Meet Betty Martinez Franco: Irvine’s District 5 Councilmember

When Betty Martinez Franco entered the City Council race in Irvine’s District 5 last December, she was given virtually no chance against two well-known former Councilmembers.

“My thought wasn’t to run against anyone,” Martinez says. “I saw it as an opportunity for me to run and put myself forward. It was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and the special election was an opportunity for someone without a lot of money behind them.”

When former Councilmember Tammy Kim withdrew from the race in February after being served with a lawsuit alleging voter fraud and challenging her residency and eligibility for the District 5 Council seat, Franco saw her chance. She quickly consolidated Kim’s supporters behind her candidacy, ran an energetic grassroots campaign, and when the results were tallied on April 15th, she came out on top by more than 500 votes.

So, on May 13th, Betty Martinez Franco will be sworn in as the newest member of the Irvine City Council and the first Latina to serve on that body.

Franco is no stranger to overcoming adversity and achieving success. Born in Mexico, she immigrated to the United States, then worked tirelessly to build a better future for her family. From early mornings picking apples in the state of Washington to cleaning hotel rooms in nearby Anaheim, Franco’s journey reflects the values of hard work and perseverance.

“I was cleaning houses with another woman. She told me that Irvine is the most beautiful city,” Franco recalls. “I looked into it and found the schools are really good, and I wanted that for my daughters.”

When she moved to Irvine 24 years ago with her two daughters, their last previous residence had been a shelter for women escaping from abusive relationships. The staff at the women’s shelter was able to find a place for the family in Irvine that accepted federal housing assistance. Franco got a green card, and enrolled at Orange Coast College. She had been a journalist in Mexico so she started taking communications classes and became interested in public relations.

“As a journalist, you just report what is happening,” she says. “But I wanted to change the minds of government officials and business people, to help the community.”

She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a public relations emphasis from Cal State Fullerton and began working in the field. The COVID pandemic and its effect on low-income communities spurred her to get a master’s degree in public administration from USC. She has worked on programs and initiatives advocating for economic development, encouraging public transportation use, and others that reflect, she says, “the needs of Orange County’s diverse communities.”

Franco says that on the Council, she intends to focus on housing and acknowledges “it’s a bigger problem than just Irvine. We have to work with state and federal agencies.” She said the recently adopted joint effort by the City and the Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) to transition families of homeless IUSD students into temporary shelter and ultimately permanent housing is “an amazing program!”

“The fact they’re not only going to provide a place to stay but also the wrap-around services helps the whole community,” she said.

Franco says she will also “work really hard with the business community, especially the small-business community, to provide the support and services they need.” In addition, she wants to focus on transportation and on “increasing support for working-class communities and for single parents.”

On the City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, which will be up for approval soon after she takes office, Franco said, “I’m pro-environment but in any environmental program we do, we have to consider the effects on low-income communities.”

As for the Orange County Power Authority, Franco says, “I want to see what they’re doing in the community — how the money is coming back to Irvine. And I want to see transparency … and make them accountable for what they say they’re going to do.”

Franco says that in briefings and conversations with City staff since the election, she has realized “the immensity of the job.”

“I’m blessed to have this opportunity,” Franco concluded. “It’s going to be an amazing experience, and I hope I do well for the City.”