Brea Politician Steven Vargas (CD-39) Funds Recent Irvine City Council Mailers?

In preparing the updates to the money flow diagrams of the money funding the flood of mailers to Irvine’s mailboxes, Irvine Watchdog has uncovered that Steven Vargas, a Brea Councilman, appears to be behind a series of mailers opposing the following Irvine City Council and Mayoral candidates:
- Farrah Kahn
- Kev Abazajian
- Jaci Woods
- Frank McGill
- Ed Pope (Mayor)
THE TRAIL OF MONEY
From the recent Form 496s filed with Irvine City, the North Orange County Business Alliance Council has filed 5 forms funding mailers that oppose the five candidates listed above with a total expenditure of $179,179.
The forms also show a filer ID of 1223571 which corresponds to an entry with the State of California corresponding to Steve Vargas.
The phone number listed on the form 496 is the very same one listed for the Steven Vargas for Congress office:
WHO IS PULLING THE STRINGS?
North Orange County Business Alliance Council doesn’t have any contributions received on file with either the City or the State so it’s impossible to figure out where the money is coming from at this point. Although there is no Form 460 on file with Irvine City or with the Secretary of State in reviewing the City of Brea’s online filing portal, Mr. Vargas is the treasurer of the North OC Business Alliance Council as shown by the most recent 2018 Vargas Form 460 below. Indeed, this linkage and disclosure has been listed on his Form 460s since 2012.
THE ONLY OBVIOUS CONCLUSION
The only conclusion we can draw from these facts is that outside money is once again attempting to influence the Irvine City Council election. Will it be effective? We hope that informed citizens will disregard these mailers and vote for the good of the city on November 6th.

1 Comments
Bill Cook
October 29, 2018 at 10:18 amHey, I remember that picture! July 2014. We were working to get AB1453 passed in Sacramento and had to get an ‘expression of intent’ from the City to move it along, so there would be a Southern California Veterans Cemetery. ARDA was the legislative placeholder we needed.
I am standing (In American Legion cover) with SQS, Melissa Fox and Larry Agran. Flower-shirted Ed Pope jumped into the pic next to his master Larry. We of OCVMP – the folks actually working for the Veterans Cemetery – had no clue who he was. He never contributed before or after, he is just an ‘outraged’ old ARDAista anti-cemetery FNG to us.
Larry Agran and crew then killed the Strawberry Field, to spite FivePoint. Our legislated and funded, prominent, clean, monumental, shovel-ready win-win no-brainer SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA VETERANS CEMETERY that would be in construction now. At no cost to Irvine taxpayers.
So there is NO Veterans Cemetery. Nothing is approved (much less funded) on ARDA – nothing ever was. (ARDA is not qualified to be a cemetery, and is not even in the great park) The Planning Commission report is still pending – “as soon as feasible”. Return to Strawberry Field (it remains state law)? On the Golf Course? And Anaheim is eager and waiting.
We’ll see what this election brings. Pope Larry II and the B TEAM? Think about this Irvine.
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