Year: 2022

The Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) was created by a vote of the previous Irvine City Council at the urging of then-Councilmember and now-Mayor Farrah Khan and Councilmember Mike Carroll. Irvine agreed to loan the new public agency $7.7 million in City funds to pay for start-up costs and to underwrite a line of credit from Union Bank for another $35 million to cover operations until OCPA could begin providing electricity to Irvine customers and collecting revenue. (No other member-City was asked to contribute.)

In January 2022, OCPA released the rates it would be charging when it rolled out power service this year. Contrary to earlier promises, those rates were equal to or higher than SCE’s. At its June 29th meeting, the OCPA board approved a 2022-23 budget that includes even higher electricity rates for businesses and residents in January 2023.

Independence Day, also called Fourth of July, is America’s annual celebration of nationhood. It’s a time to come together as Americans to honor our revolutionary history —  and our military — through parades, concerts filled with patriotic music, and awe-inspiring fireworks.

Here at ICNV, we want to take this opportunity to reaffirm our continuing commitment to honor local veterans and their families through our steadfast support for a Veterans Memorial Park & Cemetery on the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station here in Irvine.

In January 2021, Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan, Vice Mayor Anthony Kuo, and Councilmembers Tammy Kim...

During a recent Great Park Board Meeting, retired U.S. Marine Corps Brigadier General Mike Aguilar — representing the Flying Leathernecks Historical Foundation — presented a detailed plan for the proposed Flying Leathernecks Aviation Museum at the Great Park.

After saying she originally supported plans for the museum, Kim stated: “What I felt like I was approving was something way more high-tech, more of a futuristic Air & Space Center as opposed to a museum with artifacts and what seems to be a quasi Marine recruitment center as well. And so, I’m not really convinced that this is the best space and this is the best use for the Great Park.”

For five decades, beginning with the first Irvine City Council meeting in 1971, individual members...