Tammy Kim Feeling the Heat for Taking $150,000 from Public Employees She’s Paid to Oversee

Irvine Councilmember Tammy Kim’s latest campaign finance report shows that in the first half of this year, her mayoral campaign continued to raise a lot of money … from outside of Irvine.

And she has raised even more money — in one big $150,000 chunk — from the firefighters she’s supposed to be overseeing as the City of Irvine’s paid representative on the Orange County Fire Authority board.
 
According to campaign spending reports, the “Tammy Kim for Mayor 2024” committee has raised a little more than $57,000 this year. An analysis by Irvine Community News & Views shows that 58% of that money came from donors with addresses outside of Irvine.
 
This is consistent with Kim’s fundraising in 2023, an off-election year in which she was remarkably active in raising money. Of $126,675 raised last year, 59% came from outside Irvine.
 
Meanwhile, as community members began circulating recall petitions in response to Kim’s efforts to stifle public comments with which she disagrees, Kim set up an anti-recall fundraising committee. (The recall is a political impossibility since Kim ends her Council term in December, and there is no recall on the November ballot.)

Ignoring the City’s $620 campaign contribution limit, the union representing Orange County firefighters — Orange County Professional Firefighters Association — endorsed Kim in her mayoral bid and then turned on the “fire hose,” pouring $150,000 into the anti-recall committee’s coffers.

That $150,000 donation is nearly 250 times the maximum allowable contribution limit in Irvine.
 
Some of that $150,000 has already been spent on citywide mailers that say nothing about a recall and, instead, appear to support Kim’s mayoral campaign, touting Kim as the “firefighters’ choice.”
 
Kim’s lucrative liaison with the firefighters’ association came under fire at the City Council meeting on August 13th.  Mayor Farrah Khan requested City staff evaluate the terms of Irvine’s membership in the OC Fire Authority. In making the request, Khan stated that the City’s taxpayers — both businesses and homeowners — are paying about $140 million annually to the OC Fire Authority but only receiving about $60 million in services. Khan noted that the City recently began withdrawing from the Orange County library system to create its own library department, because of a similar funding imbalance. And, years ago, the City established its own Irvine Police Department.
 
Kim — who voted to withdraw from the Orange County library system just weeks ago — forcefully spoke against the City withdrawing from the Fire Authority.
 
During public comments, several Irvine residents called Kim out on her conflict of interest in the matter.
 
Alan Meyerson thanked Kim for supporting the transition to a City library system. He then noted that the fire department situation is “no different than the library, but apparently because you can be bought … you don’t think we should leave OC Fire Authority.”
 
“Who are you actually working for?” said Sarah Rhee, addressing Kim directly. “Are you working to ensure that Irvine residents get the best service for the money that we’re paying? Or are you working to make sure that special interests continue to pay ungodly amounts to your campaign?”
 
Harvey Liss asked the question on everyone’s mind: “Tammy Kim sits on the OC Fire Authority board that determines the salaries of the firefighters. She received a donation of $150,000 to her campaign from the OC Professional Firefighters. Is that proper?”