By james art Five candidates are in the race to represent Irvine’s new Ward 2 on the City Council, an area that includes Big Park.
This is the first election cycle for the Irvine City Council. The council currently has four proxy members and one proxy mayor. After these elections, the council will have six district representatives plus a mayor.
The candidates for District 2, in alphabetical order, are: Gang Chen, William Guo, Mohamed Cotermideen, Jeff Starke and Parisa Yazdani.
Gang Chen
Chen, an Irvine resident since 1997, said “recent crime issues, traffic issues and increased housing prices” were the main reasons motivating him to run for office again.
Chen ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Irvine in 2016 and for Irvine City Council in 2018, when he finished 10th out of 12 candidates. City records show Chen has campaigned to run for mayor in 2020 but has not filed to vote.
He said he is committed to stopping the expansion of the Bowerman Landfill, one of the nation’s largest landfills, near the intersection of Highway 133 and Highway 241.
On the housing front, Irvine must plan for more than 23,000 new housing units to meet the state housing mandate, and the current City Council has approved a plan to concentrate those units in three areas of the city, including around Big Park. Chen said he opposes that plan.
“It’s extremely important that new housing developments are distributed more evenly (in Irvine),” he said.
Chen earned a master’s degree in architecture and a doctorate in planning from USC. He is a principal in an architecture firm based in Irvine.
“Achieving Irvine’s goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2030 will require robust city outreach and collaborative efforts,” he said. “My background in sustainable design makes me an effective contributor to this initiative. I am committed to advancing the development of Irvine in a manner that not only meets but exceeds environmental sustainability standards. To achieve this, I advocate for the integration of cutting-edge green technologies, the promotion of energy-efficient practices, and community engagement in sustainability efforts. My goal is to ensure that Irvine develops in a way that is consistent with our climate goals while maintaining the high quality of life in our city.”
William Gow
Go is a partner in a commercial real estate asset management firm.
Born in the Philippines, Go said he immigrated to the United States as a young child. He holds a BA in Computer Science and an MBA from UC Irvine. He has lived in Irvine with his wife, Jennifer, for more than two decades.
Gow, a member of the Greater Park Development Task Force, said managing the development of the park is one of his top priorities, as well as preserving open space in Irvine while planning new housing around “walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods that help of Irvine to meet its climate and congestion reduction goals.”
Goh is also a former Commissioner of Urban Transport. He said there are specific steps he’d like to see Irvine take to reach its goal of zero carbon emissions by 2030. They include: installing more EV charging stations on public property, completing the transition of the city’s fleet to zero-emission vehicles and “increasing local rebates” to encourage private investment in solar power, heat pumps, EV chargers and other green energy technologies.
Muhammad Cotermideen
An IT services manager, Kothermydeen said she will work with others in the community and get expert input to identify what is most needed in Irvine and work collaboratively to make things happen.
“I will bring our city to a world-class level by building (a) team of community experts and a strategic plan with input from every resident,” he said.
He said he would focus on building a strategic plan for Irvine to meet housing and climate goals, though he offered no further details.
From a leadership perspective, Kothermydeen said, “I have always cared, helped and served others, since childhood, with dignity and high value to humanity and the diverse community.”
Jeff Stark
A small business owner and self-described “PTA dad,” Starke and his family have lived in District 2 for almost 10 years.
As for housing, Starke said he supports updating Irvine’s master plan, including zoning for more housing in District 2.
“This housing will allow more of the people who commute to Irvine to live in our city,” he said. “This will help reduce car journeys and pollution. It provides plenty of moderate-income housing for the kinds of people and jobs the city requires to function, such as teachers, firefighters, and nurses. I believe this housing can be a catalyst for a more robust transit system that can help us reduce road congestion and transport pollution.”
Starke added that he is committed to moving forward with the numerous projects planned in Great Park and will hold monthly town halls to inform residents of project updates.
On climate, Starke said he will push for the city to finalize a climate action and adaptation plan with achievable goals. This summer, the current City Council directed staff to complete the city’s climate action plan, which, while robust, has remained a draft for years.
“Irvine’s transition to a greener future is an important priority for me,” he said. “Irvine can be a leader in how a city transitions to clean energy while protecting our quality of life and business community.”
Parisa Yazdani
Yazdani, a mother of three school-aged children, is a self-employed construction contractor and city planning commissioner.
Her top priorities are public safety and wildfire preparedness, affordable housing and facilitating small business development, including “dedicated pieces of new retail space for local small business owners,” she said.
Yazdani said he also supports the city’s climate goals.
“Locally we need to take steps to work towards a zero carbon economy for both new developments and council services,” she said. “This means 100% renewable energy, updating our energy grid and transforming city facilities and fleets using energy-efficient technologies.”
Read more about each candidate’s positions on important issues in the OC Register Voter Guide at ocregister.com/voter-guide/.
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