Voters in Irvine’s Fifth District have been receiving ballots this week they can vote by mail or later at ballot boxes to decide who will represent them on the City Council.
In-person polling centers will open in April, and voting will close on the evening of April 15.
Irvine’s Fifth District includes Woodbridge, University Park and other neighborhoods straddling the 405 Freeway.
The special election will decide who fills the newly expanded Irvine City Council’s seventh seat through 2026.
The position is open because Mayor Larry Agran vacated his citywide council seat after winning his election for mayor in November.
The unusual process to switch — midterm — a citywide council seat to a district-elected seat was approved by Irvine voters in 2024 in a ballot measure that laid out how the city would transition from a five-member council with citywide elections to a seven-member council with by-district elections. (The mayor is still elected citywide.)
The race to fill the seat took another unusual turn after former councilmember Tammy Kim dropped out in February amid a lawsuit challenging her residency in the district.
Now, three candidates remain in the running: HOA board member Dana Cornelius, small business owner Betty Martinez Franco and former councilmember/businessman Anthony Kuo.
The Orange County Register reached out to all three with a questionnaire for its voter guide, asking about development, leadership and other issues facing the city. This story pulls from their answers.
Kuo previously served on the nonpartisan City Council from 2018 through 2022. He ran for state assembly last year as a Republican and, since 2017, has also worked in the Orange County Auditor-Controller’s office.
Kuo said public safety and protecting Irvine’s master plan are top of mind for him in a potential return to the dais.
He promised to work with the Irvine Police Department to crack down on retail crime, catalytic converter theft and porch pirating.
On his campaign website, he also promises to “take a fine-toothed comb to Irvine’s finances to root out fraud, waste and abuse.”
Martinez Franco said she sees traffic congestion, public safety, small business support and cost of living as the biggest issues facing Irvine.
“As a small business owner myself, I understand the challenges entrepreneurs face,” she said. “That is why I will push for business-friendly policies, streamline permit processes and create more incentives for local businesses to set up shop in Irvine.”
Martinez Franco runs a boutique public affairs firm. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from USC.
“Through my multicultural public relations agency, I help industries authentically connect with diverse communities,” she said. “My job is to find solutions, bring people together and amplify the often overlooked voices. I will bring this same approach to the Irvine City Council, ensuring every resident has a seat at the table, regardless of background.”
Cornelius agreed that traffic congestion is a major issue facing Irvine.
To combat gridlock, she proposes expanding Irvine Connect bus routes and improving Irvine’s bike lanes.
While she supports a moratorium on accessory dwelling units in District 5, she encourages a novel way to add housing — turning office space into homes.
“We ought to explore ways to convert unused, hard-to-lease office buildings into dwellings for those not yet in the financial place to buy a home,” she said.
On the issue of homelessness, the City Council has recently equivocated about whether and where to open a bridge housing shelter.
Kuo says he supports a city-managed shelter.
Martinez Franco says a city-run shelter could be part of Irvine’s solution to address the issue.
Cornelius, meanwhile, said she’d like to see the decision to have a shelter within city limits decided by nearby homeowners — not by the City Council.
Irvine has also grappled recently with how to become a greener city after staff announced last year the city will not meet its target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
Kuo and Martinez Franco both mentioned priorities that align with Mayor Agran’s platform to establish a city-supported solar rooftop and battery storage program for residents and his reforestation plan to plant 200,000 trees in the city.
Cornelius restated her preference for more bus routes.
Ultimately, when asked about their connections to Irvine and what makes them a good leader, each candidate had a different story to tell. Kuo and Martinez Franco emphasized their previous city leadership roles, while Cornelius positioned herself as an outsider who’d shake things up.
Aside from discussing his previous council term, Kuo touted his lifelong connection to Irvine.
“I live and breathe District 5,” Kuo said. “It’s where I grew up, it’s where I attended public schools, it’s where I worship at church and where you’ll see me walking my dog.”
Martinez Franco focused on her professional bona fides and commitment to inclusivity.
“As a longtime Irvine resident, I have spent years working to uplift diverse communities,” she said. “I served on Irvine’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for nearly three years, collaborating with city leaders to ensure all residents feel heard and valued.”
And, Cornelius said she’d bring a decisive attitude to the dais.
“Over the past few years, there’s been too much emotion in the council chambers and on the dais,” she said. “Sometimes, when I observed council meetings in person, I felt like part of a live audience at a Hollywood sitcom taping.”
A vote center will open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily starting April 5, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through April 14, at Irvine City Hall; another center will open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily starting April 12 at University Park Community Center. Both will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, April 15. Ballot drop boxes have also opened, get more information on locations at ocvote.gov/votecenter.
