Candidate for
Council Member; City of Costa Mesa

Roots in Costa Mesa
Katrina is married to long-time resident Casey Swanson. Married for 11 years, Casey and Katrina have two young boys who will attend Costa Mesa public schools. Casey is a local teacher who grew up in the Mesa Verde neighborhood and attended Tewinkle and Estancia High School.

A Record of Public Service
Katrina is a homeowner in the Mesa Del Mar community and was appointed to the Planning Commission in June 1999. She is in her second term as Chair.

Before serving on the Planning Commission, Katrina was appointed to the Costa Mesa Human Relations Commission in 1997. She has also served as a Director on two County Boards: the Orange County Women Lawyers Association and Orange County HeadStart where she served as Parliamentarian. She has also volunteered her time as a pro-bono attorney for the Public Law Center as well as for numerous civic organizations. 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.

Successful Businesswoman
Katrina is a managing partner in the civil litigation law firm Lents & Foley, LLP. As a small business owner, Katrina has experience in business development, planning, and operations. As a City Council member Katrina will use her professional experience to build collaborations among businesses, resident groups, and the City. In 2001, Katrina was honored by the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Educated in the Public School System
Katrina is a proud graduate of HeadStart, UCLA (BA English), and Seattle University (Juris Doctorate) on a Dean's Scholarship. Katrina believes in the public school system and will work as a City Council member to collaborate within the community for programming that supplements public education for all students.

Commitment to Proactive Planning
Costa Mesa is at a crossroads; no longer can we sit idly by waiting for the City to plan itself. Costa Mesa needs a strategic plan. We need to set short and long-term goals. As Chair of the Planning Commission, Katrina has a proven record of promoting proactive rather than reactive planning by introducing Planning Objectives, including a Rental Housing program to eradicate deteriorating housing in our City.