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Mayor Agran Delivers “State of the City” Address

On March 10th, Mayor Larry Agran delivered the annual “State of the City” address in front of a packed audience at Irvine City Hall.

Last year, Mayor Agran shared an ambitious aspiration for Irvine to become the Safest, Smartest, Greenest, Healthiest, and Kindest City in America. During this year’s speech, the Mayor outlined a number of new and expanded programs that have been established to move us closer to achieving that lofty goal.

Mayor Agran announced that for the 21st year in a row, Irvine has been recognized as the “Safest Big City in America” according to FBI statistics on violent crime. Agran reported that violent crime fell by 5% and property crime by 16% last year.

Irvine Receives Federal Funding for Economic Growth Initiative

The City has received $1 million in federal funding to establish the Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, an initiative designed to boost Irvine’s innovation economy. The funding was secured by Irvine’s Congressional Representative, Dave Min.

City officials say that the Center will connect entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and ecosystem partners; accelerate early-stage venture development; reduce barriers to innovation-driven entrepreneurship; and expand access to capital, education, and technical resources.

The goal is to create more high-wage local jobs, more career opportunities for local students, and a stronger pipeline of companies choosing to start and stay in Irvine.

I-CARE Team Celebrates Its One Year Anniversary

Last year, the City established a new resource, the Irvine Community Alternative Response and Engagement (I-CARE) Team.

The team was assembled to assist the Irvine Police Department by handling mental health crisis intervention, homeless outreach and resource connection, nonviolent dispute resolution, home welfare visits, and other community-based needs that may not require a law enforcement response.

Since its launch last year, I-CARE team members have responded to over 4,300 calls involving mental health support, welfare checks, outreach, and nonviolent disputes where compassion and resources make the greatest difference. The team has provided these resources about 79% of the time on their own without needing police intervention or assistance.

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OCPA Charges Higher Rates for Dirtier Electricity

In 2022, Irvine electricity customers were transferred from the City’s previous provider, Southern California Edison (SCE), and automatically enrolled in the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA).

For the next few years, members of the OCPA board — including Irvine City Councilmember Kathleen Treseder, who serves as Irvine’s representative on the OCPA board — falsely told our City’s electricity customers they were paying lower monthly rates. Councilmember Treseder and others quoted the price for OCPA’s lowest-priced plan (Basic Choice) even though Irvine ratepayers had been enrolled in OCPA’s most expensive plan (100% Renewable), resulting in higher monthly rates.

In 2025, the City Council voted to change the default tier for Irvine ratepayers to OCPA’s least expensive plan, Basic Choice. However, OCPA continues to charge Irvine customers higher rates than SCE.

New Transportation Program for Irvine Seniors

More than a year before New York City made news for a plan to no longer charge residents for riding the bus, Irvine established its own program that provides residents with free transportation to parks, schools, hospitals, and shopping centers through the Irvine CONNECT shuttle bus service.

The Irvine CONNECT program has proven to be especially helpful for students traveling to and from school and for residents who want to leave their cars at home while running errands around town.

The City is now launching a new transportation program for Irvine seniors 60 years of age and older with its WeRide program, which is a same-day, on-demand transportation service powered by volunteer drivers.

Marine Way Underpass Project at the Great Park

With so many new amenities coming to the Great Park, the City is working to improve access and traffic circulation into and around the park.

A portion of Marine Way runs along the southern perimeter of the Great Park, north of the Metrolink railway. However, there is currently no direct rail crossing or direct road access into the Great Park from Marine Way and Barranca.

Construction is now underway to extend Marine Way and create a new rail undercrossing to provide a direct connection between the Great Park and the Spectrum area.

Irvine to Establish an Immigration Assistance Program

Over the past several months, members of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency have carried out operations throughout Southern California, including here in Irvine.

According to City staff, ICE agents operating in Irvine have not targeted specific individuals with criminal records. Instead, they have made stops and detentions based on generalized criteria — including apparent race or ethnicity; speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent; presence at a particular location; and the type of work one does.

On February 24th, the City Council voted to establish a program to ensure that people working or living in Irvine have access to legal representation if they are detained by ICE.