Mayor Larry Agran and D6 Candidate Scotty Hong Behind Misleading Mailer
As election season ramps up, we often see the best and worst in candidates. A recent campaign mailer in Irvine’s District 6 has raised serious questions about truth in local political advertising.
A joint mailer paid for by Mayor Larry Agran and District 6 City Council candidate Scotty Hong features a prominent gold ribbon declaring that they, along with Proposition 1, are “Supported by the California Democratic Party.”
There is just one problem: it isn’t true.
While Proposition 1 does carry the official endorsement of the California Democratic Party (CDP), neither Mayor Larry Agran nor candidate Scotty Hong has received the official endorsement of the CDP for this election. By placing their names alongside Proposition 1 under a shared header, the mailer gives voters the false impression that all three endorsements carry equal backing from the state party organization.
In response, the Democratic Party of Orange County released the following cease and desist letter:
Campaign season often brings out the best and worst of political communication, but misrepresenting official political party endorsements misleads voters who rely on clear, accurate information when casting their ballots. Irvine Watchdog reached out to the Mayor for comment but did not receive a response.
Voters in District 6 are encouraged to verify candidate endorsements directly through official party websites and voter guides before making their decisions at the polls.
7 Comments
derek
October 22, 2026 at 8:26 amIf folks are unhappy about these lies and misrepresentations from our Mayor, the real recourse is to simply vote for the other candidate on the ballot.I won’t mention who that is, since I seem to get cancelled when I do so.
tsuru
October 22, 2026 at 10:45 amGood luck, we got a court ordered cease and desist letter against Agran back with his deceit and lies with the Veterans Cemetery!
He completely ignored it and we lost our Veterans Cemetery because of him.
He is scum and doesn’t give a damn about what the law or courts say.
Monte Taylor
Irvine
Harvey Liss
October 22, 2026 at 12:01 pmSo, the anti-Larry Agran cult is at it, again. The CDP endorsement pictured on the flyer is obviously only for Proposition 1. I can’t imagine anyone other than the anti-Agran cult interpreting or wanting to interpret the flyer as saying that the CDP also endorsed Larry Agran and Scotty Hong, any more than they might be endorsed by the President of the United States or other world leaders.
For shame on this absurd anti-Agran campaign making meaning when none is there and blowing up nonsense.
Jeremy Ficarola
October 22, 2026 at 3:26 pmHarvey, your comment is the epitome of projection and hypocrisy. You call critics of Agran, cultists? Wow. And no it is not at all remotely obvious that the endorsement logo refers to prop 1. But thanks for the advance notice on what Larry’s talking point in defense of the indefensible will be.
Jeremy Ficarola
October 22, 2026 at 3:48 pmI’ve asked the Mayor to resign earlier in 2026 because he is obviously unfit to serve. His deceit and tricks have gotten old and as he eyes this coming term as his last (and two terms too many of you ask me), he simply doesn’t care to hide it anymore. I take issue with his deceitful PR publication, Irvine Community News and Views, a for profit “newspaper” that is controlled by himself and his family and close friends. This newspaper acts as an in-kind contribution (that need not be reported) for his campaign and his surrogates. What’s worse is ICNV solicits donations and calls itself an independent source of news.
I also object to Agran’s removal of UCI Professor Kev Abazajian from the sustainability committee for simply telling the truth about CCEs and climate action. Agran has also stubbornly pursued his very unpopular vet cemetery inside the great park when he should have taken the loss and moved on years ago. Agran blindly and unquestionably followed spend crazy former city manager Oliver Chi into every expensive and terrible contract Chi entered into. To this day, Agran defends Oliver Chi.
Lastly, and potentially most egregiously, Agran is very likely allied with unethical lobbyist, Pat Strader evidence by Agran’s throated defense of Pat on the ICLT, and his and Pat’s interests lining up at every turn.
I voted for Max Ergerov not because I agree with his policies. For the most part I don’t. Not because we are of the same political party. We are not. And not because of his experience. He has none. I voted for Max because he is a clean slate and has not shown the deplorable conduct and actions our current mayor has. This endorsement issue, coupled with the aforementioned, is disqualifying of any person seeking the esteemed position of Mayor.
Alan
October 22, 2026 at 4:45 pmHere we go again. No place on that flyer does it say these candidates are endorsed by anyone. These, once again, are just your Agran haters. This accusation is sad and pitiful. Same people from DGI, the organization that endorsed a felon and never said a word about it.
Harvey Liss
October 23, 2026 at 12:33 amJeremy, Larry Agran’s and Pat Strader’s interests regarding affordable housing and the ICLT would obviously coincide because every affordable home built by ICLT takes that much pressure off FivePoint to provide affordable housing.
Also, I’m astonished that you can support OCPA when OCPA sucked out of the totality of Irvine’s ratepayers who subscribe to OCPA about $30 million last year in higher bills than they would have been paying with SCE, and paying for much dirtier energy.
There’s a simple explanation for why OCPA can never compete with SCE in providing lower carbon emissions along with lower prices. The cost of renewably generated power has been cheaper than fossil fuel generated power since about 2020. That means that SCE, as a profit-making entity, will use all their resources, 100 years of energy trading expertise and mammoth scale to purchase as much renewably generated power as can be put on the grid. And SCE’s purchases are certified by the state-created nonprofit program, Green-e Energy, while OCPA has no such requirement and can report anything they want. Further, OCPA, with no in-house energy traders must pay substantial commissions to outside energy traders who have no motivation to minimize costs and also lack the purchasing scale of SCE.
Aha! So you say that SCE must pay shareholders. That’s true, however, SCE’s profit margin is roughly the same as the commissions paid to the outside energy traders, who, as I just stated, have no motivation to minimize costs.
This seems to me to be irrefutable logic, and the history of OCPA’s delivery and costs bears that out. Imagine what Irvine could have done with the over $100 million WASTED over the years that went to commissions and high-priced energy and high salaries, if it were spent on battery backed solar panels all over the city.
Since 2020, there is no use for CCAs as there was before, when fossil-fuel generated power was cheaper than renewably generated power. So, before 2020, the only way that do-gooders who wanted to minimize carbon emissions could do that was to subscribe to a CCA like OCPA and happily pay more for their cleaner electricity!