- February 2, 2023
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Branda Lin83 Posts
Branda Lin is an Irvine native and a founding member of Irvine Watchdog. Her passion is to promote civic engagement and empower residents on local Irvine issues. She served as an Irvine Community Services Commissioner, Irvine Children Youth Families Advisory Committee member, and a driver for Irvine's Meals On Wheels program.
Opinion: District Elections and Council Expansion Back on the Agenda. Will The Council Let the Voters Decide?
A motion to expand the size of the City Council and adopt District Elections will be voted on at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. If the motion passes, Irvine voters will see these issues on the November ballot. While a majority of the Councilmembers stated support for expanding the size of the City Council in 2020, […]
After Over A Year of Public Outcry and Over 15 Items Denied on the City Council Agenda, “Rule of 2” Is Rescinded. District Elections and All American Asphalt Agendized.
“Rule of 2” Revoked The controversial “Rule of 2” agenda-setting policy has been the bane of numerous Irvine residents for the past year and a half. This “Rule of 2” policy was used to deny over 15 requests to agendize everything from recognizing October as Children’s Environmental Health Month to a comprehensive discussion on the […]
Irvine Residents Are Last in Representation – Far Behind All OC and Midsize California Cities
District Elections and Council Expansion For Discussion July 12th Irvine could take a significant step toward greater representation on July 12, 2022. Councilmembers Larry Agran and Tammy Kim have agendized a discussion on switching to district elections as well as expanding the city council size. Read the memo for item 3.4 here. For the July […]
OCPA to Vote on Changing Leadership; Participating Cities Continue Probe
Orange County’s beleaguered clean energy agency, which was widely condemned in an OC Grand Jury (OCGJ) Report last week for hiring unqualified leadership and a cascade of other related failures, could clean house on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Given the recent findings of the Grand Jury Report, some speculate the employees at issue are CEO […]
OC Grand Jury Report: Orange County Power Authority Come Clean
The Orange County Grand Jury has released a report on the Orange County Power Authority. Here are key excerpts: As of early April 2022, past the start date for commercial customers, neither the OCPA notices that were required to be mailed to customers, nor the OCPA website, contained any direct mention of the increased charges […]
Voice of OC – Irvine City Council Looks To Limit Mayoral Power Ahead of Election
Voice of OC – Irvine City Council Looks To Limit Mayoral Power Ahead of Election By Noah Biesiada Irvine City Councilmembers are set to discuss asking city voters if they want to cut back the mayor’s power in the next election, potentially changing the position to a more ceremonial role. Currently, Irvine residents vote separately […]
Irvine Will Move Forward With Audit of OC Power Authority But Questions Remain [Opinion]
The Irvine City Council held a special meeting on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, voting 4-0 to conduct an independent audit of the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA). Councilmember Mike Carroll, Chairman of the OCPA, was absent. It is not yet known who will be conducting the audit. The City Manager and City Council must make […]
Over a Year of Requests Later OCPA is Finally Agendized. Special Meeting June 14th [Opinion]
Finally, after over a year of requests from members of the public and Councilmember Larry Agran, the Irvine City Council will hold a Special Meeting on June 14 at 3:00PM regarding the highly controversial Orange County Power Authority (OCPA). All Irvine residents will be automatically switched over from Southern California Edison (SCE) to the OCPA […]
Green Ribbon Environmental Committee’s Third Attempt to Vote for Chairperson, SCE Grid Reliability Presentation, and Update on Climate Action and Adaptation Plan
The Green Ribbon Committee will be meeting Wednesday, June 8th at 4:30PM. The meeting will start off with a presentation of the Southern California Edison grid reliability and public safety power shutoff update, followed by the third attempt to elect Chair of the Committee, and Vice Chair “if needed”. The meeting will end with a […]
OCPA CEO Brian Probolsky Retains Attorney Seeking Whistleblower Protections Against Board Members Mike Posey and Dan Kalmick
Quick Summary CEO Brian Probolsky became aware, through information CFO Tiffany Law received from OCPA Board Member(s), that OCPA Board members were planning on holding a special meeting to remove Brian Probolsky from his position as CEO. In response, Probolsky retained an attorney who served a letter seeking whistleblower protections. What protections are afforded to […]
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