ICNV Staff

Thousands of Irvine Residents Celebrated Summer Together

This summer, thousands of Irvine residents attended the free events hosted by the City — including CicloIrvine, a community swim lesson, the Pac-Man exhibit at the Great Park, the City’s first Fourth of July parade & fireworks show, five outdoor concerts at Hicks Canyon Community Park, four movies under the stars at Mike Ward Community Park, the Studio Arts Festival, a community bike ride, and the Thursday Night Market at Great Park Live.

Residents also showed up in force to support a variety of community projects — harvesting fruits & vegetables for our local food banks, participating in the City’s mobility summit, donating items for local military families, dropping off supplies at the Irvine Animal Care Center, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Irvine Police Department, and attending the grand opening of our new Irvine Public Library System.

City Council Votes to Postpone Special Election

On August 12th, the City Council voted unanimously to delay a special election for a proposed ballot measure regarding open space protections and the future of the Oak Creek Golf Course.

Upon learning that Irvine’s open space ballot measure could not qualify in time to be added to the state’s special election to redraw California’s Congressional district boundaries, Mayor Larry Agran said it would be unfair to ask Irvine residents to vote in two separate special elections in a single month.

Mayor Agran pointed out that a separate City special election would cost Irvine taxpayers about $2 million. Instead, Agran said he preferred placing the open space measure on the June 2026 primary ballot or on the November 2026 general election ballot, when costs to the City would be minimal and voter turnout would be much higher.

Irvine is the Fourth “Least Stressed” City in America

In just the past few months, Irvine has been ranked the third happiest city in the United States and the fourth best place in America to raise a family. Now, Irvine has been recognized as the fourth least stressful city in the nation.

To determine the U.S. cities where residents cope best, the financial analysis company WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 39 key metrics — including weekly work hours, job satisfaction, mental & physical health, average commute time, housing affordability, access to parks & recreation, access to good schools and child care, crime rate, divorce rate, and community involvement.

With our best-in-the-state parks system, thousands of acres of hiking & biking trails, world-class medical facilities, exceptional schools, high-paying jobs, support programs for small businesses, and our strong sense of community, it’s no surprise that Irvine is one of the least stressful cities in the nation.