FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2025
Latisha Townsend – Communications Director
(714) 559-8364 | Latisha.Townsend@ocgov.com
Vice Chair Katrina Foley Votes with OCTA Regional Transportation Planning Committee to Remove Garfield-Gisler Street Bridge from Master Plan
ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Today, Vice Chair Katrina Foley voted to remove the Garfield-Gisler Bridge from the OCTA Master Plan of Arterial Highways. The item will now move to the full Orange County Transportation Authority Board, with a vote tentatively set for the April 13th meeting.
“In my two decades of public service, I consistently advocated for the removal of the Gisler Street Bridge and 19th Street Bridge from the Master Plan of Arterial Highways,” said Vice Chair Katrina Foley. “Our residents in Mesa Verde can finally rest knowing that after more than two decades of advocacy, the Gisler Street Bridge will soon be removed from the plan and we’ve successfully protected their neighborhood, coastal preserves, and the golf course from unnecessary heavy traffic. Next week, the full OCTA board will vote to accept the transportation committee recommendation.”
In the current plan, the crossing threatens to redirect heavy traffic right into Costa Mesa neighborhoods, coastal park preserves, and the Mesa Verde Country Club. A recent Technical Review found, echoing Vice Chair Foley’s message for the past 20 years, that the bridge is in fact ineffective. This removal effort, if approved by the OCTA Board, will stop disruption to the surrounding neighborhood and put to rest the worries of many Costa Mesa residents.
“This amendment to remove the Gisler Bridge from the Master Plan of Arterial Highways is a big deal for Costa Mesa, especially State Street residents who can now rest easy knowing that cut-through traffic will never descend on their neighborhood,” said Costa Mesa Mayor John Stephens. “Thank you to Public Works Director Raja Sethuraman for his persistence in getting this done. I’m also grateful for the collaboration and professionalism of the cities of Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach as well as OCTA staff and directors. I’m pleased to vote on this amendment as an OCTA director alongside my fellow OCTA director and former Costa Mesa Mayor, Vice Chair Katrina Foley.”
Vice Chair Foley will share remarks at the April 13th Board meeting.
To inquire about Supervisor Foley’s media availability, please contact Latisha Townsend at (714) 559-8364.
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Orange County Supervisor Vice Chair Katrina Foley was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022 to represent the newly established District 5, which includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Dana Point, a large portion of Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Newport Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, as well as the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza, Emerald Bay, Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, Rancho Mission Viejo, Stonecliffe and Wagon Wheel. This is her second term on the Board of Supervisors, where she previously served District 2.
Vice Chair Foley’s 2025 Board appointments include:
Chair – Orange County Housing Finance Trust,
Orange County Audit Oversight Committee,
Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA),
Vice Chair – OCTA Legislative and Communications Committee, Regional Transportation Committee, Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency, Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA), TCA Joint Capital Improvements and Projects Committee, San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) Community Engagement Panel,
Co-Chair – Spent Fuel Solutions Coalition,
Orange County Public Libraries Advisory Board, Coastal Greenbelt Authority, Newport Bay and South Orange County Watershed Executive Committees, Ocean Institute, Orange County Community Corrections
Partnership (OCCCP), Santa Ana River Flood Control Protection Agency, and the Orange County Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council
