Good News for Democracy in Irvine

In January 2021, Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan, Vice Mayor Anthony Kuo, and Councilmembers Tammy Kim and Mike Carroll voted to implement the undemocratic “Rule of Two,” which required a second member of the Council (or the Mayor) to sign-on to an item before it could be placed on the Council meeting agenda.

Councilmember Larry Agran — who was the only member of the Council to vote against the Rule of Two — has spent the past 18 months urging his Council colleagues to repeal the unpopular restriction and to return to Irvine’s decades-long history of allowing every member of the Council to bring forth matters of municipal concern for public discussion.

Over the past couple of years, scores of residents have spoken out against the restrictive rule during the Public Comments portion of City Council meetings, saying that their voices are being silenced.

At the June 28th Council meeting, Mayor Khan introduced a motion to repeal the Rule of Two, which received unanimous Council support — taking an important step in restoring our local democracy here in Irvine.