Fomrer Council member Tammy Kim isn’t the only Democrat running in Irvine’s District 5 for the special election for City Council. Public Relations executive Betty Franco Martinez announced her candidacy last week and issued this statement on social media.
“I’m thrilled to officially announce my candidacy for Irvine City Council, District 5!
I’m running because I believe in building a community where every voice matters, where local businesses thrive, and where we work together to create a brighter future for our city. Irvine deserves leadership that listens, unites, and takes action to enhance the quality of life for all its residents.
This is just the beginning! Stay tuned for the launch of my campaign website and more information on how you can get involved. Your support means everything to me!
Please share this post to help spread the word and join me on this journey to make a difference in our community.
#IrvineD5 #BettyFranco4irvine
Martinez’s candidancy makes her a rare Latinx candidate for City Council in Irvine.
Here is her professional bio:
Betty has over ten years of experience in the field of public relations, strategic partnerships, community outreach, and media relations. She is passionate about building meaningful relationships with clients and the media and constantly seeks new and innovative ways to promote and enhance her client’s brands.
Throughout her career, Betty has worked with a diverse client portfolio and championed initiatives that benefit the Latinx and other diverse communities. For example, Betty has been instrumental in Ford Motor Company’s marketing campaigns on the West Coast for the LatinX market and conducted successful campaigns in California, such as Mujeres Legendarias, Abrochate por Amor, and 100 Deadliest Days, among many others.
A firm believer in education, Betty completed her master’s in public administration at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy to enhance her public service and government relations skills. She always seeks opportunities to bridge government agencies to diverse neighborhoods by providing effective and timely information. At the same time, Betty serves as a member-at-large for the City of Irvine’s DEI Committee to advocate for more equal and inclusive opportunities in government for all.
The biggest difference between Martinez and Kim is that Martinez is a longtime resident of District 5 where Kim, citing personal safety concerns from her condo in another district, is renting an apartment in the district soley to run for city council. Kim might have more political campaign experience but Martinez is better known in the community. Republican former Vice Mayor Anthony Kuo is also expected to pull papers to run for this seat and a Kuo victory splits the city council into three Republicans and three Democrats with Mayor Larry Agran being the tie-breaker.
It’s obvious this Betty person is just a pawn in Farrah Khan’s game to split the vote and hand the win to her pal Kuo. Spare us all the nonsense about “deep roots”—Kim’s been representing the district for four years as an at-large councilmember. As for this blog, you’ve had a vendetta against Kim for years, so none of this is surprising. If Betty can’t see she’s being used, then she’s dumber than she looks. Just toss her in the long list of candidates who were put in to be used from as recent as Lee Sun to PK Wong with the only thing to show was massive debt.
I was the first to sign Tammy’s nomination papers in 2020 and maxed out to her campaign. Then, she started taking credit for everything and she stole ideas Agran wanted on the agenda and made them her own. Her lack of institutional knowledge remains a weakness for her. She’s not exactly truthful
Kim is also very dumb, ham-fisted and an intellectual lightweight hood rat from the midwest. She knows nothing about Irvine or Orange County. Just another carpetbagging hack.
Kuo already has a huge advantage in this district; he’s lived there for years
Dan, please use spell check! Misspellings marginalize your points, most of which are very important. LatinX is a nonsense term and Democrats like you should stop using it because it is actually offensive to Latinos. Tammy Kim moving or renting an apartment is not a debatable point. If she lives in the apartment like Andrew Do, put a camera on her and see, then she is eligible to run for the office. It shouldn’t matter if she has another residence in another part of the city. If she doesn’t live there, then she is committing a crime and should be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
That’s cut and pasted from her business website. Tammy thinks she’s being stalked and I don’t have time to care about where she lives