By Katrina Foley
On June 7, Laguna Beach voters have the opportunity to elect a new county supervisor. Laguna Beach is a special community that deserves attention, and I would be honored to serve as your next representative on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Here are the major issues I’ve been working on through my first year on the Board:
Protecting Our Natural Environment:
The recent oil spill demonstrated that we cannot take our coast for granted. I jumped into action to help ensure accountability and quick cleanup. I continue to monitor and advocate for reimbursement of costs incurred and a responsible oil rig decommissioning plan that includes transitioning the jobs from dirty and toxic to clean energy solutions.
I’m working to create the County’s first Climate Action & Sustainability Plan. Our parks, open spaces, and beaches belong to the community—not special interests. For example, last year the County powers-that-be tried to sell a piece of Upper Newport Bay Park land to a wealthy political donor for pennies on the dollar. With the help of thousands of signatures from concerned residents, I stopped the deal.
I’m inspired by Laguna’s history of activism to protect open space and save the Canyon. This year, I partnered with airport staff, general aviation pilots, and community groups to develop a Fly Friendly incentive program that includes points for quieter flight departures and creates a carbon offset funding source to support preservation efforts in the district.
During the pandemic and now, our parks, beaches, and trails enjoyed a surge of visitors. As your Supervisor, I will proactively address impacts to our natural environment. I will ensure that we respond to resident concerns in partnership with our OC Lifeguards, OC Parks and Public Works. Split jurisdiction between County and City authority can create confusion, silos, and inefficiency that makes it difficult for community members to address problems. That’s not acceptable and I’m committed to ensuring that the County works in close coordination with the City to respond promptly to resident concerns.
Homelessness:
As a former Mayor and City Councilmember, I understand the needs of cities and the gaps in county services. When I took office last year, I initiated an audit of all county dollars spent on homelessness to assess what is working and to cut wasteful spending. On April 20, I hosted an Investigative Hearing on Homelessness to review the audit, costs and consequences of homelessness, hear from mayors including Mayor Sue Kempf about the impacts county negligence has had on our cities and public safety, and examine the regional solutions to the homelessness crisis I can pursue for Orange County. I’ve long believed that for too long the county has failed to take responsibility for the regional issue of homelessness, leaving cities like Laguna Beach to fund services and shelters using their general funds. Our audit and hearing proved this to be true, and it’s past time the County steps up.
Public Safety:
Public safety remains my top priority. I have a 100% voting record for fully funding our law enforcement agencies, including increased funding to eliminate the rape kit backlog so victims get more timely justice, supporting legislation carried by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris to address the Fentanyl Crisis, and preventing sexual predators being moved from prison to Orange County.
Fire safety must be prioritized. The Emerald Fire reminds us of the significant risk that fires pose and will increase without a proactive prevention plan. Utility lines above brush, trees, and dense vegetation create fire hazards. I will partner with our state and local representatives and the City of Laguna Beach to identify solutions to help fund undergrounding.
Too many politicians talk about these problems over the years without taking action to correct them. I’ve dedicated my years of public service to delivering results for our community by addressing long-term but ignored problems. Throughout my first year on the board, my record demonstrates the immediate action I take to solve the problems in Orange County. And I’m just getting started.
Do not hesitate to email me at [email protected] with questions. Ballots arrive in mailboxes the week of May 9. I respectfully request your vote before or on Election Day, June 7.
Katrina currently serves as the Second District Supervisor on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
As someone who lived in Costa Mesa while Mrs. Foley was Mayor, let me translate what it means to have her as our County Supervisor.
Protecting our Natural Environment:
Foley did work with environmental activists in Costa Mesa to preserve Fairview Park. The cost, however, was a defifcit of green space for youth sports. I would like to see her promise to hold Edison accountable for our recent wild fires. Foley was on TV saying that the answer to the wild fire problem is to replant all the thousands of acres of fire prone vegetation. That would be too costly and hard to maintain.
Homelessness:
Katrina supported a needle exchange program in the parks and provided homeless access to the public bathrooms in the parks to shoot up after the city’s Homelessness task force worked to prohibit use of those bathrooms, especially at night.
Public Safety:
Katrina was named in a lawsuit by the former police chief after he was forced out for publicly opposing her cuts of funding to the police department. Meanwhile, the fire departments love her and have paid for her election victories many times over for her support of their vast pension deals that almost bankrupt the city. When she says she fully funds law enforcement, that’s not true. She only fully funds their pensions. When she came into office, there was at least an $11 million dollar surplus. While she was in office, there was a deficit double that and hundreds of millions in unfunded pension liability debt.
Development:
While Katrina rode into office of Mayor on the coattails of the city’s anti-development initiative, her actions have allowed a 1,000 plus unit housing development to move forward on a 15 acre site. Costa Mesa didn’t even need the extra housing as it has met it’s affordable housing requirements as specified by RHNA.
Good for Costa Mesa means bad for Laguna Beach!
Mr Vogel
And you would rather have anti choice, anti Vaccers and anti science running this county. No thanks!
I happen to agree with Mr Vogel. There are enough homelesssness issues here in Laguna and the needle program is not something that would be beneficial here.