City staff seek tree as tribute to late employee

German Torres a longtime Costa Mesa employee, died recently at 52, and the city wants to plant a tree in his honor at Charles TeWinkle Memorial Park.

The Parks and Recreation Commission is expected to approve the request at a meeting tonight. Torres worked for more than two decades on the Costa Mesa Country Club’s golf course and in city parks as part of the city’s maintenance services division.

“He was kind of a father figure to a lot of the guys. He had an incredible sense of humor and was just very warm,” said Maintenance Services Manager Bruce Hartley.

Torres left behind six children, and coworkers say he will be missed in the department because he was such a hard worker and a caring individual. A specialist in irrigation, Torres tested, maintained and repaired the city’s water system.

“He was a very nice gentlemen and a helpful employee. Everyone liked him in the department,” said Public Services Director Peter Naghavi.

Torres died of natural causes.

— Alan Blank