The results for the Nov. 5 General Election, including the five seats on the Irvine City Council, were certified by the Orange County Registrar of Voters on Dec. 3.
Current Vice Mayor Larry Agran was voted in as the mayor-elect over city councilmember Tammy Kim by 4.3 points.
This election marked a transition in the Irvine voting system. City councilmembers are now elected in a district-based voting system where previously, five members — the mayor and four councilmembers — were selected by an at-large voting system.
As officially determined by the passage of Measure D in March 2024, this year’s election allowed voters to cast their vote for the mayor at-large while councilmembers were voted on by district.
The Irvine City Council will have seven members moving forward — the mayor and six councilmembers representing officially chartered districts. In the 2024 General Election, a seat in District 1 was up for election for a two-year term. Seats in Districts 2, 3 and 4 were up for four-year terms. City councilmembers will be elected for District 5 in a special election in 2025 and District 6 in the 2026 Midterm Election. Term lengths differ so that district seat elections will be staggered.
District 1 Councilmember-elect Melinda Liu won her seat in a tight race, surpassing her opposition John Park by 0.6% of votes. Liu campaigned on issues of public safety, transportation, housing for seniors and young professionals, lower childcare prices for working parents and environmental sustainability.
Councilmember-elect William Go will represent District 2, the eastmost district in Irvine that contains Great Park. Go previously served on the Great Park Task Force, where he emphasized the importance of thoughtfully developing the grounds.
The District 3 seat, representing the El Camino Real, Northwood and Walnut neighborhoods, was won by Councilmember-elect James Mai. In his campaign, Mai named his top priority “maintaining and advocating for our quality of life” alongside public safety, education and youth programs and preserving the environment.
Incumbent city councilmember Mike Carroll won reelection to the Irvine City Council in District 4, the southmost district. In his campaign, Carroll stated his top priority was to “protect and defend the Irvine Master [General] Plan” and in his time on the city council it “has been Job Number One.”
The Irvine General Plan is a state-mandated document containing comprehensive planning for the future of Irvine. The plan is updated to adapt to new trends and mandates. It is consulted when considering land use plans and the addition of other facilities and programming to ensure consistency with the vision for Irvine’s future.
As she finishes her 2022-2026 term, incumbent Kathleen Treseder is the sole councilmember to remain in an at-large position. Agran would have served in his at-large council position as Vice Mayor, but now a special election will be held for the District 5 council seat in 2025. The new Irvine City Council will be sworn in during the regular city council meeting on Dec. 10.
Alyse Billiard is a News Staff Writer. She can be reached at abilliar@uci.edu.