Liu takes 43-vote lead in Irvine’s District 1 council race

Incumbent Melinda Liu moved ahead of John Park by 43 votes in Irvine’s District 1 City Council race after additional ballots were counted Thursday, according to Voice of OC. The update included 10,992 votes in the race.

The municipal races come as Irvine faces a structural budget deficit projected to reach $37 million in two years, according to Voice of OC. A proposal to replace Oak Creek Golf Club with housing and community facilities has also drawn debate.

Liu held 39.4% of the District 1 vote in the Thursday update, compared with 39% for Park, an OC Food Bank board member, Voice of OC reported. Former Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang had 21.7%.

Other incumbents also held leads. In the mayoral contest, Mayor Larry Agran had 69.7% against software engineer Maksim Egorov’s 30.3%, according to the publication.

In District 5, Councilmember Betty Martinez Franco had 34.4%, while former Councilmember Anthony Kuo had 25.9%. The remaining candidates collectively held 39.6%, Voice of OC reported.

Councilmember Kathleen Treseder led the District 6 race with 57.5%. Irvine sustainability commissioner Scotty Hong had 42.5%.

The city’s finances were among the campaign issues. Some candidates called for an independent city auditor amid the budget deficit, according to Voice of OC.

Candidates also differed over the Oak Creek redevelopment proposal during an Oct. 17 debate. The plan could add more than 3,100 homes, a school, parks and other community spaces, the publication reported.

The Thursday count put Liu in front, but the 43-vote margin represented a lead in updated results, not a final outcome.