My TeamIrvine 8 page color budget-buster mailer arrived today and its worth several posts/Â But the first goes to Mayoral candidate Christina Shea, who was mayor from 1996 to 2000; took two years off and was elected to the City Council again in 2002.
During her time out of office, Larry Agran and Beth Krom led the fight to pass Measure W which effectively killed the airport and contributed significantly to dramatic prices increases in the homes in my neighborhood (my accountants say Thanks and so do my kids).
In Christina’s letter to voters, which starts off “Dear Friend,” she makes a startling claim which is #2 in a list of items on her record.
“I ..fought the County’s Airport proposal and envisioned our Great Park Plan for future generations. I will maintain City Control over the Great Park.”
She envisioned our Great Park Plan? This is an outright lie. Plans for a Great Park grew after she left office. What she envisioned for the El Toro site was an NFL football stadium which she blew $63,000 of taxpayer dollars on a feasibility study that went nowhere. Â
She wrote in the LA Times in 1997:
Part of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, scheduled for closure in 1999, is within the city of Irvine’s planning jurisdiction. After a review of many options, Irvine selected a football stadium as one of the highest and best uses for our 440 acres. We envision the stadium as an anchor for a sports and entertainment complex that will bring thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue to Orange County. It’s a clear demonstration of what exciting options are possible for the rest of El Toro, when other alternatives are given a chance for consideration.
As far as maintaining City Control over the Great Park, Shea opposed that initially siding with and citing the Orange County Grand Jury report that stated the County Board of Supervisors should want to take control of the park from the city.Â
This 2006 article in the LA Times reports:
In April, a council majority voted to make the park board advisory only. Krom and City Council members Sukhee Kang and Larry Agran, who chairs the park board, said the move was merely clarifying the city’s control over the park. City Council members Christina Shea and Steven Choi opposed the move, saying the city was betraying promises made when the board was created in 2003.
It’s clear, Shea is counting on short memories from Irvine voters and will say anything to get votes, including taking credit for things she didn’t do. She’s been critical on the pace of Great Park development but recently called for a slowing down of development work. Which is it?
Biased much? To be opposed to County Board of Supervisors taking control of the Great Park away from the City of Irvine, does NOT mean she opposed the Great Park… Get YOUR memory straight! And a Sports Stadium was but one serious of many other options for what to do with the space. A Sports Stadium, a Great Park, etc… were all IDEAS being thrown around, but she never wanted it to stay as an airport! She just didn’t want Irvine to do this spectacular Park, and then have the County Board of Supervisors take control, and I don’t blame her! I want Irvine in control of its own land space and what’s on it and in it… So like I said, biased much? Obviously…
Ashleigh — I don’t believe I said she was opposed to the Great Park, but she certainly did support the Grand Jruy report that stated the Couty BOS should want to take control of the park from the city. She wrote an OC Register Op-Ed encouraging support for the Grand Jury Report. She wrote a piece for the LA Times saying the Stadium was the “best possible” use for the land. So perhaps you can point to my post and let me know what wasn’t true? Guilty as charged on bias. Is Stephen Smith biased for her on Irvine Tattler. And is bias for her OK but bias against her not?