Agran leads Irvine mayoral race; Park holds narrow District 1 edge

Mayor Larry Agran led Irvine’s mayoral race while John Park held a 120-vote advantage over incumbent Melinda Liu in District 1, according to preliminary results reported by Voice of OC. Council incumbents Betty Martinez Franco and Kathleen Treseder also led their races.

Four of Irvine’s seven council seats were on the ballot as the city used all six election districts for the first time. The races come as city leaders face a projected structural budget deficit and a proposal to redevelop Oak Creek Golf Club.

Voice of OC reported the standings using preliminary returns from the OC Registrar of Voters. More than 246,500 ballots still awaited processing across Orange County on Wednesday morning; that figure was countywide, not an Irvine-only total.

Agran had about 70% of the more than 54,600 mayoral votes counted, compared with roughly 30% for Maksim Egorov. In District 1, Park had about 40%, Liu about 38% and former Mayor Sukhee Kang about 22%, with more than 9,400 votes tallied.

Martinez Franco led the five-candidate District 5 contest with approximately 34%. Anthony Kuo followed at about 26% and Steven Alves at about 25%, while Bryon Salvatierra had 9% and Julie Glossbrenner had 5%. More than 10,500 votes had been counted in that race.

In District 6, Treseder held about 57% to Scotty Hong’s roughly 43%, with more than 5,900 votes tallied, according to Voice of OC.

The publication reported that Irvine’s annual structural deficit was projected to reach $37 million by July 1, 2028. It could grow to $47 million by the decade’s end unless spending slows. Some people have called for an independent city auditor, and city leaders recently declined to audit some past spending decisions.

Another issue facing the city is the Irvine Company’s proposal for Oak Creek Golf Club. The plan would replace the 281-acre course with 3,100 homes, a new school, parks and other community spaces, Voice of OC reported.

The reported leads remained preliminary, with ballots still being processed across Orange County.