TITLE:
title
ACCEPTANCE AND ALLOCATION OF THE 2026-27 OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY GRANT FOR THE SELECTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM
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DEPARTMENT: POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRESENTED BY: DANIEL HOLL, SERGEANT
CONTACT INFORMATION: DANIEL HOLL (714) 754-5395
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Approve proposed Resolution No. 2026-XX, which ratifies the application for a grant award from the State of California - Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) for the grant period from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.
2. Authorize an appropriation to revenue and expenditure in the amount of $275,500 for the 2026-27 OTS STEP Grant in the Office of Traffic Safety Fund (Fund 220).
3. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute the grant documents, including the Grant Agreement, and accept and administer the grant.
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BACKGROUND:
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration channels federal funding to California by way of the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). That office’s mission is to administer traffic safety grants effectively so that innovative programs can be delivered and traffic fatalities and injuries on California roadways can be eliminated. Grants serve to address deficiencies in existing traffic-safety programs, to expand programs already underway, or to create entirely new ones. The funding may not be used to replace current program expenditures, nor may it be used to support routine maintenance, research, rehabilitation, or construction.
In past years, the Costa Mesa Police Department has received comparable OTS grants. Those awards have materially advanced the goals of the Traffic Safety Bureau and strengthened traffic safety for both residents and visitors. Since 2005, the Office of Traffic Safety has provided the Department with twenty (20) traffic-safety-related grants. The OTS grant funds covered the purchase of specialized equipment and the personnel costs of traffic safety operations. In every grant year, the Traffic Safety Bureau met its operational objectives.
The City encourages a healthy, active lifestyle and supports sustainable transportation choices, making safety for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians a central priority. OTS grants help the Department address these priorities. The Traffic Safety Bureau places strong emphasis on public-awareness campaigns and community events that highlight the importance of mutual respect among all road users. Through these efforts, Costa Mesa strives to create streets that are safer and more pleasant for everyone who lives or visits the City.
ANALYSIS:
The Office of Traffic Safety compiles collision data rankings according to city population size. Its most recent statistics cover 2023, when Costa Mesa was grouped with 62 other cities in the 100,001-250,000 population range. In 2023, the City placed 10th for total injury crashes. Because a ranking of 1 indicates the highest number of injury crashes within the comparison group, a 10th-place finish shows Costa Mesa in the top 15 percent among peer cities for total number of injury crashes.
The OTS STEP grant provides funding for enforcement, focusing on the violations that most often cause collisions, with the overarching goal of improving safety for every roadway user. Impaired-driving enforcement has long been a top priority for the Police Department, and the OTS rankings reflect that commitment. In 2023, Costa Mesa ranked first among the 62 cities in its population group for DUI arrests, recording 791 arrests-more than any other jurisdiction.
Historically, the Department maintained a full-time impaired-driving enforcement team with two officers dedicated to roadway safety. Staffing shortages later forced the suspension of that team. Increased staffing levels allowed the full-time DUI team to resume operations in September 2025. Each year, OTS grant funds further bolster these efforts by covering the costs for DUI patrols conducted on overtime.
Since the 2014 introduction of driving-under-the-influence-of-drugs laws, the Department has used grant resources to train new officers to enforce these complex statutes. The same grant also underwrites DUI checkpoints. These highly visible operations serve both educational and deterrent purposes, yet they require substantial personnel and are therefore costly. Without grant support, the Department’s capacity to conduct enforcement operations and checkpoints would be severely constrained.
The Police Department has applied and received tentative approval for the 2026-27 OTS STEP Grant. This funding will enable the department to carry out a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) that takes a comprehensive approach to reducing violations most frequently linked to collisions, while maintaining a clear focus on impaired drivers and those who are suspended or unlicensed. Grant funds will staff sobriety and driver-license checkpoints, support traffic safety enforcement details, purchase related operational equipment, and fund additional training in DUI investigation and enforcement techniques.
Public education is an explicit priority of the grant. The department will raise awareness through press releases, social-media outreach, and highly visible operations, and it must deliver a minimum of three (3) community presentations covering bicycle and pedestrian safety, seat-belt use, distracted driving, and child-passenger safety. By combining public education, advanced officer training, and high-visibility enforcement, the program advances the department’s core objective of reducing injury collisions and saving lives.
The current grant expires on September 30, 2026. The 2026-27 award will allow the Department to build on results already achieved and to pursue new traffic-safety objectives across the City. The additional resources will strengthen efforts against impaired driving and support enforcement of the traffic laws most critical to protecting lives. Specific objectives include DUI saturation patrols, enforcement targeting red-light and excessive-speed violations, distracted-driving enforcement, operations at high-collision intersections, and sobriety/driver-license checkpoints.
Currently, there are 19 objectives outlined in the OTS grant agreement. A few of those specific project objectives include:
• Conduct three (3) Traffic Safety educational presentations with an effort to reach community members. Note: Presentations may include topics such as distracted driving, DUI, speed, bicycle and pedestrian safety, seat belts, and child passenger safety.
• Participate in National Pedestrian Safety Month, National Walk to School Day, National Teen Driver Safety Week, National Bicycle Safety Month, and several other national campaigns related to driving awareness.
• Conduct 25 DUI saturation patrols.
• Conduct four (4) special traffic safety enforcement operations targeting red light, excessive speed, and other violations at or near intersections with a disproportionate number of traffic collisions.
• Conduct four (4) special enforcement operations targeting distracted driving violations.
• Conduct two (2) special traffic safety enforcement operations in areas or during events with a high number of pedestrian and/or bicycle crashes.
• Conduct four (4) DUI/DL checkpoints.
• Participate in four (4) highly visible collaborative Traffic Enforcement operations.
• Provide advanced officer training in DUI enforcement to 9 officers.
OTS grant funding is based on the federal fiscal year, which runs from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027. The Grant Agreement allocates $275,500, which will be utilized over the federal fiscal year, a 12-month period. OTS will reimburse the City for approved grant expenditures throughout the grant period.
Although the majority of the OTS STEP grant is designed to support enforcement efforts to reduce injury-causing traffic collisions, the Traffic Safety Bureau recognizes that only through enforcement and education can we fully realize this goal.
Therefore, in addition to the grant educational requirements, the Traffic Safety Bureau will continue to pursue additional educational efforts to improve roadway safety unrelated to this grant, including collaborating on a city service agreement to provide bicycle safety programming for students and the community at all Newport Mesa Unified School District schools in Costa Mesa.
The Traffic Safety Bureau is committed to collaborating with the community for educational purposes related to bicycle and pedestrian safety. The Traffic Safety Bureau will continue to work collaboratively with the City’s Transportation Services Office to identify hazards that can be mitigated through environmental design. Additionally, City departments will continue to promote traffic safety education utilizing public service announcements and social media.
ALTERNATIVES:
The City Council may elect not to accept the grant; however, the Department would be unable to pursue the specific goals outlined in the report.
FISCAL REVIEW:
Upon acceptance of the 2026-27 OTS STEP Grant, an appropriation in both revenue and expenditure in the amount of $275,500 will be established in the Office of Traffic Safety Fund (Fund 220) for the grant period October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed the 2026 OTS STEP Grant Agreement, proposed resolution, and this report and has approved them as to form.
CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES:
This item supports the City Council Goal:
• Strengthen the public’s safety and improve the quality of life.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Approve proposed Resolution No. 2026-XX, which ratifies the application for a grant award from the State of California - Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) for the grant period from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.
2. Authorize an appropriation to revenue and expenditure in the amount of $275,500 for the 2026-27 OTS STEP Grant in the Office of Traffic Safety Fund (Fund 220).
3. Authorize the City Manager or designee to execute the grant documents, including the Grant Agreement, and accept and administer the grant.