Publisher’s Perspective: Our Endorsed Candidates for Irvine Mayor & City Council
This past week, Irvine residents received their vote-by-mail ballot for the November 5th election....
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Author: Franklin J. Lunding
Publisher’s Perspective: $100 Million in Overcharges by OCPA in Just 2 Years … and Nothing to Show for It!
October 1st marked the two-year anniversary since Irvine residential electricity customers were forced into the more expensive plan offered by the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA).
When it launched back in 2022, the OCPA Board promised Irvine customers “greener” electricity at lower monthly rates. Those promises were flat-out lies. Irvine ratepayers have been forced to pay significantly higher monthly electricity rates than we paid to Southern California Edison (SCE).
And, OCPA has not provided anyone in Irvine with greener electricity. Our electricity comes from the California electricity grid. There is not a separate transmission line pumping “100% renewable” electricity into the homes of OCPA customers.
A Well-Earned Endorsement: Larry Agran for Irvine Mayor!
As founding publisher and editor of Irvine Community News & Views, I’ve always made it clear...
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Publisher’s Perspective: Tammy Kim Puts Her Own Financial Interests Ahead of Irvine Residents
Since being elected to the Council in 2020, Tammy Kim has made it her priority to advocate for those who will benefit her financially. Here are just a few examples:
Tammy Kim is the City’s paid representative on the OCPA board. Although she is supposed to be advocating for Irvine ratepayers, she voted to have Irvine electricity customers pay the highest rates in Orange County while giving herself a 40% pay raise for serving on the OCPA board.
Tammy Kim took a $150,000 political contribution from the firefighters she is paid to oversee as the City’s representative and then argued forcefully against Irvine establishing its own Fire Department, even though Irvine taxpayers are sending $140 million to the OC Fire Authority but only receiving $60 million in services.
Tammy Kim took a political contribution from the head of Business Affairs at Amazon and then voted against the Planning Commission’s request to place restrictions on massive warehouses being built near Irvine neighborhoods (one is the size of 5 Costco stores!).
Publisher’s Perspective: Tammy Kim’s Scheme to Evade Irvine’s Campaign Finance Laws
The person with the most money should not be allowed to buy a seat on the City Council. That’s what Irvine voters made clear back in the 1980s when they passed a ballot measure that put a limit on how much an individual could donate to a political candidate running for local office. In the November election, that contribution limit is $620.
As the former Chair of the Illinois State Board of Elections — an independent state agency responsible for administering and enforcing campaign finance and election laws — I have witnessed how corrupt politicians try to get around campaign contribution limits.
In the race for Mayor, Tammy Kim has received most of her campaign donations — about 60% — from out-of-town business interests. She’s also relying on two newly created big-money political committees to get around Irvine’s campaign contribution limit.
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