Author: Franklin J. Lunding

Four Irvine Councilmembers — William Go, Melinda Liu, James Mai, and Kathleen Treseder — voted to break a promise that the City of Irvine made to veterans and their families 11 years ago to build a Veterans Memorial Park & Cemetery on the “ARDA” site at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station at the northern edge of the Great Park.

To read the full article, click here.

The Great Park — which spans more than 1,300 acres — was home to the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station for nearly 60 years. The military air base served as a crucial training facility and the center of support for the operation and combat readiness of Fleet Forces in the Pacific.

To read the full article, click here.

Irvine has been fortunate to have been led by a number of environmental champions. Mary Ann Gaido, who passed away in 2023, was among our early exceptional leaders. She was on the City’s first Transportation Commission and spent 20 years on the Planning Commission. Gaido also served on the City Council from 1976 until 1984 — helping to establish the City’s first General Plan. The Plan was a comprehensive, long-range vision of Irvine’s future development and preservation.

As Mayor of Irvine in 1989, Larry Agran partnered with scientists at UCI to draft and adopt a local ordinance — the first of its kind in the entire country — that banned chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting chemicals. The New York Times called the City ordinance “the most far-reaching measure” to control ozone-depleting chemicals, and Bloomberg Magazine credited Irvine with “kick-starting the recovery” of the ozone layer. The UCI scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the City of Irvine was honored by the United Nations.

Just two months after Irvine voters rejected her bid for Mayor, Tammy Kim is back on the campaign trail, running for the District 5 City Council seat vacated by Larry Agran when he was elected Mayor.

On December 23rd, when Kim took out nomination papers to run for the District 5 Council seat, she apparently used the District 5 address of an acquaintance, but never actually lived at that address. If Kim filed to run for Council without actually living in District 5, she could face charges for violating California election laws.

For most of us, the beginning of the year brings a renewed sense of optimism and hope. When it comes to the Irvine City Council, I am cautiously optimistic that many of the contentious items from last year may soon be overcome.

After backlash from the community, the new Council appears to be more receptive to listening to constituents (and the City’s commissioners) before pushing forward.