Irvine Incumbent Melinda Liu Leads Tight District 1 Race by 43 Votes
Election officials counted 10,992 ballots as of 5 p.m. Thursday, leaving John Park in second place in the council contest.
By Javier Sanders ·
Incident Melinda Liu holds a slim lead in the race for the Irvine City Council District 1 seat. As of 5 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, election officials had counted 10,992 votes. Liu received 39.4% of the total, while her opponent, John Park, had 39.0% of the vote. The difference between the two candidates stands at 43 votes.
Park serves on the board of the Orange County Food Bank. Former City Councilman and Mayor Sukhee Kang trails the top two candidates in third place. He has received 21.7% of the counted ballots.
The mayoral race in Irvine shows a wider gap between the leading candidates. Incumbent Larry Agran leads with 69.7% of the vote. His opponent, software engineer Maksim Egorov, has collected 30.3% of the total.
Other council districts also show incumbents in the lead. In District 5, Betty Martinez Franco is ahead with 34.4% of the vote. Former Councilmember Anthony Kuo is second with 25.9%. Three other candidates share the remaining 39.6% of the votes.
In District 6, incumbent Kathleen Treseder leads with 57.5% of the vote. Irvine sustainability commissioner Scotty Hong trails her with 42.5%.
Candidates are campaigning against a backdrop of financial strain for the city. Irvine faces a structural budget deficit that officials project will reach $37 million within two years. Some candidates have proposed creating an independent city auditor to address the issue.
The race also involves a debate over the future of the Oak Creek Golf Club. A proposal on the table would convert the club into a development with more than 3,100 homes. The plan also includes a new school, parks, and other community spaces. Candidates expressed mixed views on the project during a debate on October 17.
