A Well-Earned Endorsement: Larry Agran for Irvine Mayor!

Irvine Vice Mayor Larry Agran

As founding publisher and editor of Irvine Community News & Views, I’ve always made it clear that our mission as a community newspaper is to both report the news in Irvine and to fearlessly take a stand regarding causes, candidates and elections important to the future of our City. In keeping with this mission statement, Irvine Community News & Views enthusiastically endorses Larry Agran for Irvine Mayor.

Agran’s history of achievements for our City have become legendary for many of us in Irvine. Years ago, he collaborated with UCI scientists to have Irvine become the first city to ban chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting chemicals. (The scientists won the Nobel Prize for their efforts and Irvine made national news.)

Agran also led the successful effort to create the Irvine Open Space Preserve that secured City control of more than 10,000 acres of wilderness that will remain forever free of development. And, he worked alongside Irvine residents to stop the County’s scheme to build a noisy, devastating international airport in Irvine — at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. Due to Agran’s efforts (and thousands of Irvine voters who followed his lead!) instead of an airport, we’re building and enjoying a wonderful 1,300-acre metropolitan park — our very own Great Park.

Since rejoining the Council in 2020, Agran has added to his list of accomplishments. He successfully advocated on behalf of nearly 20,000 Irvine voters to secure the 125-acre Veterans Memorial Park & Gardens currently under construction at the Great Park. As Vice Chair of the Great Park board, he’s also working with Councilmember and Great Park board Chairman Mike Carroll to bring restaurants, museums, and retail shops to the Great Park.

Formerly Chief Legal Counsel for the California State Senate Committee on Health, Agran was instrumental last year in shutting down the City’s largest industrial polluter. Through his collaborative work with hundreds of Irvine residents, the City purchased the All American Asphalt plant in North Irvine, shut it down, and is now restoring the land to its natural state so that it can become part of a 700-acre nature preserve, all at no cost to Irvine taxpayers!

Earlier this year, Agran secured funding to expand Irvine’s school bus program and childcare services. And, he is pushing forward an ambitious plan to install thousands of solar rooftops over the next five years. He’s also pushing forward a wonderful citywide forestation program — planting 200,000 trees throughout Irvine to cool our City and clean our air.

While Agran has been fighting for a real Irvine Climate Action Plan, he pledges to get us out of the scandal-ridden Orange County Power Authority (OCPA). OCPA is doing nothing to combat global warming. Agran has exposed OCPA for what it is — a feeding trough for politicians and their cronies who have used OCPA to jack up Irvine electricity rates.

Agran’s chief opponent in the Mayor’s race, Councilmember Tammy Kim, has opposed every single good thing Agran has accomplished over the past four years. Kim referred to North Irvine residents’ health concerns regarding the asphalt plant as “hysteria”; she voted against Agran’s proposal to restrict construction of massive warehouses near Irvine neighborhoods; she voted against funding more school buses in Irvine; she voted against expanding childcare services; she tried to block the voter-approved Veterans Memorial Park & Gardens; she opposed the voter-approved district election system that ensures every part of town is represented on the Council; and Kim is a staunch supporter and paid OCPA board member. She even voted to raise her own pay to serve on the OCPA board by 40% after ignoring pleas from residents to lower electricity rates for Irvine customers. (Irvine OCPA customers pay the highest electricity rates in Orange County.)

Full disclosure: This publication endorsed Tammy Kim in her 2020 Council race based on the statements she made during a phone interview I conducted with her. But, once she was elected, Kim voted against each issue she had claimed to support during our phone conversation.