THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE:Newport attorney celebrated

Newport Beach attorney Michelle Lents will be honored Monday as the Orange County Women Lawyers Assn.’s attorney of the year.

Lents, 40, practices employment law with Katrina Foley, who is also a Costa Mesa city councilwoman. She counsels small companies on issues such as wages, hiring, discrimination and sexual harassment.

Santa Ana attorney Elizabeth Jones said she nominated Lents for the award because she “exemplifies great ethics in the legal community.” Lents is a past president of the association.

Lents “does an incredible job of giving back to the community,” volunteering for the bar association and veterans’ organizations, Foley said.

The past year for Lents has been all about expanding her law firm’s client list and working with more companies. They recently added two associate attorneys to the firm, she said.

“It’s all based on having built and continuing to build strong relationships with the community,” she said.

Lents will receive the honor at the Turnip Rose in Orange.

Familiar names vie for parks, planning seats

The Costa Mesa City Council later this month will consider 11 applicants for three parks commission seats and two planning commission seats. Among those who applied are familiar names: Chris Bunyan, who lost a City Council bid in November, as well as Terry Shaw and Sam Clark, who ran for the council in 2004.

Current parks commissioner David Stiller, whose appointment expires in February, applied to keep his seat, as did planning commissioner Jim Fisler. Planning Commissioner Bill Perkins won’t seek reappointment.

Others who applied for planning commission seats are Clark, Paul Bunney and Robert Norling; Bunyan, Jeffrey Harlan and Jonathan Zich applied for a seat on either commission.

Shaw, Mike Brumbaugh and Kurt Galitski are seeking parks commission seats.

Newport mayor brings humidor to office

When you’re Steve Rosansky, it’s good to be the mayor. The mayor’s office in Newport Beach City Hall may not be state-of-the-art, but Rosansky is lending it some class with his mayoral humidor.

A friend gave him a humidor with the city seal on it for his birthday, and now it graces his desk. “I’m not much of a smoker, but I enjoy one every couple of weeks,” he said, adding with a laugh, “Now my furniture’s going to look shabby.”

Campbell enjoys window on Washington

And speaking of offices, Newport Beach Rep. John Campbell moved into his new one in Washington, D.C., last month, and he’s quite pleased with it — surprisingly.

“I know we had to give up the [former Rep.] Chris Cox 16-years’ seniority office,” he said. “It’s smaller, but I actually think the interaction between myself and the staff will be better because of that.”

His new office has a view, which he didn’t have before, and even a balcony, though you have to crawl out a window to get to it.

He’s only been in Congress for about a year, but with the influx of freshmen elected in November, Campbell has gained a little seniority. From his days in Sacramento, the Republican also has experience in being a member of the minority party.

So far, he’s acted as a cheerleader, pointing out to colleagues that “the role of the minority is every bit as important as the role of the majority. “It’s not as satisfying, but it is important.”

Rohrabacher on Ford

The Daily Pilot asked longtime Rep. Dana Rohrabacher for his thoughts on the passing of former President Gerald Ford. Here is his response:

“Anyone who lived through the confusion and distrust of that period understands that President Ford had a calming effect on the country, and that had everything to do with personality, not philosophy. President Nixon was not a likable figure, and President Ford was, therefore providing the country what it needed at the right time.”