Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan, first elected to the Irvine City Council in 2018 and then as its mayor in 2020, is seeking re-election to the city’s top spot in the upcoming Nov. 8 election.
“Two years is pretty much a short time when it comes to being a mayor and actually accomplishing your goals,” Khan told The Epoch Times. “I’m looking forward to continuing the good work and really leading the city into the next phase.”
Khan, who used to manage a biotech company, said she has tried to encompass Irvine’s motto as “the city of innovation” by starting last December what’s known as the Innovation Council.
The council is a group of CEOs from technology companies, heads of local universities, and venture capitalists that hold events to encourage more economic growth locally.
If re-elected, Khan said she would like to expand on the idea by creating an “Innovation Center” in Irvine, giving office space to venture capitalists that will help fund startups to grow into companies that are headquartered in Orange County.
“Let’s make sure we are reinvesting back in our community,” she said.
Local universities, such as Chapman and the University of California–Irvine—would have an important role in such a program, she said, as they are responsible for training students for jobs in the tech field.
“We want to have economic development where if a company’s hiring, we’re able to reach out to our students … and give them that opportunity as well,” she said.
Khan said she, if re-elected, is looking forward to developing the Great Park by building a botanical garden, library, and amphitheater—of which the city council just approved.
The city also partnered with USA Water Polo, which is headquartered in Irvine, to build multiple pools at the park for community and professional use. The facilities may also serve as a training ground for the U.S. Olympic water polo teams.
Additionally, Khan said she is also looking forward to carrying out the recent city council-approved municipal farm at the park.
The farmer’s market-style program is meant to provide fresh produce on a weekly basis to Irvine residents who are “food insecure,” who normally rely on CalFresh, a government program for low-income Californians that provides financial assistance for purchasing food.
“[It is] doing our part to really help make sure our community members are getting nutritious food,” Khan said.
She additionally said that in her time as mayor, one program she is proud of helping implement is what’s called One Irvine, which provides funding to revitalize Irvine’s older neighborhoods—built in 1975 or before—with solar panels, energy-efficient lights, and drought-resistant landscaping upgrades.
As she was elected mayor during the height of the pandemic, Khan said she tasked herself with pulling data from the Orange County Health Care Agency’s website and breaking it down for residents.
She also created the city’s COVID-19 Taskforce that included representatives from Kaiser, Memorial Care Providence, and UCI, which among other initiatives, transferred extra vaccines to a senior center in Irvine.
When the COVID vaccine was approved for children under 5, the task force also opened a clinic in the city.
Another issue that has made headlines recently, is complaints by some Irvine residents of odors emitting from an asphalt plant in north Irvine.
According to Kahn, the city first received residents’ concerns about the issue dating back to 2019.
But she said there is no data showing the plant’s emissions are exceeding any of the required limits. Thus, she said, the city cannot shut down the plant.
“If we had the data that showed higher emissions than what is required, then there would be no issue right now. We would have taken action,” she said.
She said the city has worked with the plant to curb its emissions by improving its equipment. But ultimately, she said, the plant should relocate.
“We don’t want to have people lose their jobs there. We don’t want to shut them down. But at the same time, we want to protect our community,” she said.
With the state mandating Irvine’s plan for over 20,000 new housing units in the next 8 years, Khan said she’s helped maintain communities by designating areas for high-density units in locations that would not impact the city’s current neighborhoods.
“We are going to make sure that we maintain our masterplan communities because … that’s why people move here. And we want to make sure that we honor that,” she said.
Khan, who grew up in northern California, moved with her family to Irvine in 2004. Her two children, now grown, have attended Irvine public schools since kindergarten.
Prior to politics, she worked as a regulatory affairs manager for a biotech company. She also helped with her husband’s restaurant and catering business.
Khan said she thinks her experience at city hall will help get her re-elected.
“When I look for a leader, I’m looking for someone that’s not going to point fingers and criticize,” she said. “I’m looking at what they’ve done in the past to make things better.”
Her opponents are Tom Chomyn, Katherine Daigle, Branda Lin, and Simon Moon.
Campaign filings show Khan has raised around $110,000 through the end of June.
