Why Irvine is holding a special election Tuesday — and what's at stake

Residents in Irvine’s District 5 are headed to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots for a new councilmember: Three candidates are vying for the seat that was vacated when Larry Agran won the mayoral election in November. The person who wins will serve through the end of 2026.

Newcomers Betty Martinez Franco and Dana Cornelius are on the ballot, along with former Councilmember Anthony Kuo. You can read more about their campaigns and platforms here:

Where is the district?

Keep up with LAist.

If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.

Subscribe

District 5 encompasses City Hall and the Woodbridge, Westpark, University Park and Rancho San Joaquin neighborhoods.

What's at stake

The election comes as the city consider pulling out of the Orange County Power Authority, which climate activists say could jeopardize the city’s plan of attaining carbon neutrality by 2030.

Late last year, the city voted to authorize the city manager to pull out of the green power agency — that they helped start — if it did not resolve issues surrounding costs and transparency.

The city has debated pulling out of the agency, which it has invested around $7 million in, but has stuck around despite a scathing audit by state auditors that found issues around mismanagement, pricing strategies and lack of transparency.

If Irvine does pull out, the agency will lose more than 60% of its customer base.

What else is on the agenda for Irvine?

• The nation’s first all electric hospital will open in the city this year. Irvine could also ban plastic takeout containers and go all electric in new construction, which would put the city at odds with the federal government.
  
• The city is also poised to convert an asphalt factory that was bought for around $285 million into a 700-acre nature preserve with a residential development of about 1,200 homes.
  
• Irvine’s $1 billion Great Park expansion is underway, but Franco, one of the District 5 candidates, told LAist that if elected she wants to examine the city’s budget to make sure other areas of the city — including District 5 — are getting their fair share of improvements.
  
• City leaders voted to pull out of the Orange County library system and will now oversee three libraries in Irvine later this year. As a result, eyes will be on Irvine and whether city leaders seek to wield power over — and perhaps inject politics into — book selection.

How to vote

Vote Centers are open are open Tuesday, April 15, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

You can also submit competed vote-by mail ballots at:

Ballot Drop Box

U.S. mailbox locations

Remember that vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked by today, April 15.

Completed ballots can also be hand-delivered to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, 1300 S. Grand Avenue, Building C, Santa Ana