404 Not Found | Irvine Community News and Views

Mayor Agran Joins National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation

In the lead-up to Earth Day, Mayor Larry Agran has joined mayors across America in challenging residents to make a long-term commitment to conserve water, reduce pollution, and use natural resources more efficiently.

The National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation takes place during the month of April, inviting residents to support the City’s sustainability goals by making a series of simple, impactful online pledges.

“In a City known for thoughtful planning and responsible water use, Irvine can lead by example and show how small, everyday actions add up to real conservation,” said Mayor Agran.

Irvine Cares Family Housing Assistance Program Honored by the OC Business Council

Less than a year after launching the Irvine Cares Family Housing Assistance Program, the Orange County Business Council has recognized the City of Irvine and its partners — the Irvine Unified School District, the Irvine Company, and Jamboree Housing Corporation — for providing safe and stable housing for Irvine families experiencing housing instability.

The program was recently honored with the Business Council’s annual Public–Private Partnership Award.

The Irvine Cares Family Housing Assistance Program has already placed 71 Irvine residents, including 43 children, into stable housing.

Congratulations to Noelle Smiley: Irvine’s “Woman of the Year”!

In celebration of Women’s History Month, Irvine’s State Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris...

Mayor Agran Outlines Strategies for Making Irvine the Smartest City in America

During his State of the City address, Mayor Larry Agran explained what he meant when he described Irvine’s goal to become the Smartest City in America: “I am referring to our City government, and the smart policies, programs, best practices, and overall organization, professionalism, and high performance of our workforce.”

Agran then outlined a list of the City’s “smart” investments and newly established programs over the past year.

To read the full article, click here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Free Tax Filing Help

Now through April 7th, the City of Irvine is partnering with Orange County United Way to offer...

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.

Categories

Our Authors

Recent Posts

Resources

Archived Posts

Archived Newspapers

Mayor Agran Joins National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation

Irvine Cares Family Housing Assistance Program Honored by the OC Business Council

Congratulations to Noelle Smiley: Irvine’s “Woman of the Year”!

LATEST WEATHER

Follow Us

Advertisement