Riders will also be required to travel with the flow of traffic on streets and sidewalks under a new ordinance approved by the City Council at its July 11th meeting.

In addition, the ordinance requires e-bikes to yield to all pedestrians and vehicles when entering a roadway from an alley or driveway; bans e-bikes from the City’s Open Space areas; and prohibits people from tinkering with their e-bikes to increase their speed capability.

Amplified music and tighter enforcement were among the concerns raised by Councilmember Kathleen Treseder in asking for the review, but much of the Council discussion centered on gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers.

“When I talk to residents of Irvine, the gas-powered leaf blowers are the second-most cited nuisance” behind traffic, said Treseder. She suggested the City ban the gas-powered equipment by next year.

Other Councilmembers and public commenters all agreed that the landscaping equipment noise is a pervasive nuisance.

The often-heated discussion came just one week after Huntington Beach voted to withdraw from the beleaguered agency, and the other two remaining member cities, Buena Park and Fullerton, announced plans to consider a vote to also withdraw from OCPA.

Since rejoining the City Council in late 2020, Councilmember Larry Agran has called out OCPA for its corruption, broken promises, and price-gouging of Irvine electricity ratepayers. Councilmember Carroll, who served as Chair of OCPA until this year, agreed with Agran that it’s time for Irvine to pull the plug on OCPA.

The City of Irvine, like hundreds of cities and school districts across California, is pursuing a shift in how voters elect members of the City Council.

Currently, Irvine voters elect the Mayor and four City Councilmembers. Under the proposed district election system, the Council would be expanded to seven members — a Mayor elected at-large and six Councilmembers, each elected from a separate voting district.

If approved by Irvine voters in March 2024, the new district election system would go into effect in time for the November 2024 election.

To help protect nearby residents, Councilmember Larry Agran brought forward an ordinance that would amend the City’s zoning code to limit warehouse hours of operation and the amount of noise or truck traffic it generates.

Mayor Khan and Councilmembers Kim and Carroll voted against Agran’s proposed ordinance, while Councilmember Treseder supported it.

The Huntington Beach representative on the OCPA board supported the move, calling the agency “a total disaster and doomed for failure.”

Meanwhile, Irvine City Councilmembers Larry Agran and Mike Carroll have placed an item on the May 23rd City Council agenda to discuss Irvine’s continued involvement with OCPA.

Since rejoining the City Council in late 2020, Agran has called out OCPA for its corruption, broken promises, and price-gouging of Irvine electricity ratepayers.