On a three-two vote, the Irvine City Council last night rejected a motion by Councilmember Kathleen Treseder to investigate the activities of Melahat Rafiei, Mayor Farrah Khan’s former campaign consultant, who last week entered into a plea agreement with the United States Attorney, in which she admitted to a 2018 scheme to bribe two former […]
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A government that wants less transparency is a government that cannot be trusted. As the saying goes, “Democracy dies in darkness.” The proposal by Vice-Mayor Tammy Kim and Council Member Mike Carroll to eliminate Irvine’s Sunshine Ordinance is a radical departure from the city’s unanimous position in favor of the ordinance just three years ago. […]
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On Thursday, October 29, Non-Toxic Neighborhoods along with the Stop Toxic Asphalt Pollutants in Irvine groups held a webinar to ask our Irvine Mayoral, City Council, and California State Assembly AD 68 candidates questions regarding All American Asphalt. The moderator for the event was Thomas Linzey, Senior Counsel for the Center for Democratic and Environmental […]
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As the Voice of OC’s Noah Biesiada reported this morning, Council unanimously repealed a portion of the municipal code that bans the City of Irvine from recognizing sexual orientation as a fundamental human right. The motion passed, despite questions from the City Attorney over whether they had the authority to make the move. How did […]
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Today marks the beginning of the nomination period for the office of Mayor and Councilmembers. This post covers where our current Mayor and Councilmembers are at in their terms and, where applicable, their plans for this election. Following that is a general background on this election from the City of Irvine and a collection of […]
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“A national first amendment organization sent a letter condemning recent action on Facebook by Irvine Mayor Christina Shea, when she blocked several commenters on her personal page that attempted to discuss public policy” per the Voice of OC article below. “In their letter to the mayor, the institute argued that because Shea’s personal page is […]
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“It’s double dipping to me… it should either be additive or density bonus” — not both. – Mayor Pro Tem Christina Shea On Tuesday, March 26, 2019, Mayor Pro Tem Christina Shea brought a motion to close the loophole that enabled developers to “double dip” on additive and density bonus incentives. Councilmember Farrah Khan seconded […]
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Transparency and Accountability still remain a major issue with the city and the Irvine Land Trust. The Land Trust was created to operate on the city’s behalf using city land and city money and as such, the city holds the majority interest in the Land Trust. It was established by the city council in 2006 and has received $35M to date of public cash and land from […]
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“Never treat anything you do as a stepping stone. Do it fully, and follow it completely.” – Mira Nair Irvine. Over the years, the city has experienced major changes. The most prominent is the huge amount of growth in residents. In 2000, the city’s population was a little below 150,000. By 2018, the city’s population […]
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