- July 25, 2021
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Richard Green17 Posts
Richard is a north Irvine resident and co-chair of the Irvine Watchdog. Richard is focused on housing, ethics, transparency, and good government. Richard monitors the Irvine city council and city commissions and reports on issues important to Irvine residents.
Opinion: Irvine Leaders Blame Congresswoman Katie Porter in Town Hall Confrontation
Photo credit: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times On July 11, 2021, Congresswoman Katie Porter (D- 45) held a family-friendly town hall at beautiful Ward Park in Woodbridge. The event was an opportunity for all residents, regardless of political persuasion, to ask questions, request constituent service, and listen to updates on important issues like COVID relief and […]
Orange County Power Authority Operating in the Dark
There was great excitement when the City of Irvine, after several years of effort by local environmental activists, agreed to create a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) agency and invite other Orange County cities to join in a Joint Power Authority (JPA). This was rightfully hailed as a big step toward greater community control, lower energy […]
Are We Prepared for Wildfire Season?
Welcome to Flash Back Friday! In this edition, we are re-posting a previous Irvine Watchdog article below that discussed local resident concerns with evacuation routes during the 2020 Irvine wildfire that forced 60,000 people from their homes. What lessons were learned? Do you have a family emergency plan? Has any Irvine communication procedures or evacuation […]
Council Approval of Unbudgeted Expenditure to Team Kids Violates the Brown Act and Leaves City Staff Scrambling to Fund the Expense
Irvine City Staff Scrambles to Find Funding Need For Ad Hoc Expenditure At the April 13, 2021 City Council meeting, Councilmembers voted 4-1 (with Kuo opposed) to become a Founding Sponsor of the Team Kids Conference, pledging $20,000 to do so. Questions regarding the funding prompted a public records request. The response from the city confirms the […]
Did They, or Didn’t They?
The City of Irvine has once again apparently contradicted itself. The latest example is the City’s response below to a letter from attorney Kevin Shenkman demanding that the Irvine adopt district elections or face a potential California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) lawsuit. In the city’s response, the City Attorney wrote that the city has “…already […]
City of Irvine Transparency and Ethics Resources
Welcome to Sunshine Week! Sunshine Week is recognized each year from March 14 to March 20. The week was designated as part of a nonpartisan effort for greater government transparency. If You are interested in transparency and ethics, you might start by reading the Ralph M. Brown Open Meetings Act and the California Public Records Act. Also, check […]
Irvine to Receive over $50 Million From the American Rescue Plan Act
On a mostly party-line vote, Congress has passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. What does it mean for Irvine? According to an analysis by Forbes, this historic legislation (H.R.1319) will provide the city of Irvine with $53.1 million in direct aid. The significance of the economic stimulus cannot be overstated. The Los Angeles Times reported […]
Irvine Begins Housing Element Update Process
On February 9, 2021, the Irvine city council held a virtual public meeting to discuss the current Housing Element Update process. This scoping session provided the council and public with information about the Housing Element, Irvine’s new Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation, and the actions and timelines required by the State of California. What is […]
Irvine Community Land Trust Updates Including Affordable Housing in Portola Springs and Cypress Village
The Irvine Community Land Trust (Land Trust) is a non-profit affordable housing company. While it is not a city commission, it is 100% funded with taxpayer dollars, and the City of Irvine invests approximately $10 million in the organization annually. The Irvine Watchdog regularly monitors and reports on the Land Trust’s activities to ensure transparency, […]
Christina Shea and Mike Carroll Lead in Developer-Funded PAC Contributions
Independent Expenditures from September 21 – October 31, 2020 The charts below show the total amount of independent expenditure contributions supporting or opposing individual candidates from September 21 through October 31, 2020. Irvine Watchdog will provide ongoing updates on campaign contributions in the 2020 election. For more, see IrvineWatchdog.org/election-2020/ An independent expenditure (IE) is an […]
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