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.

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.

I am an experienced elections attorney. Years ago, I was General Counsel for the Illinois Elections Law Commission. I also served as Chair of the Illinois State Board of Elections — an independent state agency responsible for administering and enforcing campaign finance and election laws.

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Independence Day, also called Fourth of July, is America’s annual celebration of nationhood. The holiday commemorates the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It’s a time to come together as Americans to honor our revolutionary history —  and our military — through parades, concerts filled with patriotic music, and awe-inspiring fireworks.

Regardless of how you plan to spend the day, we urge our readers to take some time to reflect on the many sacrifices our brave men and women — both those in uniform as well as civilians — have made these past 248 years to keep our nation free.

Memorial Day is a time for Americans to reflect on the sacrifices that military personnel and their families make to keep us all safe, and to mourn those who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

For nearly a decade, land developers and the politicians they control have tried time and again to stop the project. In fact, it took two citizen-led petition campaigns, a vote by Irvine residents, and sending Larry Agran back to the City Council in 2020 and 2022 with voter mandates to start construction of the Veterans Memorial Park, which finally began last year.

As we commemorate Earth Day on April 22nd, elected officials will no doubt talk about their bold...

The Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) is telling member cities, ratepayers and anyone else who will listen that it has cleaned up its act since removing former CEO Brian Probolsky, and is now giving the public the straight story and bringing down electricity rates. Really?

OCPA doesn’t deliver energy. OCPA simply acts as a middleman that contracts with “green” energy producers — those that do not burn fossil fuels to generate their power — to pay for electricity that is put into the state’s electrical grid. (Most of OCPA’s green portfolio is solar, nuclear, and wind-generated power.) The grid distributes a mix of power from all suppliers, which is about 54.2% renewable, according to the California Energy Commission.

Under California state law, City Council meetings are required to allow for public comments on...

As we head into 2024, I want to acknowledge and applaud the three big things our City accomplished last year.

As for district elections, if Irvine voters pass Measure D in the March 5th election, all parts of town will be assured of their own elected representative. And, grassroots candidates will have a chance to compete fairly for a seat on the Council. That’s what local democracy is supposed to look like!

After years of political battles, two major projects are moving forward here in Irvine. Both...