Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan is running for re-election and, for a while, her only opponents were Republican Katherine Daigle and socialist spoiler Luis Huang. Now, for Republican Mayor and Council member Christina Shea and pastor Simon Moon have pulled papers for Mayor as Republicans. Irvine Watchdog co-founder Branda Lin has pulled papers to run for office as well and sources are telling us Huang will drop out to throw his support to Lin.
Lin, a city commissioner under Khan, has resigned from Watchdog to concentrate on running for office. Here’s her post on social media to announce the news:
I pulled papers and will be running for Mayor in Irvine! For the past four years I have dedicated myself to local municipal issues and led a group of dedicated volunteers through Irvine Watchdog (IrvineWatchdog.org) because I believe in a strong local government that values transparency, honesty, and accountability, for the betterment of our community. I’m passionate about informing residents to empower residents. If we can effect change anywhere it’s here at home. Irvine has been my home since birth and I’m excited for this opportunity to make a difference from the inside. It’s all about community! Let’s do this!
Now pulling papers and filing are two different things; papers with valid signatures will need to be turned in next week. It’s going to be an interesting campaign.