- September 28, 2023
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Branda Lin86 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 currently serves as Chair of the Planning Commission and a member of the Irvine Children Youth Families Advisory Committee. Previously, she served on the Community Services Commission and as a driver for Irvine's Meals On Wheels program.
Skyrocketing Housing Costs. What Can Be Done?
On Thursday, July 20, 2023, the Planning Commission heard a presentation on Irvine’s affordable housing needs. The entire Powerpoint presentation can be viewed here; it provided eye-opening data on Irvine’s affordable housing needs, which resulted from factors including market rate housing and business growth. The graph below shows how market rate housing creates a demand […]
Opinion: Hasty, One-Sided Live Nation Deal Costing Irvine $110 Million Hinges on Vice Mayor Kim
On Tuesday, July 18, 2023, Vice Mayor Tammy Kim and Councilmember Mike Carroll submitted a Memo requesting that the Live Nation contract be considered for approval. However, the Design, Construction and Operating Agreement (DCOA) contract was not released until Friday, July 21st at 6:55PM, leaving less than 2 business days to review the multi-million dollar […]
Packed City Council Agenda for July 25
The City Council will meet on Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 4:00PM. Read the full agenda here. Residents seeking environment initiatives will want to tune into this meeting. Here are the key Council Business Items: 4.4 Formation of the Sustainability Commission This Tuesday, the city may officially dissolve the Green Ribbon Environmental Committee (GREC) and […]
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After Over A Year of Public Outcry and Over 15 Items Denied on the City Council Agenda, “Rule of 2” Is Rescinded.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 […]
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