Free Outdoor Concerts at Mike Ward Community Park in July & August
Summer is the perfect time to head to the park with friends and family to enjoy some great music, good food and quality time together.
City Council to Discuss Councilmember Larry Agran’s Proposed Veterans Memorial Park on the “ARDA” Site at the Great Park
For nearly six decades, the ARDA site at the Great Park was an integral part of the iconic El Toro Marine Corps Air Station (El Toro MCAS).
Irvine voters have continuously voiced their support for building a Veterans Memorial Park & Cemetery on the ARDA site. In fact, there have been two citizen-led ballot measures regarding the ARDA site. In both cases, nearly 20,000 Irvine resident signatures were gathered to qualify the measures for the ballot. And, Irvine voters overwhelmingly defeated the previous Council’s scheme to hand the ARDA site over to FivePoint for massive development — 63% of Irvine voters said NO!
Councilmember Larry Agran has repeatedly asked his Council colleagues to support his proposal for a beautiful, environmentally-friendly Veterans Memorial Park — filled with trails, forests, memorial gardens, and an aviation museum.
Agran says that “a Veterans Memorial Park would not only honor our City’s rich military history but would also offer an aesthetically-pleasing amenity for residents in the area. And, it could be built quickly, without raising taxes or generating massive amounts of outside traffic.”
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Free Outdoor Movies at the Great Park
Summer is the perfect time to head to the Great Park to enjoy an outdoor screening of a family-friendly film.
Will District Elections be on the November Ballot?
Last year, the City of Irvine was threatened with a lawsuit for violating the California Voting Rights Act by continuing to elect members of the City Council through an “at-large” election process rather than “by-district.”
An at-large election system often precludes local neighborhood representation because multiple elected Councilmembers can live in the same area of the City, leaving other areas of the City unrepresented.
District elections would divide the City into geographic districts, allowing voters in each district to elect their own City Councilmember, who must also live in that district.
Since taking office, Councilmember Larry Agran has been the only member of the Council to publicly support district elections.
During the July 12th City Council meeting, an item has been added to the agenda to discuss district elections. It is expected that Agran will ask for a measure to be added to the November 2022 ballot, allowing Irvine voters to decide the matter.
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Good News for Democracy in Irvine
In January 2021, Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan, Vice Mayor Anthony Kuo, and Councilmembers Tammy Kim...
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Councilmember Tammy Kim Votes Against the Proposed Flying Leathernecks Aviation Museum at the Great Park
During a recent Great Park Board Meeting, retired U.S. Marine Corps Brigadier General Mike Aguilar — representing the Flying Leathernecks Historical Foundation — presented a detailed plan for the proposed Flying Leathernecks Aviation Museum at the Great Park.
After he completed his presentation, Councilmember Tammy Kim aggressively questioned Gen. Aguilar. She challenged the proposal to restore and repurpose giant hangars as an aviation museum at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, which is now the Great Park. The proposal would bring back to the base more than 40 military aircraft, some dating back to World War II.
After saying she originally supported plans for the museum, Kim stated: “What I felt like I was approving was something way more high-tech, more of a futuristic Air & Space Center as opposed to a museum with artifacts and what seems to be a quasi Marine recruitment center as well. And so, I’m not really convinced that this is the best space and this is the best use for the Great Park.”
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IPD Hosts Townhall to Discuss Strategies for Keeping Our Schools Safe
For years, Irvine has been recognized as the Safest City in America. That didn’t happen by...
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Seven-Year-Old Irvine Resident Ivy ZhiYi Mao Takes Second Place in International Music Competition
Last August, seven-year-old Irvine resident Ivy ZhiYi Mao began violin lessons...
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Is the Orange County Power Authority in Crisis Mode? Board Members & Staff Appear to be Turning on One Another
Over the past year, news outlets across Southern California have been publishing articles that detail the troubles and missteps of the six-member Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) board.
The board is led by Irvine City Councilmember Mike Carroll. Mayor Farrah Khan is also a board member, serving with Carroll as Irvine’s representative.
The OCPA board first drew media scrutiny when they hired longtime County staffer and political operative Brian Probolsky. With zero experience in the energy field, Probolsky was named CEO of the newly created multi-million-dollar Power Authority.
Even though Irvine taxpayers are funding OCPA, neither Carroll nor Khan have allowed any public presentation or discussion regarding how Irvine taxpayer dollars are being spent. When asked about financial transparency, Carroll told Voice of OC last year: “We’re not in a typical public agency. This is not a civil service … this is about as private as a public agency can get.”
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Two Longtime Irvine Residents Share Memories of Working at the Former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station at the Great Park
Irvine Community News & Views recently caught up with longtime Irvine residents Ted Bernez and Tony Rivas. Both men worked for more than 20 years at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS El Toro) at what is now Irvine’s Great Park.
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