THE RACE FOR COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL

Jennifer Kho

Her first glance at Fairview Park was enough for Karen Robinson to

know she had finally found what she’d been looking for -- home.

“I fell in love,” she said. “Just look at this park. It’s something

you enjoy for what it is. I think there’s just something [open space]

does to the soul. You can think here and it’s also a place where you can

just run and be a kid.”

Robinson grew up in a “simple Midwestern family in Kentucky” and moved

to California as a high school student when her father got a job

transfer.

She remained in California, attending UCLA and getting a job with the

California State University system. But for five years, she searched for

a place where she could talk to her neighbors. Then she found Costa Mesa.

Camaraderie with neighbors and open space were the things Robinson

said she missed most about Kentucky.

“There was so much open space there,” she said. “You could run and

play or start up a kickball game just about anywhere. We didn’t have

video games. Outside is where we played and that’s still with me.”

Robinson said she didn’t get the first house she tried to buy in her

neighborhood. The next time a house in the area was up for sale, she

bought it the first day she saw it. She even bought a dog, TyKo -- her

first since she was a child -- to signify that she had settled into the

home in which she hopes to raise children and grow old.

“I saw the neighborhood I now live in and it was the closest thing to

what I grew up with that I had seen,” Robinson said. “It had big yards

and friendly neighbors to talk to when you’re watering the yard. I’d

known I wanted to make my home in a place where you enjoy going home,

where you enjoy talking with your neighbors about significant little

things like the garden, and where you can feel comfortable asking one of

your neighbors to look after your house when you go on vacation.”

Robinson has become active in her homeowners association and said she

is willing to take on the responsibility of being a role model.

“I’ve been a role model all my life,” she said. “I come from humble

beginnings. I was the first person to integrate a lot of neighborhoods,

clubs and organizations, and I’m proud of that. I’m proud of all I’ve

accomplished, and if I can be a role model, that’s a plus.”