Irvine could be getting one new city council member, according to Wednesday’s 5 p.m. election results from the OC Registrar of Voters.
In District 1, OC Food Bank Board Member John Park — a Republican who has run unsuccessfully for city council in the past — was leading the race with about 39.5% of the vote, ahead of incumbent Melinda Liu, who had about 38.5% of the vote — a difference of about 100 votes between the two.
Former Mayor Sukhee Kang was in last place for the District 1 race with about 22% of the over 10,000 votes tallied so far.
For the mayor’s seat, incumbent Larry Agran was leading with about 69.5% of the over 57,000 votes tallied so far, while software engineer Maksim Egorov was trailing with about 30.5% of the vote.
In District 5, five candidates are vying for a single seat.
Incumbent Betty Martinez Franco was leading with about 34.2% of the vote, while former Councilmember Anthony Kuo was in second place with about 26% of the over 11,000 votes tallied so far.
Steven Alves, a business owner, was in third place with about 25.5% of the vote. Bryon Salvatierra, a cybersecurity manger, was in fourth place with 9% of the vote, and Julie Glossbrenner, a housing specialist, was trailing with 5.3% of the vote.
In District 6, incumbent Kathleen Treseder was leading with about 57% of the over 6,000 votes tallied so far, while Irvine sustainability commissioner Scotty Hong was trailing with about 43% of the vote.
It comes as the city grapples with a rocky budget and a structural deficit that is estimated to reach an annual $37 million by July 1, 2028. If spending doesn’t slow down, that deficit could increase to $47 million by the end of the decade.
Those budget issues have prompted some people to ask the city to establish an independent auditor, yet city leaders decided to sidestep auditing some previous spending decisions in a recent meeting.
It also comes as resident debate over the future of Oak Creek Golf Club, which has been the subject of heated debate over the past few years as leaders consider developing the 281-acre golf course as housing.
The proposal from the Irvine Company could replace the Oak Creek Golf Club with 3,100 housing units, a new school, parks and other community spaces.
