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With two weeks to go before Election Day, campaigning is heating up in Irvine with big last-minute spending from candidates and the interests supporting them.
The spending will help shape the outcome of one of Irvine’s most consequential elections in years, marking the city’s shift to district voting and a guarantee of at least three new council members joining the dais.
This year, the biggest spenders in town are the county firefighter union, the Lincoln Club conservative donor group and a coalition of McDonalds franchise owners, who’ve collectively spent nearly $800,000 on their favored candidates.
Last month, candidates gave their views on how to best run the city in a forum held by the Irvine Watchdog.
[Read: Irvine City Council Candidates Split on Green Power and Housing]
Who’s Spending in the Mayor’s Race?
Irvine Councilwoman Tammy Kim has seen the most spending in the mayor’s race, with over $300,000 in support from the Orange County Professional Firefighters Association and an additional $213,000 fundraised from largely small dollar donations over the past two years.
About half the firefighter union’s support came from ads purchased without Kim’s involvement, but they also donated $150,000 directly to Kim via a committee she set up to protect herself from a recall effort.
While the recall effort has not qualified for the ballot, organizers still have until late November to gather signatures.
Ordinarily, candidates aren’t allowed to accept donations that large, but Kim said that under state law it’s protected because she’s the target of a recall.
“I wasn’t circumventing anything, I did not ask to be recalled, I did not want to be recalled,” Kim said in an interview last Thursday. “But I do have the legal right to defend myself, that’s all.”
Jay Wierenga, spokesperson for the Fair Political Practices Commission, declined to comment on the issue last week because the agency is currently reviewing Kim’s spending, but provided a copy of the agency’s guidelines for recall fundraising.
“The Act expressly states that an elected state officer who is the target of a recall may accept
contributions into a committee established to oppose the qualification of the recall or the recall election without regard to the contribution limits,” the rules read.
Kim sits on the Orange County Fire Authority’s board, while Councilman Larry Agran, one of her leading opponents, has publicly questioned if Irvine should remain in the countywide agency that the firefighter’s union belongs to.
The only other outside spending on Kim came from Unite Here Local 11, the union that represents hotel workers throughout Orange County, who spent $20,000 advertising her candidacy.
Agran has raised about $35,000 in small dollar donations over the past two years for his campaign according to his campaign disclosures, with another $31,000 he contributed himself via a loan.
Ron Scolesdang, who’s endorsed by the county Republican Party, has raised $7,300 for his race.
Lee Sun has raised around $23,000 in donations, and loaned $30,000 of his own money to the campaign.
Wing Chow and Felipe Delgado have raised less than $2,000.
Akshat Bhatia did not disclose any fundraising.
City Council District #1
This year residents on the northern edge of the city in neighborhoods like Orchard Hills will elect their first district council person, and no matter who they pick it’ll be a new face on the dais.
Finance Commissioner Melinda Liu is leading the pack for fundraising, having raised over $50,000 in direct contributions from donors including the firefighter’s union, several construction unions and other residents, along with $70,000 of her own money.
Transportation Commissioner John Park is not far behind, having raised $25,000 from residents and donors such as the firefighters and police officers unions, alongside nearly $24,000 of his own money he’s invested in the race.
The Lincoln Club, a conservative donor group based in Orange County, has also spent over $77,000 advertising his candidacy.
The group has also spent over $14,000 opposing Liu.
Planning Commissioner Michelle Johnson, who also drew the map the city is now using for district elections, has raised around $35,000 from donors and loaned her campaign $125,000 of her own money.
The Lincoln Club has spent $5,000 opposing her campaign.
Small business owner Jackie Kan has raised nearly $16,000, and loaned $27,500 of her own money to the campaign.
Jeff Kitchen has raised less than $8,000.
City Council District #2
The newly created second district covers most of the Great Park and the surrounding neighborhoods, who for years have brought up concerns that their interests aren’t represented on city council.
Now, they’re guaranteed a new council member on the dais.
One of the leading fundraisers in the race is Transportation Commissioner William Go, who’s raised nearly $60,000 from donors including several construction unions, the police union and the county firefighter’s union, who’ve also spent $8,000 on their own advertising Go.
The California Alliance of Family Owned Businesses political action committee has also spent over $70,000 advertising Go. All of the committee’s Orange County donors are McDonald’s franchisees, according to campaign disclosures.
Go also loaned himself $100,000 for the race.
Finance Commissioner Jeff Starke has raised nearly $19,000 in direct donations, and loaned the campaign $20,000 of his own money.
Parissa Yazdani, a planning commissioner who co-chaired the now decommissioned Great Park Task Force, has raised less than $10,000.
Architect Gang Chen has raised less than $5,000 this year.
Mohammed Kothermydeen disclosed no fundraising.
City Council District #3
The city’s third district covers the heart of the city in neighborhoods like College Park, The Ranch and Northwood – and all three candidates are members of the city’s Community Services Commission.
So far, James Mai has raised less than $8,000, and loaned nearly $41,000 of his own money to the campaign.
He’s also received strong support from both the Lincoln Club and the firefighters union, with the club spending over $88,000 advertising his candidacy alongside an additional $8,000 from the union.
Mai also received another $70,000 in advertising from a coalition of McDonalds franchisees via a committee – A Better Orange County, Sponsored by California Alliance of Family Owned Businesses.
Tom Chomyn raised over $15,000 from donors and loaned the campaign $3,000 of his own money according to disclosures.
He also received nearly $19,000 in support from the Lincoln Club according to disclosures.
Jing Sun has raised nearly $54,000 in direct contributions from residents, along with donations from the firefighters’ union and several unions.
City Council District #4
Councilman Mike Carroll is running for reelection in the city’s Fourth District against Ayn Craciun, an environmental policy advocate who was one of the leading advocates behind establishing the Orange County Power Authority, in which Irvine was a founding member.
Carroll was the power authority’s founding chairman and later tried to pull Irvine out of the agency altogether. He also served as chair of the Great Park Board over the past two years, during which the city has been moving forward with its new vision of the park.
[Read: Irvine’s Great Park Has Its First Development Plan in Years, Can the City Deliver?]
So far, he has raised over $62,000 this year from direct donations, including donors such as the police union, the firefighter’s union, the county employee union and Irvine residents.
Carroll has also received over $150,000 in advertising from a mix of the Lincoln Club, the county firefighter’s union and a coalition of McDonald’s franchisees.
Craciun has fundraised over $53,000 in direct donations from donors including the Democratic Party of Orange County, the OC League of Conservation Voters and others, with most of her donations coming from Irvine residents.
The Lincoln Club also spent an additional $24,000 on ads opposing Craciun’s campaign.
Unite Here Local 11, the local union that represents hotel workers, has spent around $20,000 supporting Craciun’s campaign.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @NBiesiada.
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