Irvine City Council convenes on Tammy Kim election fraud allegations

The Irvine City Council held a closed session meeting regarding allegations of election fraud by District 5 candidate Tammy Kim during a council meeting on Jan. 28. According to the Irvine City Attorney Jeffrey Melching during the council meeting, city officials were served a lawsuit for Kim’s removal from the ballot on Jan. 27. 

The allegations — brought by former Irvine mayoral candidate Ron Scolesdang as represented by private law firm Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk, LLP — demanded the council remove Kim from candidacy for the vacant Irvine City Council District 5 seat.

They claimed that Kim registered, voted and declared candidacy at a District 5 address despite not residing in the district. Item 1.1 was attached on the meeting agenda, which is the letter from Scolesdang’s legal representation to Irvine City Clerk Carl Petersen that detailed allegations against Kim. 

Kim formerly served on the Irvine City Council from 2020-24. Following a failed mayoral bid, Kim announced her campaign to represent District 5 on the City Council in December 2024, ahead of the Special Municipal Election for the position scheduled for April 15, 2025. According to her campaign website, Kim’s policy priorities include affordable housing, library renewal and construction, and public safety. 

The letter, dated Jan. 22, alleged that Kim “is not a resident of District 5, nor has she ever been a resident of District 5 relevant to the forthcoming April 15, 2025 election.” 

The letter mentioned the 2023 California Elections Code Section 2000, which states that individuals are eligible to vote and, by extension, eligible to run for office “within the territory within he or she resides.” Section 401 of the Irvine City Charter additionally states that “no person shall be eligible to hold the office of Council Member unless they are a legally registered voter and resident of their respective District.” 

The letter also included an investigation report from Matthews Dokter & Associates, a private investigative firm. According to the report, the investigator allegedly witnessed Kim “coming and going from, loading groceries into and regularly parking her car at her true residence” within District 3 on five days between December 2024 and January 2025. 

During the public comments session of the Jan. 28 meeting, seven community members spoke to the council regarding the allegations. Irvine resident Susan Sayre submitted a comment on Item 1.1. 

“From the documents attached to the agenda, it is clear that Tammy Kim is in clear violation of election law statutory provisions,” Sayre wrote. “It is time to hold political candidates accountable for their election law violations.” 

During the council meeting, City Attorney Melching stated that Petersen and Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page were named as respondents in a verified petition for writ of mandate regarding Kim’s candidacy. The council meeting adjourned to begin a closed session to discuss future action regarding the litigation and did not provide further comments on the matter. 

In a statement to Irvine Watchdog, Kim claimed that the allegations are “politically motivated, backed by Republican interests.” She stated that her relocation to District 5 was due to “security concerns due to the council’s inaction on a resolution concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict.” 

“We’ve learned that a well-known GOP operative in Orange County has been openly boasting about orchestrating these unfounded attacks …” Kim states. “The tactics being used are not merely desperate; they are a calculated distraction from the issues that truly matter to the residents of Irvine.”

Kim and Scolesdang ran against each other as candidates in the 2024 Irvine mayoral race, but both lost to Larry Agran. According to Kim’s District 5 campaign website, she was endorsed by the Irvine Democratic Club, while Scolesdang was endorsed by the Republican Party of Orange County. 

In December 2024, Kim was appointed to serve on the Irvine Finance Commission. However, she is no longer listed as a commissioner on the city website

Kim remains in the running for the District 5 seat as city officials discuss next steps. 

On Chi Antony He is a News Intern for the winter 2025 quarter. He can be reached at onch@uci.edu

Editor’s Note:
This article was updated to correct the spelling of Irvine City Clerk Carl Petersen’s name.

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