Irvine Already Rejected Dirty Politics

Over Easter weekend, I was mulling former Irvine Council member Tammy Kim’s released statement on the District 5 special election that saw Betty Martinez-Franco make history as Irvine’s first elected Latina city council member.  I’ll post the entire comment below for your review.  Kim spead the word far and wide on social media channels available to her; on platforms where she controls the message, limited supporter comments.  If a negatve comment popped up, it was quashed pretty quickly.

For review, Kim moved into District 5 nearly a year ago — for her safety — as commenters at city hall weighed in on the Israel-Palestine conflict.  Since that debate was not city business, Kim and Council members Kathleen Treseder and Mike Carroll didn’t see it relevent to stay and listen to those who wanted to be heard. That was left to then Mayor Farrah Khan and now Mayor Larry Agran.  Kim moved to rent a room in district 5, leaving her young adult son to keep residing in her District 3 condo.  A odd choice given if any Irvine family is moving for safety reasons, the whole family goes.

During the Chrstmas/New Year’s holidays, a Private Investigator began snooping around, interviewing the family of Kim’s District 5 address only to discover the family hadn’t rented her a room. They also snapped photos of Kim spending lotsof time at her District 3 residence.  Kim then quickly found a new District 5 rental, produced a new driver’s license and financial records in her name for the new address when she was sued by a law firm representing former GOP Mayoral Candidate Ron Scolesdang.  As the case went before a Judge, a settlement had been reached where Kim withdrew from the race.  The Scolesdang legal team overreached in the settlement agreement requesting Kim not disparage several people and endorse Anthony Kuo.  That firm latter said Kim had asked for $10,000 to withdraw and lowered it to $5,000 before they rejected her.  Kim’s lawyers say this isn’t true.

Up until the settlement, Kim insisted she qualified for the ballot on residency issues, but decided that wasn’t winning so she withdrew from the race. Thta’s an odd decision given the hoops in which she jumped.  Martinez then got the endorsements and support that went to Kim, and help from Unions and the Irvine Democratic clubs/members to upset the well-funded Kuo campaign.  The mailer of Kuo, with President Trump and Doge leader Elon Musk wasan’t the winner the Republicans thought it would be.

So Kim decided to write Kuo’s political obituary.

Or did she really write hers?

I’ve  added some comments in sections below:

Irvine Rejects Dirty Politics:

My Statement Regarding Outcome of Irvine City Council Special Election

For immediate release
April 16, 2025
Tammy Kim

I have deliberately refrained from commenting on the Irvine City Council District 5 special election, allowing the process to unfold without interference from me or those who have supported our candidacy. Unfortunately, the result was marked by record low voter turnout.  (editor’s note: many special elections have low voter turnout) It is deeply troubling that a council seat in one of California’s most influential cities, with a prominent global profile, could be decided by fewer than 4,000 votes, electing a candidate who emerged from obscurity and demonstrated minimal knowledge or substance on key issues (editor’s note: one could say exactly the same of Tammy Kim from the 2020 election to city council). Clearly, voters in District 5 were motivated not by enthusiasm for their chosen candidate but by a decisive rejection of what they did not want. (editor’s note: Nope; Martinez’s voters were very motivated and to say shehas minimal knowledge of the issues is incorrect; at least Betty wouldn’t show up at an event and call Epoch Times a key for democracy)

Anthony Kuo’s humiliating defeat in Irvine’s District 5 special election isn’t merely a political loss—it represents a complete and spectacular implosion, a profound rejection of the disgraceful tactics he and his allies employed to manipulate the election outcome by forcing my withdrawal from the race (editor’s note in two parts: Irvine did that for the 2024 Mayor’s race rejecting the well-funded and highly endorsed Kim’s atacks on ageism; and Kim willingly withdrew from the race before a Judge could rule she likely committed candidate/voter fraud). Despite District 5 being shamelessly engineered specifically for Kuo through Larry Agran’s blatant gerrymandering (re-districting was done by a trained professional and voted on by the entire city council; to claim Agran is responsible for gerrymandering is a blantant lie), Kuo’s severely flawed candidacy failed spectacularly against a virtually unknown opponent (editor’s note: Kim in 2020). This embarrassing defeat marks a new low, underscoring voters’ definitive repudiation of Anthony Kuo and Larry Agran’s unethical and manipulative brand of politics. (editor’s note: Unethical? Agran did a dual endorsement of both candidates which isn’t without precedent in Irvine. But unethical? Kim took credit for “her” idea of a botanical garden at the Great Park whcih was always a part of the master plan, she denied Agran a second so she could claim his ideas as hers, and used Irvine taxpayer dollars to sponsor a Korean-American trade show in Anaheim which did not benefit the city but boosted her profile).

Their loss is especially humiliating given the unprecedented level of dirty political maneuvering and massive special-interest spending—over $400,000 dumped into a desperate attempt to prop up his floundering candidacy. (Kim spent about $300,000 from a county firefighter’s PAC to fight a recall that never happened so special intersted spending is good if she’s the one spending) Kuo’s defeat epitomizes the absolute rejection of dirty politics by Irvine voters. (editor’s note: so did Kim’s defeat for Mayor)

This result isn’t simply an electoral setback; it’s the final nail in the coffin of a career built on entitlement, political arrogance, and a reliance on playing dirty politics rather than genuine leadership or meaningful community connection. (ibid)

Anthony Kuo’s political career is finished—not because of circumstances or chance—but because voters finally saw through the charade (editor’s note: is it?). His inability to win even when the deck was stacked entirely in his favor underscores just how fundamentally flawed he is as a candidate (editor’s note; it was a special election).

This isn’t merely a defeat; it’s a well-deserved public humiliation for a candidate who believed dirty tricks could compensate for a lack of character, authenticity, and integrity (editor’s noe: let’s see what happens when OCDA Todd Spitzer finishes reviewing the case file against Kim for voting from an address she did not resident at i 2024).

Karma’s a bitch.

It sure is.  Kim lef the comment on NextDoor and it’s gone — likely for violating that site’s rules on political attacks.  Scant comments on her Instagram page.  On Facebook, Community College trustee Ryan Dack asked Kim if she voted from her District 5 address….burn.  But Reddit is loaded with Tammy Kim issues.  Here’s a sample:  https://www.reddit.com/r/irvine/comments/1k1i1vu/irvine_rejects_dirty_politics/?rdt=47633 

It will be difficult for the party to endorse against an incumbent city council member when the distrcit 5 seat comes up again in two years; maybe Kim is plotting a rematch against Agran.  Or she might file to run for County BoS as Wagner’s seat will be up.  Kim’s only political position now is that she’s a member of the DPOC Central Committee and willbe until 2028.  Hopefully, someone who cares and sit down with her an explain the concept of a political obituary.