Irvine Politics: The Six-Week Countdown
By Farrah N. Khan
Irvine, CA
One of the most heated elections this year is in Irvine, CA. It’s a fight between over-growth and slow-growth for a city that has grown drastically in the past two years. The current Mayor, Steven Choi, and the majority council have rubberstamped approvals for developers, allowing 10,000 new homes near what was to be the Great Park, with another 1800 units of apartment/condos in the Irvine Business Center. The result has been a quick growth in population without proper planning, leading to increased traffic, reduced park space and overcrowded schools. New home owners are realizing that there is no space for their children at their local neighborhood school and end up driving their children to schools that are miles away.
In addition, it appears that Irvine’s biggest developer wants to demolish the popular neighborhood Woodbridge Village Center that currently houses the Woodbridge Theater, Pedego Electric Bikes and Barnes and Noble, to build more condos. Residents may not know this, but the City Council has the authority to halt this and any upcoming development. So why don’t they do so? The team headed by Mayor Choi, Councilman Jeff Lalloway and Councilwoman Christina Shea simply won’t say 'No' to a big developer.
On the other hand, Mayoral candidate Mary Ann Gaido, Councilman Larry Agran and Community Services Commissioner/City Council candidate Melissa Fox are promising to insist on an immediate moratorium on all new development. This is in response to the growing number of complaints from residents who feel their voices are not heard. Over-development and overcrowding can and will stop with a change in Council, but it will take every person to realize that their individual vote can make a real difference.
There is a large Muslim community in Irvine and they are registered voters, but statistics show that they have had a very low turn-out at the polls. This year must be the year that our community steps up to the plate and registers, and most importantly, votes. Registration is simple, go to www.ocvote.org , it only takes a couple minutes. Even better, request a Vote By Mail ballot, since people who receive their ballot in the mail are more likely to actually vote. The deadline to register to vote is October 20 th. However, Vote by Mail ballots will be mailed out by October 6 th,so register now. Voting is every citizen’s right and it must be applied.
If you have any questions, are interested in volunteering, or would like to learn more about local campaigns, you can contact me at farrahnk@yahoo.com or follow me on Facebook: CSCommissionerKhan. If you are interested in becoming a co-host for a fundraising event for Gaido/Agran/Fox on October 9 th, please let me know.
(Farrah N. Khan is currently serving as a Community Services Commissioner for the City of Irvine. She is a business owner and serves on the Board for CAIR-PAC, a Muslim Political Action Committee - www.caircapac.org )
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