On June 29th, 1953, Costa Mesa was incorporated as a city. The rest of the decade was fairly uneventful until scandal rocked the suburb when Miss Costa Mesa of 1958 was stripped of her grown after it came to light that she was a divorcee. The ‘60s were predictably more tumultuous.

In 1960, a more serious crime occurred when a man pretending to be interested in buying 29-year-old Nancy Haas’ house on Princeton Drive shot her to death (five times) in front of her three-year-old daughter, Heidi. Heidi’s testimony lead to the capture and conviction of Robert Elton Edwards, a 19-year-old from Modesto.

In even more creepy Christian news, in 1973, the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) began. Its headquarters are in Costa Mesa and it is the largest and most popular Christian network in the world. Occasionally TBN’s promotes “prosperity gospel,” promising viewers that if they give cash to the network, they will in turn be rewarded with money. If you’ve ever lived without cable and tried to pretend that there are more than enough free stations, TBN is the one where the pink-haired harlot, Jan Crouch, joins her husband, Paul, on the set of Praise the Lord where they sit on lavish thrones of gold.

In case you’re the average Christian who’s never bothered cracking open a Bible, here are some of Jesus’s teachings on wealth.

Some say that Costa Mesa got back on track in the 1980s. In 1981, the Costa Mesa Historical Society’s Museum and Headquarters opened. In 1986, the aforementioned Orange County Performing Arts Center opened. However, not everyone was happy with the increasing cultural opportunities. A complaint was made by crotchety Costa Mesa resident John Feeney when he realized that South Coast Repertory was using city money to produce flyers supporting the NEA, which a conservative reactionary claimed amounted to “religious bigotry.” Chester priests vs. Robert Mapplethorpe…

In 2006, The Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall opened in Town Center.

From 1976 till 1981, the most famous music venue in Costa Mesa was Jerry Roach’s punk venue, Cuckoo’s Nest. The Vandals wrote a song about the infamous club, “Pat Brown.” The club also claimed to be the birthplace of slamdancing and was documented in the 1981 film Urban Struggle.Bands that were formed and musicians who were born in Costa Mesa include Bill Madden, Cowboy Buddha, Measles, Naked Soul, The Pressure and Xployt (aka Joe Public). Supernova was another band from Costa Mesa, who even wrote a song called “Costa Mesa Hates Me.”

Movies & TV

Not a whole lot of films have taken place in Costa Mesa. Reflecting the punk rock past, Suburbia was filmed there, as was In the Shadow of the Stars.

Perhaps the first film shot in Costa Mesa was the Vincent Price-narrated, Chuck Roberts-starring recruitment film, Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. Other films and television programs with scenes shot in Costa Mesa include Arizona, Convict, Big Momma’s House 2 (the Deloitte & Touche Building), Entering the Student Body, Final Assignment, Hierarchy, Laguna Beach, The Newest Pledge, Quest for the Holy Ale, Stratagem, The Omega Code, The Sopranos and Time Changer.

There used to be a big drive-in theater too, the Paulo, but it was torn down in the name of progress.

Theater

Costa Mesa is home to the Theater & Arts District, a performing and visual arts campus. It included the Orange County Performing Arts Center (OCPAC), Segerstrom Center for the Arts (which comprises the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and Samueli Theater), as well as the aforementioned South Coast Repertory.

There’s also a large Richard Sera sculpture on the grounds, Connector, as well as works by Jean Dubuffet, Henry Moore, Joan Miro, Charles O. Perry and Isamu Noguchi’s California Scenario.

Events

 Costa Mesa is home to the Orange County Fairgrounds which hosts the Orange County Fair each July. The fairgrounds were also featured in Tom Hanks’s directorial debut, That Thing You Do!. Regularly scheduled events in Costa Mesa include the New Years Eve Block Party at OC Fair and Event Center, Howl-idays at the Costa Mesa Bark Park and Food Truck Fare Thursdays. For fans of libido-destroying plastic surgery or atrocity exhibitions, there’s the Costa Mesa Streetlow Show Bikini Contest — google at your own risk. Back in 1938, residents started the annual Carnival of the Scarecrows. By its second year, it drew 10,000 attendees. It ended with the US’ entry into World War II. Maybe they should bring that back.

There are also three libraries and 26 parks. The largest park is Fairview Regional, on the city’s western edge. It’s a large park along the Santa Ana River with trails and the Talbert Nature Preserve.

Especially prominent cuisines in Costa Mesa are Italian and Mexican but there’s a pretty good variety of cuisine represented across the city. I think that the first place I ever went to was a tragi-romantic meal at Scott’s a couple of years ago. On the day of our visit, the crew ate at Plums, which was excellent. There’s also Anjin, Anotello Ristorante, Arriba Baja Grill, Boudin SF, Bristol Palms, Champagne French Bakery Cafe, Corner Office Grill, Darya Fine Persian Cuisine, Diho Siam Restaurant, Finbars Italian Kitchen, Durty Nelly’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, Fresca’s Mexican Grill, Garduno’s Ristorante Italiano, The Gypsy Den Café, Habana, Hamamori Restaurant Lounge, Hemingway’s, Jerry’s Famous Deli, Karl Strauss Brewery, Kura Sushi, La Cave, Lawry’s Carvery, Le Chateau Restaurant, Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge, Marché Moderne, Marrakesh, May Garden Chinese Restaurant, Memphis Café, Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant & Bar, Nello Cucina, Newport Rib Company, Oki Doki, Old Vine Café, 118 Degrees, Onotria Wine Country Cuisine, Orchid Cuisine Grill & Bar, Park Privé, Pinot Provence, Quattro Caffé, Ristorante Mamma Gina, Royal Khyber Fine Indian Cuisine, Skosh Monahan’s Steakhouse and Irish Pub, Soprano’s Restaurant, Sutra Lounge, TerraNova, La Terraza Mexican Grill and Bar, Valhalla Table, Wahoo’s Fish Taco, Westside Bar & Grill, Z’Tejas and Zipangu.