Here’s the first of two press releases from the same political consultant who represents both AD-68 candidate Melissa Fox and SD-37 candidate Katrina Foley.
IRVINE, CA – Reflecting her wide-ranging support from women in the race for California’s 68th Assembly District, today Irvine Councilmember Melissa Fox earned a critical endorsement from the California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus.
In a statement released following the announced endorsement, California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus’ Chair Senator Connie Leyva remarked:
“As a local City Councilmember, attorney, and community advocate, Melissa Fox has been a tireless advocate for women, the right to choose, and gender equity. She is dedicated to closing the gender pay gap, holding sexual abusers and harassers accountable, and providing quality, affordable reproductive healthcare for all. The California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus is thrilled to support a candidate who will endlessly work to advance equality and elevate women in the California State Legislature.”
Recently, Fox’s campaign announced that she had outraised her opponent, Steven Choi, more than 2:1, with Fox’s campaign bringing in a significant $174,515, while Choi only raised $77,785.
Since officially launching her campaign, Melissa Fox has announced an impressive array of endorsements. To date, Melissa has earned the following endorsements:
Organizations:
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 441
- United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 324
- Laborers Local 652
- Laborers Local 1309
- International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 12
- Women In Leadership (WIL)
- International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36
- California Legislative Women’s Caucus
- Fund Her
- Women’s Political Committee (WPC)
- California Federation of Teachers (CFT)
- Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9510
- Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
State Elected Leaders:
- California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis
- California State Treasurer Fiona Ma
- California State Controller Betty Yee
- California State Insurance Commissioner Emeritus Dave Jones
- State Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva
- State Assemblymember Lorena Gonalzez-Fletcher
- State Senator Jim Beall
- State Senator, Chair of California Legislative Women’s Caucus,* and past president of California Labor Federation,* Connie Leyva
- Former State Senator Josh Newman
Local Elected and Community Leaders:
- California Democratic Party LGBT Caucus* Chair Denise Penn
- Orange County Board of Education Member and former Tustin Councilmember Beckie Gomez
- Tustin City Councilmember Letitia Clark
- Anaheim City Councilmember Jordan Brandman
- Fullerton City Councilmember Ahmad Zahra
- Ocean View School District, Board of Trustees Gina Clayton-Tarvin
- Brea Olinda Unified School District Board Member Keri Kropke
- Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley
- Costa Mesa City Councilmember Manuel Chavez
- Costa Mesa City Councilmember Arlis Reynolds
- Costa Mesa City Councilmember John Stephens
- Garden Grove City Councilmember Thu-Ha Nguyen
- Huntington Beach City Councilmember Joe Shaw (Ret.)
- Laguna Beach Community Leader Mary Carter
- California Democratic Party Region 18 Director Florice Hoffman*
- Orange County Democratic Party Vice Chair Jeff LeTourneau*
- Orange Unified School District Trustee Kris Erickson
- Aliso Viejo Mayor Ross Chun
- Aliso Viejo City Councilmember Tiffany Ackley
- Aliso Viejo City Councilmember Ross Chun
- Fullerton City Councilmember Jesus Silva
- Former Santa Ana City Councilmember, former chair of SCAG and President of NALEO Michele Martinez
- Irvine Community Service Commission Chair Lauren Johnson Norris
- Irvine Commissioner Roger Sievers
- Irvine Planning Commission Chair Dustin Nirchle
- Irvine Transportation Commissioner Ken Montgomery
- Coast Community College Trustee Dr. Lorraine Prinsky
- Cost Mesa City Councilmember Andrea Marr
- Capistrano School Board Member (Ret.) Dr. Gary Pritchard
- Artesia City Councilmember Ali Taj
- La Habra Heights Mayor (Ret.) Kyle Miller
- West Hollywood City Councilmember Lindsey Horvath
- Malibu City Mayor (Ret.) Lou LaMont
- Community leader and former Congressional candidate Phil Janowicz
- Newport Beach activist and Women in Leadership member Pam Gilmour
- Clean energy advocate and organizer Robin Ganahl
A career-long attorney, Melissa Fox has served on the Irvine Council since 2016 after winning an at-large, citywide election. She also serves as a Director of the Orange County Fire Authority and previously served as Vice Chair of the Orange County Great Park. Melissa has been recognized for her dedication to fiscal responsibility by the Orange County Auditor-Controller with the “Orange County Taxpayer Watchdog Award.” Fox has also been honored for her dedication to children and families by earning the “Hero of Children Award” from the Child Abuse Protection Network.
Councilwoman Fox is the Founder and Senior Attorney at The Fox Firm, a civil law firm specializing in business law and public affairs. In addition, she serves as Southern Vice Chair of the Democratic Municipal Officials, California.
Her service on local and regional boards and agencies includes Community Energy Partnership, Library Advisory Board of Orange County Library System, Chair of the Green Ribbon Environmental Committee, and Chair of the Irvine Community Land Trust for Affordable Housing.
In 2016, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump in the 68th Assembly District by nearly 5-points.
For more information, please visit www.votemelissafox.com
And this one:
WOMEN’S CAUCUS UNITES BEHIND FOLEY IN SD 37 CONTEST
Decisive Endorsement from CA Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus Underscores Mayor Foley’s Wide-Ranging Support in Senate District 37 Bid
COSTA MESA, CA – In yet another sign of the increasing momentum behind her campaign for State Senate District 37, today Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley garnered an important endorsement from the California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus.
In a statement released following the announced endorsement, California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus’ Chair Senator Connie Leyva remarked:
“Throughout her career in public service, Katrina Foley has been an unyielding champion for women’s empowerment and our right to choose in Orange County. Her unmatched combination of extensive experience in government, coupled with her zeal and experience advocating for victims of sexual harassment and discrimination as an attorney, make her best equipped to advance the cause of women’s rights and equality for all. The California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus is excited to support a candidate for State Senate who will work tirelessly to uplift women throughout California and defend their rights.”
Foley has been an ardent promoter of gender equality and women’s empowerment throughout her life, including her advocacy for free early child education for all and her role in ushering in a majority woman city council and hiring the first woman city manager in Costa Mesa history. In law school, Katrina established the school’s first women’s resource center to serve domestic violence victims and chaired the women’s law caucus. The small clinic is now a well-established, for credit clinic run by the law school.
Recently, Foley’s campaign announced that it had topped $246,000 raised for the upcoming March primary election, significantly more than the $163,803 raised by incumbent Senator John Moorlach. The substantial haul was comprised of 472 total unique contributions in four months, with 76% donors living in the district, in addition to 64% of the donors being women.
Since entering the race for State Senate District 37, Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley has built up a far-reaching coalition of support from local, state and federal leaders, organizations that represent women, classroom teachers, working families and more.
Her latest list of endorsements includes the following leaders and groups:
Organizations:
- State Building and Construction Trades Council of California
- Los Angeles/Orange County Building and Construction Trades Council
- California Democratic Legislative Women’s Caucus
- Women In Leadership (WIL)
- Fund Her
- Women’s Political Committee (WPC)
- California State Council of Laborers (LiUNA)
- Laborers (LiUNA) Local 652
- Laborers (LiUNA) Local 300
- United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 324
- Newport-Mesa Federation of Teachers 1794 COPE
- Iron Workers Local 433
- Iron Workers Local 416
- Teamsters Joint Council 42
- International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36
- International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 12
- United Association (UA) Local 582 Plumbers and Steamfitters
- United Association (UA) Local 250 Refrigeration Fitters and Steamfitters
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 47
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 441
- Amalgamated Transit Unit (ATU) Local 1277
- Plasterers’ Local 200
- SMART Sheet Metal Workers Local 105
- Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9510
- Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC)
Elected & City Leaders:
- U.S. Congressman Harley Rouda
- U.S. Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
- U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman
- State Senator and Chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, Connie Leyva
- State Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris
- State Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva
- Costa Mesa Mayor Libby Cowan (Ret.)
- Costa Mesa Mayor Linda Dixon (Ret.)
- Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook (Ret.)
- Huntington Beach City Mayor Keith Bohr (Ret.)
- Laguna Beach Mayor Paul Freeman (Ret.)
- Costa Mesa Mayor Pro Tem John Stephens
- Anaheim City Councilmember and former Anaheim Union High School District Trustee Jordan Brandman
- Costa Mesa City Councilmember Arlis Reynolds
- Costa Mesa City Councilmember Manuel Chavez
- Costa Mesa City Councilmember Andrea Marr
- Huntington Beach City Councilmember Jill Hardy
- Huntington Beach City Councilmember Kim Carr
- Huntington Beach City Councilmember Connie Boardman (Ret.)
- Huntington Beach City Councilmember Joe Shaw (Ret.)
- Ocean View School District Board of Trustees Vice President Gina Clayton-Tarvin
- Irvine Mayor Beth Krom (Ret.)
- Irvine City Councilmember Melissa Fox
- Irvine Community Services Commission Chair Lauren Johnson-Norris
- Laguna Beach City Councilmember Sue Kempf
- Laguna Beach City Councilmember Peter Blake
- Anaheim Community Services Board Commissioner Ashleigh E. Aitken
- Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner Jeff Harlan*
- Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner Carla Navarro Woods *
- Costa Mesa Parks Commission Chair Liz McNabb*
- Costa Mesa Parks Commissioner Leah Ersoylu*
- Costa Mesa Parks Commissioner, Boardmember Democrats of Greater Irvine Cassius Rutherford*
- Coast Community College District Board of Trustees’ President Lorraine Prinsky, Ph.D.
- Coast Community College District Board of Trustees’ Vice President Jerry Patterson, also former U.S. Congressman and past Mayor of Santa Ana
- Coast Community College District Board of Trustees’ Clerk Jim Moreno
- Coast Community College District Board of Trustees’ Member Mary Hornbuckle, also former Costa Mesa Mayor
Community Leaders:
- South Orange County Labor Chair, Raymond Cordova*
- Democratic Foundation of Orange County Chair, Dan Jacobson*
- Democratic Foundation of Orange County Vice Chair, Michael Penn*
- California State University Fullerton (CSUF) Professor Dr. Scott Spitzer
- Dr. Marc Lerner
- Rabbi Marcia Tilchin
- Olive Tree Initiative’s Susan Seely*
- Sandy Asper, Retired Teacher – Newport Mesa
- Cynthia Blackwell, Retired Teacher – Newport Mesa
- Rene Caballero, Teacher – San Bernardino
- Staci Chapman, Teacher – Preschool
- Julia Clevenger, Administrator – Orange Coast College
- Carol Crane, Retired Teacher
- Lori Dauncey, Teacher – Newport Mesa
- Kristina Dorian, Teacher – Newport Mesa
- Britt Dowdy, President – Newport Mesa Federation of Teachers
- Shelly Faulstick, Child Care Provider – Costa Mesa
- Mary Ferryman, Retired Elementary School Teacher – Costa Mesa
- Dena Fisher, Former Dietician – University of California Irvine
- Joel Flores, Teacher – Newport Mesa
- Suzanne Gauntlett, Former PTA President – Newport Mesa
- William Harador, Retired Teacher – Tustin
- Kathy Liotta, Special Education Teaching Assistant – Newport Mesa
- Lisa Locke, Retired Teacher Orange County Department of Education
- Flo Martin, Retired Teacher
- Susan Meyer, Newport Mesa Unified School District Personnel Commission Member & Former Labor Relations Representative – CSEA*
- Iona Pally, Early Childhood Educator – Irvine
- Daniel Patterson, Former Assistant Principal at Corona Del Mar High School, Education Advocate
- Jesi Pearce, Special Education Teaching Assistant
- Art Perry, High School Coach – Costa Mesa
- Kirby Piazza, Arts Educator
- Gay Royer, Retired Librarian
- Susan Seely, Olive Tree – University of California Irvine
- Kelly Siegel, Teacher – Newport Mesa
- Laurie Smith, Retired Teacher – Newport Mesa
- Jennifer Solano, Special Education Coordinator – Tustin
- Richard Stein, Arts Educator
- Casey Swanson, Teacher – Orange County
- Dr. James Swanson, Retired Pediatric Psychiatry Professor – University of California Irvine
- Tracy Taber, Arts Educator
- Andy Thorburn, Educator – Villa Park
- Patricia Villalpando, Teaching Assistant
- Terri Webster, Teacher – Waldorf School
- Jane Werner, Retired Teacher
- Kelly Wolf, Teacher – Westminster
- Sarah Yagerlener, Teacher – Newport Mesa
- Ellie Young, Former High School Coach – Irvine
In 2018, Foley ran a successful citywide campaign in Costa Mesa – which represents 10.1% of voters in the 37th Senate District – garnering a substantial 59.5% of the citywide vote. Helping propel her triumph is the fact that for the first time in its 60-year history, Costa Mesa’s voter registration numbers now show more registered Democrats than any other political party within the city. Significantly in 2016, Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump by 6-points in SD-37, winning 50% to 44%, and Governor Gavin Newsom won the District in 2018, which underscores the ripe opportunity to flip this Senate seat red-to-blue.
Katrina Foley is a community leader, successful businesswoman, working mom and attorney who became Costa Mesa’s first directly elected Mayor in November 2018. Foley also served as Mayor in 2016-2017, and has been on the Costa Mesa City Council for 10 years. Previously, she served on the Newport Mesa Unified School District Board of Trustees from November 2010 to November 2014.