At Resilience Orange County, we believe that meaningful policy and systems change begins with listening to the voices of those most impacted. On June 6, 2022, we released our Summary of Findings from a participatory research project focused on the experiences and needs of Latino residents in Costa Mesa.
This report reflects insights gathered through community surveys, deep canvassing, and direct engagement with over 1,200 local residents. It highlights both the pressing issues impacting Latino families in the city and the civic barriers that limit their full participation in public life.
Key Findings: Pressing Concerns and Everyday Realities
Through this process, we identified a range of challenges facing working-class Latino communities in Costa Mesa. Among the most urgent were:
Housing insecurity, including rapidly rising rents, overcrowding, and fear of eviction.
Lack of access to youth programming, economic mobility, and culturally responsive services.
Barriers to immigration legal support, which often force families to seek services outside of the city.
In our second round of deep canvassing, we explored residents’ views on three potential local initiatives: a rental assistance fund, a youth development fund, and an immigration legal defense fund. The majority of respondents—62%—prioritized rental assistance, followed by youth development (21%) and legal defense (17%).
These findings underscore the urgent need for policy interventions that respond to the everyday struggles of families who are working to remain rooted in their communities despite rising costs and limited support systems.
Civic Barriers: Exclusion from Local Decision-Making
A striking theme in our conversations was the widespread lack of awareness and access to local civic processes. Notably:
93% of residents surveyed reported they were unfamiliar with how the city’s budgeting process works.
Many residents described feeling disconnected from city decision-making and unsure of how to engage meaningfully.
Language barriers, limited outreach, and a lack of culturally relevant information were identified as significant obstacles.
As one participant shared, “We’re not against the city—we just don’t know how to be part of it.”
For a city as diverse as Costa Mesa, the absence of inclusive engagement strategies has direct consequences on whose voices are heard and whose needs are met.
A Foundation for Collective Action
This report is not intended as a conclusion, but rather a starting point for deeper engagement, leadership development, and systems change. It will guide Resilience OC’s ongoing work to:
Advance equitable policies, including rental stabilization and youth investments.
Develop civic education efforts to increase community understanding of the budget and decision-making processes.
Support infrastructure for long-term community engagement and accountability.
Through this work, we aim to support a future in which all communities—especially working-class Latino families—can participate fully in shaping the city they call home.
Moving Forward
At Resilience Orange County, we remain committed to building power alongside communities that have long been excluded from political and economic systems. This report affirms what we already knew: Costa Mesa residents are ready to lead, but they need meaningful access, protection, and investment.
We invite community members, partners, and public officials to engage with this report and take it as a call to action. Together, we can build a more inclusive, equitable, and accountable Costa Mesa.