Former Irvine City Councilmember Tammy Kim announced her candidacy on Dec. 18 for the special election to fill District 5’s vacant council seat. District 5 includes Rancho San Joaquin, University Park, Westpark and Woodbridge.
Kim’s announcement comes one month after her mayoral race loss and makes her the first candidate to enter the race for the seat vacated by Larry Agran, who was elected mayor. In a statement obtained by New University, Kim said, “There’s still so much to do” for Irvine.
“We need to continue all the great work we’ve been doing to ensure Irvine remains a model of safety and prosperity,” Kim wrote on her campaign website.
Kim’s specific priorities for District 5 center largely around library development, including building a new library to serve the Woodbridge and Westpark communities and improving the University Park Library, which was built in 1978. Her broader city council platform otherwise consists largely of the same priorities she outlined during her mayoral campaign: public safety, housing accessibility, economic development and development of the Great Park.
Since Kim’s four-year term expired, three new members have been elected to the council following an expansion from five to seven members and the adoption of district-based council elections. Three of the six sitting members — Agran, Mike Carroll of District 4 and James Mai of District 3 — campaigned on efforts to uphold Irvine’s Master Plan. The council has since reversed some decisions made in the previous four years, including a unanimous vote to withdraw from the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) in 2025. Kim previously expressed support for Irvine’s partnership with OCPA in an interview with New University.
Kim also faces challenges of appealing to voters concerned about local developments. During her mayoral campaign, Kim criticized Agran’s opposition to housing development and labeled him as a “NIMBY,” an acronym for “not in my backyard.” She stated that increased development was the solution to providing affordable housing. This approach alienated some District 5 voters, who ultimately supported Agran over Kim, according to the OC Registrar’s mapping tool.
Though off the council, Kim continues her involvement in Irvine politics. Following the expiration of her council term this month, Councilmember William Go of District 2 appointed her to serve on Irvine’s Finance Commission. Go was one of two candidates Kim endorsed, along with Melinda Liu of District 1, during their campaigns for city council.
While Go and Liu have not endorsed Kim’s current bid, Kim’s campaign has secured endorsements from several prominent local Democratic officeholders, including outgoing CA-47 Rep. Katie Porter, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley and Councilmember-At-Large Kathleen Treseder.
Irvine’s special municipal election to fill the District 5 vacancy will take place April 15, 2025.
Kian Momeny is a News Intern for the fall 2024 quarter. He can be reached at kmomeny@uci.edu.
Edited by Karen Wang and Jaheem Conley.
Editor’s Note:
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the city council has six members. The council has seven members.