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November 3, 2026
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4 out of 7 seats on the City Council 4 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||
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| Elections in California |
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The 2026 Irvine elections will be held on November 3, 2026 to elect municipal officials in Irvine, California. Four of the seven seats are up for election on Irvine City Council.
It is widely expected that an Irvine open space protection ballot measure will also be on the ballot in 2026. [1]
Municipal elections in California are officially nonpartisan; candidates’ party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.
Mayor
[edit]Incumbent mayor Larry Agran was elected mayor of Irvine in 2024, defeating a field of challengers and is eligible for re-election in 2026.
City council
[edit]District 1
[edit]District 1 covers north Irvine, including Orchard Hills, West Irvine, Northpark, Stonegate, and parts of Northwood.The incumbent is Melinda Liu, who was first elected in 2024 to a short term after defeating John Park.
Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Melinda Liu (Democratic), incumbent Irvine city councilmember, serving a short term[2]
- Sukhee Kang (Democratic), Former Mayor of Irvine [3]
Filed Paperwork
[edit]- John Park (Republican), Vice Chair of the California Republican Party and perennial candidate [4][5][6]
Fundraising
[edit]| Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 2025[b] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Melinda Liu (D) | $78,071 | $5,326 | $25,910 |
| Sukhee Kang (D) | no filing | no filing | no filing |
| John Park (R) | no filing | no filing | no filing |
| Source: City of Irvine[7] | |||
District 5
[edit]District 5 includes the neighborhoods of Rancho San Joaquin, University Park, Westpark, and Woodbridge. The incumbent is Betty Martinez Franco, who was first elected in 2025 to a short term after defeating former councilmember Anthony Kuo.
Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Betty Martinez Franco (Democratic), incumbent Irvine city councilmember, serving a short term[8]
- Byron Salvatierra (Democratic), Iraq War Army Veteran [9]
- Katherine Daigle (Republican), perennial candidate[10]
- Anthony Kuo (Republican), former Irvine City Councilmember, current Irvine Finance Commission member [11] [12]
Filed paperwork
[edit]Fundraising
[edit]| Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 2025[b] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Byron Salvatierra (D) | $21,819 | $1,898 | $19,920 |
| Betty Martinez Franco (D) | $3,500 | $962 | $2,537 |
| Alex Mohajer (D) | $-4,580 | $1,055 | $11,115 |
| Katherine Daigle (R) | no filing | no filing | no filing |
| Anthony Kuo (R) | no filing | no filing | no filing |
| Steven C. Alves (R) | no filing | no filing | no filing |
| Christine Knowland (NPP) | no filing | no filing | no filing |
| Julie Glossbrenner (NPP) | no filing | no filing | no filing |
| Source: City of Irvine[7] | |||
District 6
[edit]District 6 includes the neighborhoods of University Hills, Irvine Business Complex, and the University of California, Irvine. While technically vacant, Irvine councilmember Kathleen Treseder, serving at-large since 2022, resides in District 6.
Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]- Kathleen Treseder (Democratic), at-large Irvine City Councilmember [18]
- Scotty Hong (Democratic), Council Executive Assistant to Irvine Mayor Larry Agran[16][19]
Fundraising
[edit]| Campaign finance reports as of December 31, 2025[b] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Kathleen Treseder (D) | $23,445 | $3,070 | $20,374 |
| Scotty Hong (D) | no filing | no filing | no filing |
| Source: City of Irvine[7] | |||
Ballot measures
[edit]Ranked-Choice Voting Ballot Measure
[edit] | |
November 3, 2026
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[Official ballot title not yet finalized] |
The Irvine City Council voted to place a measure on the November 3, 2026 general election asking whether to adopt ranked-choice voting for municipal elections at its July 14th meeting.[20][21] Irvine's current elections are run under a first-past-the-post system where election winners frequently don't get majority support. [c] If passed, this measure would allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference; if no candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated and ballots are redistributed in rounds until one candidate reaches a majority.[20][21]
If passed, ranked-choice voting would make Irvine one of two Orange County cities using the system, alongside Huntington Beach, which was separately ordered by a Orange County Superior Court judge to adopt ranked-choice voting following litigation over its at-large council elections.[22]
Notes
[edit]- ↑ While District 6 remains vacant under Measure D, the measure treated at large incumbents residing in District 5 and 6 as districted incumbents if a vacancy were to occur. At-large councilmember Kathleen Treseder resides in District 6 and is being reflected here as a "Democratic incumbent".
- 1 2 3 Raised and spent figures reflect campaign activity during calendar year 2025 only and do not include prior periods.
- ↑ All Irvine elections in 2024 with more that two candidates had winners earn less than 50% of the vote.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Irvine Open Space Protection Ballot Measure Kicked to 2026". Voice of OC. August 14, 2025.
- ↑ "About Melinda Liu". Melinda Liu for City Council District 1. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Plans for District 1". Sukhee Kang for Irvine City Council District 1. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Board Members - CAGOP". California Republican Party. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
- ↑ "John Park". Ballotpedia. Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
- ↑ "FPPC Form 501 (Candidate Intention Statement) – John Park". City of Irvine. California Fair Political Practices Commission. July 1, 2026. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "City of Irvine - Campaign Finance Disclosure". City of Irvine. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Betty for Irvine". Betty for Irvine. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑
- ↑ Kuo, Anthony (July 2, 2026). "Instagram Announcement of candidacy for Irvine City Council District 5". Instagram. Anthony Kuo. Retrieved July 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Finance Commission". City of Irvine. City of Irvine, Administrative Services Department. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Alex Mohajer for City Council 2026 Statement of Organization".
- ↑ "Christine Knowland Candidate intention statement".
- ↑ "Julie Glossbrenner Candidate intention statement".
- 1 2 "2026 Irvine City Council Candidates And Election Preview (May Update)".
- ↑ "Steven C. Alves Candidate intention statement".
- ↑ "Dr. Kathleen Treseder". Katheen Treseder for Irvine City Council District 6. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Meet Scotty". Scotty Hong for Irvine City Council District 6. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- 1 2 Le, Victoria (July 15, 2026). "Ranked-choice voting for Irvine elections? It'll be up to voters". Orange County Register.
- 1 2 Hernández, Cato (July 15, 2026). "Irvine puts ranked-choice voting on the November ballot — with a caveat". LAist.
- ↑