New planning commissioner no stranger to city issues

Lolita Harper

WESTSIDE -- Eleanor Egan sat in her backyard Tuesday, careful not to

sit directly in the scorching summer sun, as a tiger swallow tail

butterfly landed on one of the many blooming flowers that border her

property.

“That is why I love Costa Mesa,” Egan said, pointing to the butterfly.

Originally from New York, Egan, 62, moved to Southern California in

1968 because she could not stand another cold winter, she said. After

finally settling in Costa Mesa, the 15-year resident has renewed her love

for the city by serving as its most recently appointed planning

commissioner.

Her roots in Costa Mesa precede her residency, as she was the

assistant city attorney for eight years, starting in the early 1980s.

“I was the legal advisor to the Planning Commission during those

years,” Egan said.

Now serving on the board she used to counsel, Egan hopes her history

of work with the city will make for a shorter learning period in her new

role.

“At least I already know the difference between a variance and a

conditional-use permit,” Egan joked.

Obviously a lot of things have changed over the last 20 years, and

Egan is excited to be part of the decision-making process again. Costa

Mesa no longer has any green fields to develop, and the city must work on

meeting the ever-increasing housing needs of its diverse population, she

said.

“There’s a whole new way of viewing the city and its future. We’re all

grown up now. The decisions that will be made over the next 10 years are

crucial. It’s a great time to be part of it,” Egan said.

Although she is new to a formal city commission, Egan and her husband

of 12 years, Tom, are no strangers to leadership positions in the

community. She is a member of the Costa Mesa Historical Society, sits on

the board of directors, serves as treasurer of the Costa Mesa Library

Foundation and, most notably, acts as co-chair of the Westside

Improvement Assn., a grass-roots organization to revitalize the city’s

Westside.

“I think my experience with the Westside and with that organization

has taught me a lot, and I will use what I have learned for the benefit

of the city as a whole,” said Egan, who met her husband through Mensa, a

club restricted to people with high IQs.

Egan said she will step down from her position in the Westside

Improvement Assn. to avoid any conflicts of interest.

The new planning commissioner said she has no specific plan or overall

vision for the city. Her role is simply to carry out the policies the

City Council sets and to find ways to attain the goals of the public, she

said.

An immigrant herself -- her parents moved to New York from Hungary

when she was 9 months old -- Egan said she is too close to the city’s

immigration issues to form an objective opinion.

“At least I can say that I am comfortable with other languages being

spoken around me, and I’m very comfortable in a diverse population,” she

said.