About Katrina Foley

Katrina Foley was first elected to the City Council in November 2004. Katrina's focus is on making Costa Mesa better for families. She and her family have an interest in Costa Mesa 's future. Katrina and her husband, Casey Swanson, are Mesa Del Mar homeowners. Casey is a local teacher who graduated from TeWinkle and Estancia High School . They have two boys who attend Costa Mesa public schools.

Katrina has a record of public service. She was appointed to the Planning Commission in January 1999. She was Chair of the Commission for two terms. Katrina also served her community as a member of the Orange County Vector Control Board, Coast Community College Citizens Oversight Committee, and Newport-Mesa Unified School District Measure A Oversight Committee. Before serving on the Planning Commission, Katrina was appointed to the Costa Mesa Human Relations Committee in 1997.

Katrina volunteers her time on several non-profit boards. She plays a significant role as the corporate sponsorship chair of the Costa Mesa Athletic Community Athletic Foundation aka Costa Mesa United in its efforts to fund facility improvements for Costa Mesa youth sports, including building a Costa Mesa Sports Complex with an Aquatic Center at Costa Mesa High School and a Multi-Sports Stadium at Estancia High School . She has also served as a Director for four countywide non-profit boards: the Girl Scouts, the Orange County Women Lawyers Association, the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, and Orange County HeadStart. Katrina has also volunteered her time for numerous civic organizations including the Sonora Elementary School PTA. In 2007, Katrina was honored by the Orange County Health Funders Collaborative and St. Joseph's Hospital for her efforts to promote health and fitness among young people. In 2006, she received the Childs-Pace John Upton Award for her work on behalf of children as well as the Sonora School PTA Honorary Service Award for her school volunteer efforts.

Katrina is a managing partner in the employment litigation law firm Lents & Foley, LLP. As a small business owner, she has experience in business development, planning, and operations. As a City Council member, Katrina uses her professional experience to monitor spending, as well as to build collaborations among businesses, resident groups, and the City. In 2001 and 2004, Katrina was honored by Women in Leadership and the National Association of Women Business Owners' annual Remarkable Women Awards event.

Katrina is a proud graduate of HeadStart, UCLA (BA - English), and Seattle University (Juris Doctorate) on a Dean's Scholarship. Upon graduating law school, Katrina received numerous public service awards including the National Association of Women Lawyers 1996 Outstanding Woman Graduate, and Washington State Trial Lawyers Association Public Service Award. Katrina believes in the public school system and work as a City Council member to collaborate within the community for programming that supplements public education for all students.

Costa Mesa is at a crossroads. After five dynamic decades, Costa Mesa is a community in transition. Making the transition will take vision, leadership and the ability to build consensus among disparate constituencies. Katrina has proven her ability to solve problems and find solutions to community concerns by listening well. She knows that good decisions are best made within a process that is inclusive, fair and equitably applied.

Katrina is Council Liaison to the following City Committees and Boards: Newport-Mesa Unified School District , Youth In Government, Child Care and Youth Services Committee, and the Orange County Fairgrounds, as well as a member of the annexations subcommittee, and an alternate liaison to the Toll Roads Corridor Agency.

For the fiscal year 2007-08, Katrina plans to focus on children through public safety efforts to protect our families, infrastructure improvements such as multipurpose bike trails, athletic facilities and fields, as well as clean and safe neighborhoods, and through improved recreational and after school programming.