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Costa Mesa officials celebrated a new, state-of-the-art fire training facility this week. It will help firefighters across the region sharpen their rescue skills in scenarios designed to replicate crises they will likely confront in the line of duty.

Located at Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Station No. 4 on Placentia Avenue, the $5.3-million training center replaces a previous structure built in 1967 and that was well used by generations of first responders.

Just ahead of Veterans Day, Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) named former U.S. Army Specialist Charles Wolfe “Veteran of the Year” for California’s 73rd Assembly District during a ceremony held this week at Irvine Valley College.

A nearly 50-year resident of Costa Mesa, Wolfe was nominated for the honor by city Mayor John Stephens, who attended the ceremony with City Manager Cecelia Gallardo-Daly.

When Harwood Garland first stepped onto the UC Irvine campus as a returning veteran, he never imagined that he would someday be recognized by the California Assembly as a Veteran of the Year. However, at a Nov. 4 ceremony hosted by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris at Irvine Valley College, he was one of three individuals honored for outstanding service to their country, community and fellow veterans.

Long-awaited plans to expand and improve Ketchum-Libolt Park on Costa Mesa’s west side are gaining ground, after city officials last week approved a contract with an Irvine-based contractor to complete the project by next summer.

Despite the pocket park’s diminutive stature, comprising just .34 acres at the corner of Victoria and Maple streets, its offer of shade, seating and playground equipment is significant to residents living in neighborhoods where recreational open space is scarce.

Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris represents California’s 73rd Assembly District, which includes the cities of Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Tustin. As Chair of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy, she has championed efforts to strengthen California’s infrastructure, protect natural resources, and make energy and water systems more affordable and sustainable. We invited Assemblymember Petrie-Norris to share her vision for addressing California’s water challenges including climate change, water resilience, and affordability.