movement," according to an email ... More >>

Mom Accused of Locking Daughter in Closet for 6 Hours Locked Up

​A Costa Mesa mom accused of hitting her daughter three times with a stick and locking the 13-year-old in a closet for six hours over bad grades found herself on an extended time out.In Orange County Jail.Someone concerned about the abuse alleged to have happened Oct. 29 reportedly contacted Cost ... More >>

Pizza D'Oro Is the Golden Pizza

[Hole In the Wall] Classic Italian-American cuisine and a really, really big slice o' pie

Earthlings Beware!

Costa Mesa Playhouse

Ramen Yamadaya Coming to Costa Mesa!

ProfessorSalt.comKotteri ramen at Yamadaya​When I heard the news, it was like Christmas in October. Yamadaya, the renowned LA ramen shop, will open store No. 3 in Orange County in late November. There are plans afoot to open a fourth location in Westwood in December, maybe in time for actual Chris ... More >>

Chad Martin Jurjaks Faces Trial for Allegedly Punching 2 Guys While Yelling "Fucking Mexicans"

​Trial is scheduled to begin today for a guy accused of attacking two Latinos at a Costa Mesa 7-Eleven without provocation in March, allegedly yelling "Fucking Mexicans" as he punched a 42-year-old man and his 26-year-old nephew.Chad Martin Jurjaks, 30, of Costa Mesa, faces up to seven years and f ... More >>

Top Five Hits: Second Spin in Costa Mesa

​ Here are the top five selling record this week from Second Spin, 1781 Newport Blvd. in Costa Mesa, (949) 650-8870.This week's top seller is Irvine-based post-hardcore band Thrice, who graced the cover of last week's issue.

Gramps the Asshole

[Hey, You!] Beware of 50-ish man who yells at adolescents

Ruling Likely Kills Bans on Day Laborers Seeking Work on Streets of Costa Mesa and Mission Viejo

​Laws in Costa Mesa and Mission Viejo that ban day laborers from standing on public sidewalks to seek work from passing motorists are in jeopardy following a federal appeals court ruling.When the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided 9-2 Friday to affirm a district court's previous ruling th ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Talon Companies, Which Investigated Costa Mesa City Employee Suicide, to Protect Tea Party's Michele Bachmann

The Tea Party's great hope, Michele Bachmann, needs protection.​What's good enough for the city of Costa Mesa also works for the Tea Party's headline presidential candidate, Michele Bachmann: Both hired Talon Companies to do some work for them.Costa Mesa is a small town in Orange County that has g ... More >>

It's Gotten Costa Messy In Costa Mesa

Scenes from the civic dissolution of America's latest public-employee battleground

The Day Green Day Came to Costa Mesa

[Mental Notes] They played for 300 people, and we got in to see them!

3hree Things: On Hawleywood's Barbershop

Watch out for 3hree Things every Tuesday, where Riley Breckenridge, drummer of Orange County's favorite local alt-rock band Thrice, gives his take on life in Southern California as an OC native.​I've never been really big on "hairstyles," as a damning Google image search of me will surel ... More >>

Restaurant Roll Call for July 2011

Brats Berlin Facebook​ Someone asked me once whether I was worried that there will be a time when we as food writers will run out of places to review. My answer was no. There will be never be a time when there won't be a new restaurant somewhere. This month is proof of that. We observed at at leas ... More >>

Inaugural Costa Mesa Restaurant Week to Be Held This Month

​Add Costa Mesa to the ever-growing roster of cities that have decided, "Hey, this restaurant week thing is a pretty lucrative way to get customers to spend money they otherwise wouldn't on a typical week!" It joins Irvine, Fullerton and Newport Beach as a city not content to wait until those OC R ... More >>

[UPDATED with Judge Issues Written Order, City Gets It Now:] Judge Blocks Costa Mesa Layoffs Until Civil Trial

​UPDATE, JULY 18, 4:49 P.M.: Though she made her ruling two weeks ago, Orange County Superior Court Judge Tam Nomoto Schumann issued the written order blocking the city of Costa Mesa from laying off employees and privatizing their jobs late Friday night.The written order just added fuel to the nev ... More >>

[UPDATED with Victim I.D., Shooter Description:] What's the Opposite of a Drive-By? Motorist in Costa Mesa Learns the Answer the Hard Way

​UPDATE, JULY 18, 12:44 P.M.: Costa Mesa Police have identified the victim and provided a description of his shooter.The man who was shot by a pedestrian while driving his white Ford Expedition near Paularino Elementary School around 11 p.m. Saturday is Wilfren Banejas-Rodriguez, 26, of Costa Mesa ... More >>

Tom Gazsi, From Newport Beach Police Explorer to Costa Mesa Police Chief

​Costa Mesa's newly announced police chief began his flirtation with law enforcement as a Newport Beach police explorer in the early 1970s.A 27-year veteran of NBPD, most recently as a captain, Tom Gazsi was named Costa Mesa's top cop earlier today.

Filmmakers Wanted At Taco Asylum

tacoasylum.com​Costa Mesa's taco asylum welcomes independent filmmakers looking for a space to screen their projects. With productions costs being what they are, you're going to turn down a free screening room with a big HD screen? And one that serves great beers and food to watch by? There is a c ... More >>

Tustin Police Hold Mystery DUI Checkpoint Tonight

​The Tustin Police Department is "goin' Costa Mesa" on us.No, that does not mean half of the force is going to be laid off like those boys and girls in blue in Messa. Or, at least the TPD coppers had better hope that's not what it means; with Jerry Amante as your mayor one never knows.But this muc ... More >>

[UPDATED with Results:] Costa Mesa Locks in Another Mystery Stop for DUI Checkpoint Tonight

​UPDATE, JUNE 23, 8:15 A.M.: As a car approached last night's DUI checkpoint at Bristol Street and Randolph Avenue in Costa Mesa, a beer can flew out of a passenger window.The driver was not only cited for allowing an open container in the vehicle, but a passenger was cited and also arrested for h ... More >>

Costa Mesa to Stop Announcing Sobriety Checkpoint Locations

​If you're going to be drinking and driving in or around Costa Mesa in the future, you may want to proceed with even further caution than was already necessary. The city will continue to announce when it will have sobriety checkpoints, but it will no longer announce the location.In the Daily Pilot ... More >>

[UPDATED with 1 Stinkin' DUI Arrest:] Costa Mesa Police Hold Sobriety Checkpoint, Promise More

​UPDATE, JUNE 14, 3:03 P.M.: The Costa Mesa Police Department reports that 1,467 vehicles passed through the checkpoint it set up at the undisclosed intersection of Bear and Baker streets Monday night, 858 vehicles were screened, three drivers were given field sobriety tests . . . . . . and only o ... More >>

[UPDATED: Police Chief Uncertain of Cocaine Involvement] City Employee Commits Suicide, Jumping Off Costa Mesa City Hall

Christopher Victorio/OC WeeklyHuy Pham, in a photo brought to a candlelight vigil for him​UPDATE, MAY 31, 8:16 A.M.: Costa Mesa's police chief, Steve Staveley isn't entirely convinced by the conclusions being made from the coroner reports that Huy Pham had cocaine in his system at the time of his ... More >>

Beverly Hills Salad Restaurant Picks Out Its Costa Mesa Location

A few months ago, I wrote up a post announcing that Greenleaf Gourmet ChopShop, a Beverly Hills restaurant that focuses on salads made by a duo of ex-Patina Group restaurant chefs, had its eye on Costa Mesa for their third store (their first in OC). After it published, the PR people for the restau ... More >>

[UPDATED with Arraignment Details:] Emily and Father Russell Ford, OC Homicides Nos. 12 and 13: Her Ex-Husband Held

DMVEmily Ford​UPDATE, MAY 5, 11:28 A.M.: The Orange County District Attorney's office (OCDA) just announced that Robert Allan Lehmann will be arraigned today for the murders of his ex-wife Emily Ford and her father Russell Ford. The 36-year-old Costa Mesa resident has been charged with two felony ... More >>

Restaurant Roll Call for April 2011

Edwin Goei​Eliot wrote that April is the cruelest month, but it's like other months in the coming and goings of restaurants. We saw a few entrants debut and old standbys exit. Some restaurants didn't close so much as they continued with a new name and new ownership. But also we witnessed with sadn ... More >>

Union Commercial Takes Aim at "Pay and Perks" of Costa Mesa's Top Officials; City Disputes Facts

​While the city of Costa Mesa continues its rapid pace of releasing Tweets and Facebook updates, the union-supported, citizen group, Repair Costa Mesa, has put out its second TV commercial. This one targets the city's top seven bureaucrats, which the commercial claims make $1.5 million in "pay and ... More >>

Record Store Day Releases From Our Homeboys

​Hunting for rare releases on Saturday? Might as well rep your hometown and buy releases from local bands and record labels. Hundreds of limited-edition vinyls and some CD's will be released as the main hype of Record Store Day--we present OC's contribution to the arsenal of vinyl after the jump. ... More >>

[UPDATED with Not Guilty Plea:] Mark Allen Vasquez Held in Violent Attack on U.S. Marine and Friend Outside Sutra Lounge

​UPDATE, APRIL 6, 10:01 A.M.: 24-year-old Mark Allen Vasquez of Pico Rivera pleaded not guilty at his arraignment hearing Tuesday to various charges related to an incident outside Sutra Lounge in Costa Mesa that left a U.S. Marine hospitalized in critical condition.Vasquez faces felony charges of ... More >>

The Path to Transparency: Costa Mesa Discovers Social Media

Costa Mesa is finally onboard. ​One week into its top-dollar investment in a communications director and the city of Costa Mesa now has its own (active) Twitter and Facebook accounts. Congratulations, you're now where most of America was in 2008.Okay, that may have been a bit harsh a critique ... More >>

TV Commercial Targets Costa Mesa Mayor, Gary Monahan, Calling for Him to "Keep Walking"

OCEASt. Patty's Day: not one of Mayor Monahan's better moments.​Controversy goes a long way in stirring attention. Costa Mesa, the city that was once best known for being home to South Coast Plaza and the Orange County Fair, finds itself embroiled in a power struggle that has managed to grab natio ... More >>

Reg Reporter Jon Cassidy Proves News Doesn't Have to be Bland

Roarbarker​Too often mainstream news reports of political meetings are boring, colorless recitations that quickly drive readers to the next story.But Jon Cassidy at The Orange County Register recently demonstrated that this sad state of affairs doesn't always have to be the case.On March 25, Cassi ... More >>

Chad Martin Jurjaks Accused of Hate Crime for Yelling "Fucking Mexicans!" and Punching 2 Guys

​A guy, his wife, his cousin and his nephew--Hispanic all--were walking to the entrance of a 7-Eleven store in Costa Mesa around 10:30 p.m. March 15 when they were approached by an obviously drunken white guy yelling, "Fucking Mexicans!" Without provocation, the Caucasian fellow proceeded to beat ... More >>

Saturday Night DUI Checkpoints in Santa Ana and Costa Mesa

​I know what you're thinking: to avoid Santa Ana's Saturday night DUI checkpoint, you'll avoid your usual Arts District watering holes and get your booze on in neighboring Costa Mesa.Sorry to harsh your inebriation, Sir-Drink-Alot, but Goat Hill cops are also manning a sobriety stop Saturday night ... More >>

[UPDATED: Union GM/Photographer Talks] City Employee Commits Suicide, Jumping Off Costa Mesa City Hall

Mayor Gary Monahan on St. Patty's Day. Was this photo a set-up?​UPDATE, MARCH 21, 5:45 P.M.: The Weekly was able to speak with Nick Berardino while he was in a taxi on his way to catch a flight home from Sacramento. He had a good laugh about Mayor Gary Monahan's accusations of a union setup, ... More >>

Angel Sandoval Popped for Trying to Take Tequila

​Costa Mesa killed its police helicopter program last month to save bucks, but that doesn't mean whirlybirds can't be called in for assistance when a heinous act has occurred.Like the theft of a bottle of tequila from Rite Aid.

Beverly Hills Salad Restaurant To Open in Costa Mesa

Eater LA got the tip off that Greenleaf Gourmet ChopShop has plans to open its third salad-centric restaurant in Costa Mesa. Started by a couple of chef entrepreneurs who cut their teeth in the Patina Group restaurant empire (and who themselves struggled with previous weight issues), the focus is o ... More >>

Costa Mesa Declares War on Coyotes

​After having waged war on the homeless, the undocumented, the undocumented homeless, its own cops and other public employees, Costa Mesa has found a new target.Coyotes.Trapping efforts begin today and continue through March 18, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department employee who had not be ... More >>

Teen Girl's Report of Being Bound with Shoelaces and Assaulted by Latino Gang Bangers is False: Police

​A teen girl's report about being bound with her shoelaces, threatened with a knife and choked by two Latinos with gang tattoos at a Costa Mesa city park Saturday night is false, police announced this morning.   "Detectives will be requesting a petition filed through the juvenile court system ... More >>

Costa Mesa Becomes Wisconsin Tonight

​Costa Mesa becomes Wisconsin this evening.No, "Goat Hill" is not getting a giant brewery, a Super Bowl-caliber football team or mountains of free Oshkosh jumpers in the Bloomies parking lot at South Coast Plaza.What the near-coastal town is getting is the same type of spat that pits Wisconsin sta ... More >>