svk is a tool to do exactly this. You can always copy the actual repo, you have read access to it after all. Something like svk vastly simplifies this workflow and can keep your local copy up to date.

Keep in mind that the intended workflow with svn is to perfect a patch locally and commit when you are done. So something like svk is considered a special case, not an integral part of the workflow. git actively encourages you do split your work in separate commits using rebase.

So there is a big difference in intended use, perhaps not as much in technical ability. Linus would likely have gone mad had he forced his workflow on svn.