top of page

KATRINA'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS

ECONOMIC RECOVERY

  • Invested $2,200,000 in businesses, nonprofits, artists, and performance venues devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Distributed $50,000 in business recovery grants to local restaurants.

  • Created a workforce development apprentice program with trades organizations to provide career opportunities for formerly incarcerated youth.

  • Coordinated Small Business Roundtables to help connect local businesses with county contract opportunities.

ENHANCED PUBLIC SAFETY

  • Invested the maximum office resources to clear the backlog of sexual assault test kits and to aid in the apprehension of the murderer of Baby Aiden.

  • Developed and implemented a comprehensive Sober Living Home Action Plan to close policy gaps and combat bad faith actors across Orange County and California, crafted a plan to combat the alarming rate of fentanyl use.

  • Fully funded Orange County's law enforcement agencies, including funding to combat the rise in hate crimes. 

  • Voted to oppose bringing sexually violent predators to Orange County.

  • Advocated and voted to increase first responder staffing to better protect our community. 

  • Voted to keep Metro Fire Station 6, which the prior council had voted to close in 2013.

  • Prioritized negotiating a new labor contract with the Costa Mesa Fire Association, including providing better health benefits to our firefighters.   

  • Led efforts to build a new Fire Station 1 on Royal Palm to replace the uninhabitable building.

  • Voted for remodel and expansion of Costa Mesa Police Department station.

  • Led efforts to reevaluate the prior Council’s decision and led effort to move forward with an Ambulance transport model with reduced cost to residents, better care, and added bonus of revenue to the city instead of a private outsourced third party vendor.

  • Supported Police Chief efforts to increase staffing and reinitiate special units, including Bike Patrol, Gang, Drug, and K-9 units.

  • Advocated to retrain police officers for homeless task force.

  • Voted to purchase a mobile command unit & built security wall around police station.

  • Voted to reinstate the real time online activity log for crime reporting in Costa Mesa.

  • Consistent support to improve technology and equipment needs. 

CLIMATE ACTION & COASTAL PROTECTION

  • Initiated the first of-its-kind Climate Action Plan for Orange County.

  • First to respond to Orange County's record breaking oil spill in 2021, assisted in coordinating cleanup response, beach reopening, small business recovery, and ensure the responsible party reimburse the public agencies, residents, and businesses.

  • Led the fight to preserve open space and save Banning Ranch by converting a 400-acre former oil field into a protected park that will serve as the largest coastal park in the state.

  • Supported the County's plan to reduce organic waste by 75% within the next five years.

  • Only city in Orange County recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED Gold city.

  • Partnered with Councilmembers to spearhead the creation of a Costa Mesa City Energy and Sustainability Services Manager position.

  • ​Responsibilities include developing and administering the city’s environmental conservation and sustainability programs, planning and directing recycling and waste management, identifying opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and meeting with developers and city staff to bring a “green” perspective to project design.

  • Partnered with Councilmember Marr to lead the city to join Irvine in a JPA for community choice energy.

  • Led the charge to encourage builders in Costa Mesa to incorporate LEED standards through incentives. Costa Mesa now has 52 LEED certified buildings. 

  • Pushed the City to adopt public building policies that have the highest standards in the state by striving to have 40 to 50% less impact on the environment based on U.S. Green Building Council’s standards. 

  • Supported and voted to eliminate styrofoam in all city buildings and parks, including golf courses. 

  • Pushed to integrate solar panels and solar energy on all school campuses in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.  

  • Proposed and secured votes for a resolution opposing offshore drilling in 2018.

  • Led the efforts and passed Costa Mesa’s Organics First Pest Management & Weed Abatement Plan to move toward a non-toxic Costa Mesa.

  • Urged the City to build 8 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations for public use at City Hall and voted on switching out fossil fuel for electric bus for Costa Mesa Senior Center.

REDUCED HOMELESSNESS &

CRAFTED INNOVATIVE HOUSING SOLUTIONS

  • Reduced homelessness by approving new housing opportunities and conversion of dilapidated and unsafe motels.

  • Secured funding to clear encampments in parks and flood channels.

  • Increased mental health resources, including suicide prevention for veterans. Opened the Be Well Orange campus to provide medical and mental health services.

  • Allocated millions into permanent supportive housing for homeless veterans and seniors as well as to the food banks serving Orange County.

  • Provided $100 grocery store gift cards to organizations serving families, Veterans, homeless youth, and other food-insecure residents.

  • Partnered with Mayor Pro Tem Stephens to lead the effort of partnering with Newport Beach to open a homeless shelter, opening in Spring 2021.

  • Partnered with Mayor Pro Tem Stephens to initiate partnership with Jamboree Housing to build an affordable senior housing village at our Costa Mesa Senior Center

  • Led the effort to open a temporary bridge homeless shelter on April 5, 2019.

  • Leading effort to secure federal and state funding to build permanent supportive housing and emergency shelter.

  • Supported the City’s Network for Homeless Solutions Taskforce.  

  • Advocated for Sober Living Home reform both locally and through state and federal legislative reforms.

  • Supported hiring Orange County's top lawyers to manage Sober Living Home Litigation and provide advice for council resulting in verdict favoring the City of Costa Mesa and determining the City's ordinance to be lawful. Costa Mesa is the first city to win in trial. 

  • Led effort to revise and tighten up the Sober Living Home ordinance to make more protective for patients and public. Traveled to Sacramento and Washington DC to lobby for reforms.

  • Took on Big Pharma by joining 10 other cities & the county in Opioid Addiction Litigation to reimburse city for all the costs of the epidemic plaguing our city.

  • Initiated the Mobile Home Park Advisory Committee to support our Seniors.

  • Initiated and participating on the Fairview Development Center Ad Hoc committee to work with Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris to development a plan for housing on the 114 acres.

  • Successfully advocated to include affordable units in several Costa Mesa multi family housing projects and for two Habitat for Humanity builds.  

SAFEGUARDED TAX DOLLARS

  • Hosted interactive Town Halls to inform residents about the County budgeting process, redistricting, energy conservation & wildfire prevention, animal care services, COVID-19 recovery, and relief opportunities for businesses.

  • Presented regular updates at Board meetings to inform the public on our work, activities, and initiative progress.

  • Refunded more than $8,000,000 in property tax credits to property owners in Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, Foothill Ranch, and Newport Coast.

  • Opposed eminent domain attempts to take property from a successful local business.

  • Improved transparency and accountability of the county's nearly $8 billion budget by being a watchdog on no-bid contracts.

  • Voted on 16 balanced budgets.

  • Led Costa Mesa through the pandemic and financial crisis ending the fiscal year with a surplus and one of two cities with more than $50 million in reserves. 

  • Recommended 10 point plan to the City Council with nearly $3 million in cuts of wasteful spending.

  • Voted to continue to increase the financial reserves the City maintain—more than $56 million now.

  • Supported financial review of the Self Insurance Fund and disclosure of transactions over $25,000.

  • Uncovered numerous mismanagements of budget & improper use of equity as cash, including finding more than $2 million in CIP funding for projects not moving forward.

  • Led negotiations of frugal but functional contracts with police and fire that increased health benefits to cover family of 4 and increased compensation, but did not increase unfunded pension liability. Our employees have a fair and competitive package, but pay more into their contribution than any employees in CA. 

PROTECTED PUBLIC HEALTH

  • Delivered direct financial assistance to businesses, nonprofits, the arts community, veterans, and vulnerable residents impacted by the pandemic.

  • Defied fellow supervisors to provide 28 COVID-19 community briefings featuring health officials, medical experts, community nonprofits, labor leaders, and elected officials to offer real-time information to the public on the most recent developments of the pandemic.

  • Allocated $2,000,000 to support nutrition assistance for low-income families facing food insecurity. 

  • Hosted over 285 COVID-19 clinics, distributed nearly 20,000 COVID-19 at home test kits.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

Supervisor Foley has been recognized as the Daily Pilot's top 100 most influential people making a difference in Newport Mesa, and by the OC Register's top 100 in Orange County, as well as by LA Style Magazine as one of the Top 100 Women in Southern California who are shattering the glass ceiling.

​

In 2020, Mayor Foley and the city of Costa Mesa were recognized by the Association of California Cities Orange County for the city's reStore Costa Mesa Recovery Team and the Costa Mesa Business Assistance Collaborative with a Golden Hub of Innovation Award for Excellence in Public Private Partnerships. She was also selected as one of the 40 Mayors for Bloomberg Philanthropies' Harvard City Leadership Mayor Program to help find solutions for economic recovery and healthy communities.

​

In 2019, Mayor Foley received the 'Above and Beyond' award from Angel Light Academy. 

 

In 2011, Katrina was recognized as a Woman that Matters for families for the Sage Women Awards, and as a Community Leader Advocate for Youth Sports by Costa Mesa United.

 

In 2010, she was awarded the Orange Coast College “2010 Outstanding Citizen of the Year” for her volunteer services and activities in the Costa Mesa and OCC community.  

 

In 2009, Katrina received recognition from the Sierra Club for her efforts to Go Green in Costa Mesa. 

 

In 2008, Katrina was awarded the Board member of the year award for the Orange County Trial Lawyers Association for her work on the Pediatric Cancer Research Gala Fundraiser.

 

In December 2007, she was awarded the Advocating Healthy Families Super Star Award from the Health Funders Partnership of Orange County, and in April 2007, she was awarded the ChildSpace John Upton Award for her work to enrich and lighten the load of families in Costa Mesa.

bottom of page