Costa Mesa honors influence of its female former mayors
As she reflected recently on the accomplishments of female leaders who preceded her, one thing became clear to Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley.
“I have to get busy,” Foley said Wednesday as she addressed a crowd of about 125 people at Mesa Verde Country Club. “They’ve made enormous contributions.”
Foley and the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce partnered to put on a luncheon honoring seven women who served as the city’s mayor since it incorporated in 1953. In December, Foley became the eighth member of that group.
“There are some high heels to fill in this room,” she quipped.
Foley said it’s fitting the luncheon was held Wednesday, as it coincided with International Women’s Day.
“I think what you’ll see about the women we’re recognizing today is that they brought to Costa Mesa a desire to make it really family-oriented, to celebrate the arts, to make sure we have quality of life and that we are fiscally responsible,” she said.
Five of the honorees — Arlene Schafer, Mary Hornbuckle, Sandy Genis, Libby Cowan and Linda Dixon — were on hand for the event.
Norma Hertzog-Wagner, the city’s first female council member and mayor, and Karen Robinson, the first African American to serve on the council, were unable to attend Wednesday.
A series of presentations focused on topics the honorees championed while in office and showed how their efforts still have influence today.
Hertzog-Wagner worked to institute the city’s sign ordinance and was instrumental in bringing South Coast Repertory to its current location near the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
Schafer, who currently serves on the Costa Mesa Sanitary District board, also supported the arts locally and played a vital role in opening the Pacific Amphitheatre at the OC Fair & Event Center.
Hornbuckle, who is now vice president of the Coast Community College District board, pushed to create the Costa Mesa Foundation, and her support of the nonprofit Share Our Selves helped that organization succeed and grow.
Genis, the current mayor pro tem whom Foley called “the fiscal wonk of the City Council,” persuaded the council to pull city money out of the Orange County investment pool before the county’s bankruptcy in 1994, saving Costa Mesa millions of dollars.
Cowan focused largely on community beautification and was a major advocate for landscape and streetscape improvements citywide.
Dixon championed the city’s mixed-use development plan and creation of its arts district. She pushed to change the city motto from “Hub of the Harbor Area” to the current “City of the Arts.”
Robinson, whose council stint was cut short by her appointment as an Orange County Superior Court judge, emphasized the importance of building up budget reserves.
For Hornbuckle, events like Wednesday’s are an honor but also bring to mind how many people go unrecognized for their efforts to support and improve the city.
“None of us mayors could do anything by ourselves,” she said in an interview after the event. “It requires a village to build a town, and I think we have worked hard at making Costa Mesa a wonderful community.”
The impact strong female leaders can have wasn’t lost on Cowan, who praised those who paved the way for her to serve on the council.
“When I was growing up, it was always very important for me to see women in strong roles, and the same thing still goes today,” she said in an interview. “It’s very important for our young people to see women in strong roles. It gives them something to shoot for, something where they say, ‘I can do that.’”
Costa Mesa’s female mayors
Norma Hertzog-Wagner (1977-78, 1984-86)
Arlene Schafer (1980-82)
Mary Hornbuckle (1990-92)
Sandy Genis (1992-94)
Libby Cowan (2000-01)
Linda Dixon (2001-02)
Karen Robinson (2003)
Katrina Foley (2017)
Source: City of Costa Mesa
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