By james art 
In the final days of their campaign, Irvine’s mayoral candidates made their final pitches to voters as the Nov. 5 general election approaches.
Current mayor Farah Khan is not eligible for re-election after two consecutive terms. The mayor is still elected at large after Irvine voters passed Measure D in March to create city council districts and increase the number of council seats from five to seven.
Irvine Vice Mayor Larry Agran and Council Member Tammy Kim are the two prominent council members running for mayor.
Local business owner Ron Skolsdang, Realtor Akshat “AB” Bhatia, Irvine Finance Commissioner Dr. Lee Sun, Automation Project Manager Felipe Delgado and retired CPA Wing Chow round out the Irvine mayoral candidate pool.
Deputy Mayor Larry Agran
Agran was first elected to the City Council in 1978 and has served on the council intermittently throughout his career. Agran was last re-elected in 2022. If elected, it would be his sixth non-consecutive term as mayor.
“Good leadership combined with active civic engagement,” Agran told New University, saying it could lift Irvine to greater heights.
According to his campaign website, Agran’s platform focuses on “careful planning,” citing his commitment to “protect local neighborhoods and prevent gridlocked traffic and overcrowded schools.” He was the only council member to vote against an amendment to Irvine’s master plan.
“The proposal to add 57,656 housing units in Irvine raises concerns about overburdening our infrastructure,” Agran told New University. “A balanced approach must prioritize affordable housing for students while ensuring we do not compromise one of the largest and most successful master-planned communities.”
Agran suggested the city explore an “immediate affordability” initiative that would involve negotiating with the Irvine Company to provide a 50 percent rent discount on 5,000 of their existing 35,000 apartments. It also supports combining new housing with transit and suggests “integrating mixed-use spaces within walking distance of public transit” to reduce reliance on cars.
Agran aims to “protect ratepayers” by exiting the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), the Irvine-created energy provider founded in 2021. Irvine residents are automatically enrolled in OCPA’s 100% Renewable Choice Plan , but they can opt out.
“Promises made by the Orange County Power Authority about cleaner energy at lower prices from Southern California Edison have not materialized,” Agran said. “As mayor, I will advocate for our exit from OCPA, seeking better, more affordable energy options while expanding Irvine’s rooftop solar and battery program.”
Council Member Tammy Kim
Elected to the 2020 City Council, Tammy Kim secured the highest number of votes for any council candidate in Irvine history. The mayoral candidate said her mission is to “make sure we move our city forward.”
“I’ve brought a lot of different business initiatives to the city of Irvine, including Irvine Tech Week,” Kim said during a city-hosted mayoral forum.
Kim opposed the council’s selection of Map 151 as the Irvine County map.
“[Districting] will not achieve what was intended because Irvine has no ethnic enclaves,” Kim said in a statement to New University.
Kim describes himself as a “stalwart advocate” for affordable housing, prioritizing “housing options for every income level” on his campaign website. During an Irvine Watchdog candidate forum, she challenged Agran on his approach to planning.
“The master plan that was created in the 1960s is no longer compatible with the needs of the 21st century,” Kim said. “That’s why I challenged the Irvine Company to rethink its existing paradigm by taking inefficient commercial and underutilized office buildings and turning them into affordable housing.”
Kim argued that Irvine should remain at OCPA. As a member of the OCPA board of directors, Kim told New University that the rhetoric that OCPA is more expensive than SCE is “fake news.”
“You can’t say it’s more expensive because it’s not,” Kim said. “On the basic choice, OCPA is cheaper than SCE. What OCPA is all about is it gives residents a choice.
It also promotes the “democratization” of broadband by creating a municipal option similar to OCPA.
Kim is backed by the Orange County Democratic Party and some prominent Democratic lawmakers. She cited public safety, economic growth and the development of Irvine’s Great Park as her other campaign priorities.
Ron Scholesdang
Scolesdang told New University that his platform is focused on “safety, transparency and organized planning”.
“I am concerned about recent issues such as three homicides in the last two months, an underfunded school district and increasing road safety incidents,” Skolsdang said. “I believe the City Council does not need another career politician, but instead a community member who is willing to listen.”
Unlike Agran or Kim, Scolesdang did not take a specific position under the OCPA.
He opposed Irvine’s 2045 Master Plan, calling it “out of touch with the current needs of the community.”
“I believe this plan threatens the fundamental issues of safety, orderly development and good governance on which Irvine was built,” Scholesdang said. “If we expand affordable housing 10 times, we risk crime escalating even more.”
His proposed solution involves renegotiating a deal with the state to “reduce the number of affordable housing units or reduce the buffer that the Irvine City Council has imposed on the city.”
To reduce traffic, Scolesdang supports the installation of more smart traffic lights and the promotion of the Irvine Connect program.
Irvine Watchdog’s review of candidate voting records found that Scolesdang has not voted in an election since the 2020 general presidential election. He told New University that he “wasn’t very politically active until a year ago” because he didn’t “feel [his] the vote mattered.”
Scolesdang is endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party.
Akshat ‘AB’ Bhatia
Akshat “AB” Bhatia’s campaign is prioritizing parental rights, promising to make Irvine a “right-to-know city” — prohibiting school officials from withholding information related to a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity — if elected mayor .
He told New University he was “not 100% in favor of OCPA” but that he would try to gather community input and try to negotiate reduced costs to decide whether to stay with the provider.
Bhatia’s approach to affordable housing combines mixed-use projects, student-oriented housing and entrepreneur incentives. He said he would “consider implementing rent control measures” to stabilize housing costs.
Bhatia’s transportation solution largely follows the same tiered structure, with plans to expand Irvine Connect routes, build protected bike lanes and introduce “complete streets” policies to make roads safer.
Finance Commissioner Dr Lee Sun
In a statement to New University, Sun said his bid to become mayor of Irvine stems from the city’s need for “a leader who genuinely listens to the voices of residents.”
As finance commissioner in Irvine, Sun has called for increased financial transparency. He specifically criticized Irvine’s $153,000 purchase of a Tesla Cybertruck to promote the community.
“The main problem with these costs is the improper procedure, the lack of transparency and the lack of accountability,” Sun told New University. “It had to come before the finance committee for approval.”
Sun did not say whether he will remain at OCPA, but plans to decide after “[investigating] options and costs.”
On the issue of affordable housing, Sun said he would support the Irvine Master Plan while considering traffic management and school capacity in new developments. He added plans to expand pedestrian bridges, bike lanes, Irvine Connect routes and school buses for alternative modes of transportation.
Sun is endorsed by Khan.
Felipe Delgado
Delgado’s mayoral ambitions are largely fueled by his desire to uphold the Irvine General Plan of the 1960s.
“The city seems to have deviated from the balance between growth and quality of life,” Delgado told New University. “[I want the city to] meet housing needs and improve quality of life by continuing to adhere to the master plan with adjustments for changing demographics.”
Asked about his ideas for improving transportation and reducing traffic, Delgado supports the Irvine Police Department using drone technology to help with traffic control and suggests investing in “small vehicles with one or two passengers” for local travel.
Referring to the green energy movement as “too overwhelming to provide some option,” Delgado said he would keep Irvine enrolled in OCPA until “a better option comes along.”
As for affordable housing, Delgado challenged UCI students to “force UCI to provide more online or distance learning.” He said it would allow students to get an education “outside the affordable housing arena.” Delgado also called on students to start a movement to boycott the Irvine Company housing estates.
Wing Chow
Wing Chow, an Irvine resident since 1985, said it was time for him to “give back to the city of Irvine.” At the city-hosted forum, he encouraged residents to “ask not what the city of Irvine can do for you, but what you can do for the city of Irvine.”
Chow’s priorities include education, housing, health, environment, diversity and business. A financial professional, he has held positions as Chief Financial Officer of United Savings Bank and Visiting Professor of Management Accounting at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.
Chow does not have a publicly available contact form.
The Orange County Registrar of Voters provides information on voting by mail, drop box or in person. California polls close at 8pm on November 5th.
The new mayor and City Council members will be sworn in at the Dec. 10 Irvine City Council meeting.
Kian Momeni is the News Intern for Fall Quarter 2024. He can be reached at [email protected].