Costa Mesa is a general law city with a council-manager style of government. Voters supported changing the City Council seats from at-large to six voting districts and a directly elected mayor who serves as the council’s chairperson and the government’s chief executive in November 2016. The city is managed by a competent city manager and a staff of roughly 460 full-time employees on a daily basis. Costa Mesa is a general law city with a council-manager style of government. Voters supported changing the City Council seats from at-large to six voting districts and a directly elected mayor who serves as the council’s chairperson and the government’s chief executive in November 2016. The city is managed by a competent city manager and a staff of roughly 460 full-time employees on a daily basis.