COSTA MESA : Meetings Scheduled to Foster Dialogue

Latinos Costa Mesa will hold seven monthly neighborhood talks called “Platicas al Patio” in an effort starting this month to encourage neighbors to talk about common issues and to educate residents about services available from the city.

The meetings are modeled after a program called Living Room Dialogues, in which several such forums were conducted in Costa Mesa neighborhoods. Latino residents were targeted by the new program because organizers said they were disappointed that few Latino residents participated in the dialogue meetings, said Roy Alvarado, founder of the Latinos Costa Mesa.

“We have a hard time with the needs and wants of people in the barrio,” Alvarado said. “I started thinking of parties we used to have at home with kids running around, people laughing and people playing guitars and I thought: ‘That’s what we needed to have.’ ”

The first meeting will be Nov. 24 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Wilson Elementary School, 801 W. Wilson St. Subsequent meetings will also be held in schools, Alvarado said.

Residents are asked to bring appetizers for themselves with an extra helping for their neighbors.

Mayor Mary Hornbuckle and other city officials have been asked to attend. Alvarado has also invited representatives from the Costa Mesa Senior Center and the Costa Mesa Job Center. The Girl Scouts will also be represented.

The goal of the gatherings is to teach the residents how to improve their neighborhoods by working with city government, Alvarado said. Often, he said, many of the Latinos in this area of town go without services that are available to them because they do not know how the system works.

For example, he said some residents need to know what office to call when a street lamp goes out or how to apply for a business license. Ideally, the gatherings will also help city leaders understand more problems the residents face.

The Platicas will be held in seven areas on the city’s west side.