Code of honor — Costa Mesa enforcement officer, Shalimar native comes full circle

Sometimes providence seems divine, but for Costa Mesa code enforcement officer Andy Godinez, the twists and turns of fate have always had a municipal aspect to them.

Growing up in the city’s Shalimar neighborhood in the ’80s and ’90s, Godinez was subjected to a lot of influences, not all of them positive. Crime, particularly drug dealing, predominated, and the perils and provocations of gang life presented themselves at nearly every turn.

“I recall being a kid and thinking, ‘I literally need to survive,’” he said in an interview Thursday.

Godinez was just 13 when his older half-brother was shot in a gang-related incident. That, for him, was a turning point.

“It was probably one of the most traumatic things I ever went through,” the 41-year-old recalled. “That was enough for me to realize I didn’t want a life like this. So I tried everything I could to stay out of it.”

As the west-side youth matriculated from Whittier Elementary School to Ensign Intermediate, he focused on sports as a way to occupy his time and attention with more optimistic pursuits.

Not having many mentors in his immediate surroundings, Godinez sought guidance from the community of tutors, coaches and counselors he met through city-sponsored programs.

“The Shalimar Learning Center was a safe place for me, having tutors who taught me to play chess,” he said. “ I feel like it really did take a village to keep me out of trouble.”

After graduating from Newport Harbor High School, thanks to a school rezoning that initially had him feeling like a fish out of water, Godinez volunteered with Mika Community Development Corporation, a faith-based nonprofit focused on building relationships in underserved communities.

There, he coached Costa Mesa youth and even helped lead his team to victory in a basketball tournament. He soon realized he was becoming exactly the kind of community mentor he himself had leaned on as a child.

That passion and interest led Godinez to a part-time job in the city’s parks department in 2008, where he worked as an after-school recreation leader at his alma mater, Whittier Elementary. He eventually transferred to City Hall’s Concierge Desk and worked for the city clerk’s office before being promoted to a full-time code enforcement officer in 2018.

Andy Godinez, a code enforcement officer with the city of Costa Mesa, at City Hall on Thursday, July 20.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Godinez said the position appeals to his can-do attitude and proclivity for taking action when and where it’s needed.

“If you don’t like what you’re seeing you can complain about it. But I’ve always been a solutions guy,” he reasoned. “Anybody can have an opinion, but who’s going to deliver the solution? That’s more important.”

For his commitment to Costa Mesa Godinez recently received a City Manager Leadership Award from Lori Ann Farrell Harrison, who called him one of the most popular employees at City Hall.

“He’s a pure joy to work with and he always greets his fellow employees with a smile,” Farrell Harrison said in a statement announcing the award. “His daily goal is always to serve the community, and he often is able to achieve this through simple, kind and informational communication. We are fortunate to have his institutional knowledge and commitment to the city he loves.”

Councilwoman Arlis Reynolds, a west-side Costa Mesa native whose path also led toward public service, said Godinez is a prime example of someone who takes a realistic yet positive approach to serving the community.

“He’s really honest about what the challenges are but optimistic about how we can be better,” Reynolds said Thursday. “It gives me so much comfort knowing he and people like him are on city staff and in those roles.”

Today Godinez, happily married with a 13-month-old daughter, believes his civil service career has been partly about paying back a favor to a city that’s played such a prominent role in his life.

“Growing up, it helped keep me safe,” he said. “The city gave so much to me, I feel I need to reciprocate.”

Code Enforcement Officer Andy Godinez walks from City Hall to his work vehicle. He recently received a City Manager Leadership Award.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)