Costa Mesa unfurls new flag

Deirdre Newman

“Hub of the Harbor Area” is so yesterday. It’s time for “City of the

Arts” to be prominently displayed on the city’s new flag, city

leaders say.

This week, the City Council approved a new flag design that will

be unveiled at the kickoff for the June 30 CostAmazing celebration,

which honors the city’s 50th anniversary.

The design features the “City of the Arts” motto below the words

“Costa Mesa” on a tableau of a mesa overlooking the ocean. The city’s

colors of blue and gold are emphasized, along with magenta and gold.

It was chosen at Monday’s City Council meeting from among three

options because of its simplicity, said Councilman Mike Scheafer, who

made the first motion of his term on the item.

“The other designs were a little too complicated as far as I was

concerned,” Scheafer said. “The color scheme seemed to be better, and

it was just easier to identify.”

The city’s graphics division designed the flag, which uses the

Costa Mesa Conference and Visitors Bureau logo -- a move the bureau

welcomed, said Carol Proctor, city management analyst.

“It builds on our identity as a city and it helps them with our

advertising,” Proctor said. “Anything we can do for our hotels, it’s

just good business sense.”

The old flag, which was first displayed at the Civic Center

dedication in June 1967, contained a ship’s steering wheel and the

city seal split by a banner with the former motto -- “Hub of the

Harbor Area.” City officials felt the logo was outdated and the flag

faded and worn. The city’s 50th anniversary provided the perfect

incentive for a flag-raising, Proctor said.

And the new design, without the city seal, is more cost-effective

since the seal took a lot of time to reproduce, Proctor said.

“The more you put in terms of design, the [greater the] increase

in cost, and we’re trying to be cost-conscious, especially in our

economy,” Proctor said.

Four outdoor-quality flags and two indoor display flags will be

purchased, for a total of $750, by the bureau.

While the new motto emphasizes the arts, the rest of the flag does

not. That didn’t seem to concern the council.

“I thought it was a nice design,” Councilman Allan Mansoor said.

“It shows our support for the arts. The rest shows the other benefits

of the city.”