Meet Your Candidates
The campaign season for midterm elections has officially begun. Photo credit Michael Carruth
There are seven weeks until the midterm elections on November 8th, and we have some choices to make. Irvinites will be allowed to vote for one candidate for Mayor and two candidates for City Council.
The eleven candidates vying for these positions (five for Mayor and six for City Council) come from a wide variety of backgrounds but have a common vision for our city. Nearly every candidate wants to fix the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA) and protect Irvinites from All American Asphalt’s pollution.
As campaign signs begin to pop up on our sidewalks, it’s time to get to know the people who wish to represent us.
Mayor
We have five candidates (one of whom asked to be excluded from this article) running to be Irvine’s next Mayor.
TOM CHOMYN
Tom Chomyn is a first time political candidate in his run for Irvine Mayor. Photo credit Tom Chomyn
Tom Chomyn is a Technology Account Executive for Image Source in Costa Mesa. He grew up in South Bend, Indiana, and received his BS in Urban Planning from Indiana University before he and his wife moved to Irvine, where they raised their three children.
Chomyn served as Director for the Great Park Veterans Cemetery. Although the cemetery plans have been scrapped by the city, he lists its reinstatement at the top of his agenda for Irvine, along with keeping the OCPA accountable and moving All American Asphalt out of the city.
This is Chomyn’s first political run.
Read his full candidate statement here.
FARRAH KHAN
Farrah Khan is the incumbent candidate in Irvine’s mayoral race. Photo credit Tony Kawashima
Farrah Khan is our current Mayor and a member of the embattled OCPA board. She holds a BA in English from UC Davis and is a former Irvine City Council member first elected in 2018. Her candidate statement suggests she will prioritize public safety, attract high tech businesses, reduce homelessness, support actions to combat climate change, repair streets and sidewalks, and celebrate diversity.
When Khan last ran for Mayor in 2020, she received 56,304 votes (47.6%).
Read her full candidate statement here.
BRANDA LIN
Branda Lin, who holds a dual BAs from UCI in Political Science and Music Performance, will be the second Irvine City Council member to have grown up in Irvine if elected. She has worked as a paralegal, served as Irvine’s Community Services Commissioner, and is a co-founder of the online publication Irvine Watchdog. She resigned from the publication to run for Mayor but you can read one of her articles from late 2021 here.
Lin cites inadequate shade structures in parks, pollution from All American Asphalt, insufficient planning and retail in the Great Park, high electricity rates from the OCPA, and a lack of accountability from the current City Council as the issues she would address if elected Mayor.
This is Lin’s first campaign for political office.
Read her full candidate statement here.
SIMON MOON
Simon Moon is a chaplain in the US Army Reserves. He does not provide his education background. He says he helped to grow Irvine Onnuri Church as a pastor and is a husband and father of three. If elected Mayor, Moon says he will defend Prop 13, fight tax increases, keep Irvine safe, and support the Irvine Police Department.
This appears to be Moon’s first campaign for political office. His team did not confirm whether this was true.
Read his full candidate statement here.
City Council
There are six candidates running for two open City Council seats.
LARRY AGRAN
Larry Agran is currently serving as a City Council member. Agran earned a BA in history and economics from UC Berkeley and a JD from Harvard University Law School. If his name rings a bell, it’s likely due to his 20 years in political office, including ten years as Irvine’s Mayor.
If re-elected, he says he will create a Climate Action Plan to disentangle us from the OCPA, shut down industrial polluters that impact air quality, increase investments in school nurses and public health, create a Veterans Memorial Park in the Great Park, and switch from at large elections to elections by district.
When he last ran for City Council in 2020, he received 38,156 votes (12.9%).
Read his full candidate statement here.
SCOTT HANSEN
Scott Hansen grew up in San Diego before earning his BS in Applied Mechanics Political Science from UCSD, his MS in Mechanical Engineering from UCSB, and his JD from Indiana University. He is a technology attorney and serves as a member of Irvine’s Transportation Commission. He has written articles for Irvine Watchdog that can viewed here.
If elected, Hansen says he will support public schools, protect our city’s safety, plan for affordable housing, reduce traffic, and expand parks and open spaces.
This is Hansen’s first run for political office.
Read his full candidate statement here.
ANTHONY KUO
Anthony Kuo is our other incumbent in the race for Irvine City Council. He also serves as our Vice Mayor. Kuo holds the distinction of being the first and only Irvine City Council member to grow up in Irvine. After studying at Southern Methodist University, Kuo began his political career behind the scene’s as Chief of Staff for then-City Council member Christina Shea, followed by consulting for the California Republican Party, serving as Communications Director to a California State Legislator, working for Iger & Associates Government Interface Consultants, and Managing Director for Tavoularis Projects. He currently serves as the Administrative Manager for the Orange County Auditor-Controller and is a Board Member of the Orange County Fire Authority.
If re-elected, Kuo says he will protect our quality of life, preserve our open spaces, provide accountability for our tax dollars, and support our school system.
Kuo was elected to his current position in 2018 with 21,071 votes (14.2%) and was selected by his fellow City Council members to serve as Vice Mayor in 2021.
Read his full candidate statement here.
JOHN PARK
John Park immigrated to Virginia from Korea as a child and graduated from George Mason University before moving to California in the ‘90’s. He is a married father of three who describes himself as a businessman and serves as Chairman of Irvine’s Finance Commission.
In his candidate statement, Park expresses concern for Irvine’s rapid growth and says he will be a leader who puts residents before anyone or anything else.
Park ran for City Council in 2020 and received 32,521 votes (11%).
Read his full candidate statement here.
NAVID SADIGH
Navid Sadigh is a student running for Irvine City Council. Photo credit Navid Sadigh
Navid Sadigh is currently attending Irvine Valley College where he is majoring in Computer Science. Navid cites his experience with the city’s Youth Action Council, his participation in Junior Statesmen of America, and his having grown up in Irvine as qualifications for running our city.
Sadigh expresses concern with the lack of options for Internet service providers in his candidate statement.
This is Sadigh’s first campaign for political office.
Read his full candidate statement here.
KATHLEEN TRESEDER
Kathleen Treseder is an architect of Irvine’s 2030 carbon neutrality pledge. Photo credit Matt Fitt
Kathleen Treseder is a UCI Biology professor who was profiled by The Vine this summer. As a co-author of the resolution to make Irvine carbon neutral by 2030, which passed unanimously by the Irvine City Council, she is eager to move Irvine closer to its goals.
In her candidate statement, Treseder says she is running to “be a voice for our families and to fight for our shared future.”
This is Treseder’s first campaign for political office.
Read her full candidate statement here.
Don’t let others make this decision for you! Local elections have an influence on our city’s future, which directly impacts every Irvinite. Do your research and be an informed voter. You can make sure you’re registered to vote here.