On April 1st, the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) debuted with much fanfare, initiating electricity service to business customers in Irvine and elsewhere.

According to sources at the PUC, the Power Authority is appealing the fine — saying the unusually large penalty would cause OCPA “financial difficulties.”

For more than four years, the national non-profit Non-Toxic Neighborhoods (NTN) and an Irvine resident-led organization, Stop Toxic Air Pollutants (STAP), have been fighting for air safe to breathe for north Irvine residents from what the South Coast Air Quality District says is the largest polluter of carcinogens in Orange County — the All American Asphalt plant.

Councilman Agran is a Harvard-educated public interest attorney who served as Chief Legal Counsel for the California State Senate Health Committee and later wrote a book, The Cancer Connection, which includes two chapters on a very similar situation where residents were exposed to industrial carcinogens.

Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan sent a 2020 end-of-the-year recap to her supporters claiming that she “had created and implemented a Climate Action Plan.” That statement was false.

Khan also claimed that the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) would “reduce costs & create environmentally sustainable programs.” That statement was also false.

As the 1990s came to a close, the City found itself in a very difficult — but ultimately successful — battle to preserve our City’s quality of life when the Orange County Board of Supervisors decided they wanted to build a huge, noisy international airport in what is now north Irvine. The proposed flight paths of the 747s would have gone directly over Irvine 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The next two Irvine Mayors — Beth Krom & Sukhee Kang were also dynamic leaders. Mayor Krom expanded affordable housing, controlled growth, and tripled our City’s “Rainy Day Reserves.” Mayor Kang is responsible for our City’s iShuttle service and ensuring that every child in Irvine had health insurance.

In 1990, the religious-right took aim at Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, who had authored and won approval for a comprehensive Human Rights Ordinance which was years ahead of other cities and the first of its kind in Orange County.

Two years later, Shea secured her own spot on the Council, joining three other newcomers. Just as the national recession set in, the inexperienced new Council made the fateful decision to invest $200 million of Irvine taxpayer money in Orange County’s investment pool. In 1994, the County made front-page news for all the wrong reasons — it became the largest county in America to ever file for bankruptcy. The City of Irvine had invested a whopping $200 million in the fund, far more than any other Orange County city.

The new year provides each of us with an opportunity to reflect on the past while looking toward a more hopeful future.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we began construction of this beautiful Veterans Memorial Park in the first half of 2022?