“If you had a family member here, how would you want them to be treated?”
That question guided many staff at Fairview Developmental Center (Fairview) in Costa Mesa for years, including Facility Director Carol Naylor-Pecson.
As Fairview moves through its final stages of closure and transition, longtime employees are reflecting on their decades of service, community, and care.
Carol began working at Fairview in 2014. Today, she is helping manage the property’s transition to new purposes. The campus will be divided for multiple uses, including a new Emergency Services Campus for Cal OES now under construction as well as a few small homes in Harbor Village for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who also have mental health diagnoses.
“Staff provided opportunities for the individuals to experience and grow from. The staff and the individuals took pride in what they did, and you saw it throughout the campus.” said Carol.
Growing Gardens and Community
One special memory for Carol includes working in Central Program Services’ gardening program. Staff worked alongside residents to plant and cultivate fruits, vegetables and flowers. Many became so engaged in the work that they served as garden tour guides during campus visits.
“It was so exciting to see that and to see them grow,” she said.
Listen to Carol share how proud she feels when she sees former residents thriving in the community:
Caring for Buildings and People
Chief of Plant Operations, Mike Softa, began working at the Department in 1983. Now with 42 years of service and counting, he jokes that he was “born on the fourth floor” of one of the property buildings.
He recalls the traditions that built bonds across campus.
“We used to have parades, Fourth of July parades around this place, every year,” he said. “They had a theater, big screen to show movies. You had Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving parties. They always had a place over there, so the clients can go and enjoy themselves.”
Hear more from Mike on important Fairview projects and their impact:
A Legacy that Spans Decades
From 1959 to 2020, Fairview was home to thousands of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Department employees were dedicated to a shared mission, making Fairview a place where individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities could live their best lives.
Over the past 66 years, strong bonds between thousands of staff members were developed at Fairview. Holiday celebrations, epic potlucks, and daily routines created a sense of community that lasted decades.
In 1999, the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision established the right to live in the community and outside of institutional settings. By 2014, a statewide task force released a Plan for the Future of Developmental Centers in California, which began the process of moving away from institutional settings and toward housing that focused on inclusion and choice.
While the campus is no longer operating as a developmental center, new purposes are taking shape on the property, and the legacy of care continues through the people who served there.
“A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has worked at Fairview. We honor and appreciate your contributions to the State’s history of service to Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said Director Pete Cervinka.