Irvine City Council members kicked discussions about an open space ballot measure — including whether or not the Oak Creek Golf Club might become housing — into next year after concerns that the issue was getting too complex for a special election this year.
Rumblings of a potential statewide election this year also encouraged council members to take a step back and instead bring forward the special election sometime in 2026.
The council was expected to consider four different ballot measures during its Tuesday night meeting and decide which might be best for a special election this November.
[Read: Irvine Grapples With Open Space Protections]
That election would have likely been scheduled for Nov. 18 of this year with a cost of about $2 million.
However, since there might be a statewide election on Nov. 4 to redraw congressional district boundaries, officials said it wouldn’t make sense for Irvine voters to get two different paper ballots in the same month for different issues.
“There is this further complication now going on with the Texas redistricting, which will invite and probably introduce retaliation in the form of a statewide ballot measure that will involve redistricting here in California,” Mayor Larry Agran said during Tuesday night’s meeting.
“It seems patently ridiculous to ask the people of the city of Irvine to be involved in that statewide measure and then to vote again on a very very important matter on Nov. 18 in a special election,” he said. “We can’t, at this point, put the two together for Nov. 4. We missed that window.”
California’s redistricting proposal comes on the heels of Texas state legislators pushing to redraw districts there to reduce the number of Democratic leaning districts – a move that’s sparked a national political debate ahead of next year’s mid-term elections.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he plans on reducing the number of Republican-leaning Congressional districts if Texas moves forward on its proposal.
Typically, Congressional districts and state legislature districts are redrawn after national census counts are conducted at the beginning of every decade.
It is still unclear whether or not there will be a statewide redistricting election in November, but Newsom’s been pushing for one recently.
Irvine City Council members said it would make more sense to wrap the open space ballot measure into next year’s June primary election or wait until next November, if needed.
That also gives the council more time to decide on ballot measure language, which was still being heavily debated at Tuesday night’s meeting.
“That will give us plenty of time to schedule an appropriate election in 2026, whether that’s a special election or a June election in connection with the statewide primary election, or even as late as November of 2026,” Agran said.
“I remain committed, and I think my colleagues do as well, that this will be voted upon at the appropriate time,” he said.
Future of Oak Creek Golf Course Still Unclear
The debate started earlier this year when the council began discussing what could become the city’s final residential village — a development known as Oak Park that could replace the Oak Creek Golf Club with 3,100 housing units, a new school, parks and other community spaces.
The development, brought forward by the Irvine Company, sparked concern with voters who argued the golf course is protected open space, a preservation designation passed by voters in 1988.
Residents said that if the council wants to remove the designation as preservation, then they must first obtain permission from the voters through a new ballot measure.
[Read: Irvine’s Oak Creek Golf Club Could Become Housing, Does it Go Against a Voter Initiative?]
Councilmembers agreed, but the discussion won’t be back on their agenda until 2026.
Many speakers thanked the council for taking it slow and not rushing the special election this year.
“Thank you for continuing this item,” former Irvine City Council member Greg Smith said at the meeting. “I think it deserves a lot more thought. It’s obviously extremely complex, and I think the added time will serve everybody well.”
Others said the ballot measure isn’t needed at all.
“There’s no reason for this to go to the ballot,” said Paula Miller, HOA president for The Ranch neighborhood, near the golf course. “We already did it in ‘88.”
The city also received a legal letter last month from a law firm representing the Orange Tree Master Homeowners Association — located directly next to the golf course — and a local group known as Save Irvine Open Space.
The letter, dated July 17, asserts that the city should have already taken control of the land owned by the Irvine Company through an easement so it can remain open space.
Many speakers at Tuesday’s meeting pointed to this easement, asking why it still hasn’t been executed.
“I didn’t come here tonight to support any ballot measure because I’m opposed to this whole process right now,” former Irvine Mayor Christina Shea said at the meeting.
“[The Irvine Company] has to sign an easement. They legally are bound to do it because they were paid for this property,” she said. “They’re in breach of contract. We have an attorney — which we are getting ready to file a lawsuit.”
The four ballot measures presented at the meeting largely circled two main issues: ensuring open space in Irvine can’t be developed in the future without voter approval and whether or not residents give their permission to allow development at the golf course.
“I support delaying this until a meeting in January,” Councilmember Kathleen Treseder said at the meeting. “I think that it makes more sense to have a ballot initiative aligning with the June primary.”
She also said the proposed ballot measures still seemed unclear and asked staff to clarify them further before they discuss the item again in the new year.
At the same time, city staff are in the process of evaluating the Irvine Company’s proposed project, including environmental analysis, which is expected to last about 12 to 18 months.
Angelina Hicks is the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service Editor. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.