Steering the mayor-ship

Four years after moving to Costa Mesa and two years after beating

incumbent Councilwoman Heather Somers, Karen Robinson has taken the

reigns of the city. On Monday, her colleagues voted her mayor for the

year.

On Wednesday, City Editor James Meier visited Robinson in Long

Beach, where she works as the attorney in charge of litigation for

the California State University system, to discuss her new gig, as

well as what she hopes to accomplish this year.

How long have you desired Costa Mesa’s mayor-ship?

I ran for City Council, and Costa Mesa’s guidelines are that the

Costa Mesa council selects its own mayor and each council member will

have an opportunity to serve as mayor.

What are some of your priorities as mayor?

As the mayor knows, the mayoral position is ceremonial. My

authority -- power -- is no different than any council member’s.

In my mayor-ship, I want to see the council gets its arms around

the Westside. With the [Community Redevelopment Action Committee], we

hear trash, people urinating in the streets. I would like to see us

take steps toward helping that [committee]. I’m a proponent of

substantial changes on the Westside. By next year, I’d like to get

the wheels of improvement rolling. And I think the council wants to

work carefully with the CRAC’s efforts.

We’ve heard a lot about a 19th Street bridge from Costa Mesa to

Huntington Beach. It is difficult for me to see how the benefits of

such a bridge, if any, could outweigh the significantly harmful

impacts it would unquestionably have on the city. I would like to

have this issue resolved one way or another in the coming year.

Whether that resolution comes from having a city-sanctioned study or

after public hearings will be up to the full council.

As you also know, the council has set community objectives. We’ll

take a good, hard look at those and see what we can do to them

accomplished.

One final major thing I was responsible for was having $1 million

cut from the budget. With the state’s budget as it is, we should see

where else we can tighten out belts without sacrificing the services,

such as public safety, that our residents have grown accustomed to.

In the past, you’ve made it known that you want a judgeship,

including vying for Judge Ronald Kline’s seat earlier this year. Do

you still plan to seek judgeships?

Absolutely. That has been a lifelong dream of mine. If the

governor sees fit to ask me to fill a vacancy, I would.

Do you plan to run for reelection?

I’ve been counseled by some very knowledgeable people to never say

never.

What do you see as your biggest accomplishments so far on council?

When I came on board, I wanted folks to have more public notice,

so the radius went from 300 feet to 500 feet.

I’d like to think I’ve been helpful in preserving the character of

Costa Mesa and its R-1 lots. I will continue to be a protector of

that character.

In the past year, I helped the city shave $1 million off its

budget.

Are you looking forward to your mayor-ship?

We have an excellent group of council members who will do their

homework, who are conscientious, who read their staff reports and are

prepared when they come to the their meetings. I think the city is in

good hands with this council and its leadership.

What do you say to those who question whether you have enough time

to be mayor?

It’s a natural question to have when all of the council members

have full-time jobs in addition to being council members. I don’t

think any of us would step up to the plate if we didn’t think we’d do

an effective job. I will make the appropriate adjustments to devote

the time necessary to be the mayor of this city.