State Street neighbors press Costa Mesa to renovate Moon Park for safety and families

Several residents from the State Streets neighborhood told the Parks & Community Services Commission on Feb. 12 that Moon Park is unsafe and functionally unusable for families and should be prioritized in the city's capital planning.

Ramon, who identified himself as a parent of a toddler and infant, said the park’s two separated playgrounds have a central moon structure that blocks sight lines, preventing caregivers from supervising both areas simultaneously. He also highlighted the close proximity of one playground to the Santa Ana River Bike Trail and the presence of informal encampments under the 405: "With no physical barriers between the trail and the play area... a wandering child could be struck in seconds," he said, urging repair and safety investments.

Jason Child, another State Streets resident, asked the commission to include Moon Park in the five‑year Capital Improvement Program, telling commissioners the park is at least 30 years old with no documented major updates and is in worse condition than nearby parks. He said his neighborhood has new families who would use an upgraded park and that residents have launched a petition at moonparkproject.com.

Commissioners acknowledged the comments and said staff is listening: Commissioner Kamala thanked residents for the outreach and described personal visits to the park, while Chair Brown and others noted Moon Park is currently noted for planning in later CIP years and suggested the issue can be examined as commissioners prepare CIP recommendations. Director Gruner said that if the commission wants to accelerate the project, staff can include it in upcoming CIP deliberations and the park assessment scheduled for a special session on Feb. 26 will provide additional data to inform prioritization.

What this means: Moon Park residents won a public forum to press for safety, accessibility and CIP inclusion. Staff and commissioners signaled receptiveness and pointed to the park assessment and CIP process as the route to move from comment to funding.