The big four city commissions in Irvine have seated its commissioners unde the new Democratic-majority city council. There’s Planning, Finance, Transportation and Community Services as the big four plus several smaller bodies and committees that I’m sure we’ll hear about soon. Commissioners do a significant amount of work helping to carve out good policy from bad to place before the city council for action and a vote. And the appointment list troubles me.
Simply stated, when Republicans are in the majority in Irvine, they stick it to the Democrats. Their commissioners chair the commissions, direct policy, and we’re stuck with a “the voters picked us, here are your table scraps.”
So when three Democrats control the city council, I’d expect Democratic-appointed commissioners to lead the big commissions. This isn’t the case. Councilmember and mail-budget abuser Mike Carroll has two appointees services as Commission chairs. Two. And Republican Anthony Kuo has one. Seriously, what the……
Here’s the list:
Planning Commission
https://www.cityofirvine.org/community-development/planning-commission
Chair Jeff Pierson
(Appointed by Michael Carroll)
Vice Chair Stephen Huang
(Appointed by Farrah Khan)
Chair Pro Tem Christine Knowland
(Appointed by Anthony Kuo)
Commissioner Jong Limb
(Appointed by Tammy Kim)
Commissioner Mary Ann Gaido
(Appointed by Larry Agran)
Editor’s note: Mary Ann Gaido has more institutional knowledge of Irvine planning than the four other commissioners combined. She is the smart and logical choice to chair this commission. Instead, we have a Mike Carroll appointee as chair. This smells as bad as it looks.
Finance Commission
APPOINTMENTS BY CITY COUNCIL
Five (5) members at large are appointed by the City Council. Currently, the following individuals serve on the Commission:
Chair John Park
(Appointed by Anthony Kuo)
Vice Chair Faruk Bhagani
(Appointed by Farah N. Khan)
Commissioner Mike Genest
(Appointed by Michael C. Carroll)
Commissioner Lauren Johnson-Norris
(Appointed by Larry Agran)
Commissioner Magi Yang
(Appointed by Tammy Kim)
Hey Democratic majority, John Park has a new platform to run for council in two years. He leads the Greater Irvine Republicans club which has bylaws that follow Reagan’s 11’th commandment that “no Republican speak ill of another Republican.”
When the insurrection at the Capitol happened, Park posted this on social media: “Unity is important. It’s what we should ALL strive towards, not with empty words but with action. I condemn violence in lieu of rule of law in any situation. However, when the dust settles, we should also reflect on the why. You can’t continue to generalize and demonize half of the nation for 4 long years and expect unity overnight now that you’ve won. If you truly want Unity, start by listening to the other side. You don’t have to agree but you can at least learn “why”. This action may make you a better leader and neighbor. These are sad times but I am confident we will rise above all of it together as Americans.”
Nice words, if only he meant it. How many of we Democrats were called “snowflakes needing a safe space” for the last four years? And no condemnation of President Trump’s incitement of the crowd or refusal to accept the results of our elections. John’s an experienced financial professional. Policy wise, he should be at the kiddie table.
Transportation Commission
https://www.cityofirvine.org/transportation-department/transportation-commission
Appointments by City Council
Five members at-large are appointed by City Council:
Chair – VACANT
Vice Chair Ken Montgomery
(Appointed by Vice Mayor Tammy Kim)
Commissioner Avinder Chawla
(Appointed by Mayor Farrah N. Khan)
Commissioner Shilpa Patel
(Appointed by Councilmember Anthony Kuo)
Commissioner Sidney Wu
(Appointed by Councilmember Mike Carroll)
At this point, anyone Larry Agran appoints ought to be chair. There’s much to be said of institutional knowledge of the city and I’d trust his judgement on this seat.
Community Services Commission
https://www.cityofirvine.org/community-services-department/community-services-commission
Chair Kevin Trussell (Appointed by Councilmember Carroll)
Vice Chair Soha Vazirnia (Appointed by Mayor Khan)
Commissioner Naz Hamid (Appointed by Vice Mayor Kim)
Commissioner Dick Owens (Appointed by Councilmember Kuo)
Commissioner Jing Sun (Appointed by Councilmember Agran)
Too often, when Democrats win elections, we try to reach across the aisle in hopes of bi-partisan good will and work for the common good of our city, county and state. And when Republicans win, they stick it to us. They defend bad behavior in their party from local to national posts.
Democrats won seats in the Irvine city council by wide margins. But these city commission appointments make me shake my head and they certainly don’t reflect the will of the voters. So much for building a bench. The Republicans are one seat away from reclaiming a majority and they won’t be nice about it if they do.
So Democrats, either build a bench or be benched; surrendering Commission chairs to Republicans is wrong.