https://ocvote.gov/results/current-election-results
Huh. First results Betty’s a little ahead! Betty the pal of Melahat and Jeff Flint. It’s hard to root for anybody in this race, but who knows, MAYBE she would be a fourth member of the Treseder contingent…
Next results at 9:30! Hmm. They didn’t change much. Next count tomorrow at 5. And I thought Kuo had it. I guess the Democrats came out for Betty. Remember this was the race that was supposed to be Tammy’s to lose. Well, I’m looking forward to more comments from Irvine people cuz I haven’t been following it that close.
Although I did notice a certain pink toad has started singing Strader’s tune while protesting loudly that he isn’t. Good times!
So this may very well be the next Irvine councilcritter, and Neshanian wants us to appreciate her oratory:
Have you ever heard or seen Betty speak? She is an unmitigated disaster.
And, if she wins, Agran’s platform is sunk. He will be stuck voting with racist Mai and fraudulent Carroll. Nice look.
That is a disaster of his own making.
As for Betty — she’s an immigrant who obviously did not grow up speaking English. So what? Would you make fun of an Armenian immigrant in a similar position?
It’s not just the accent Greg. But yea I’d make fun of an Armenian immigrant also. She is not very polished for. Pr professional and public servant.
When I used to make fun of Jose Diaz (before he ran back to Florida) everyone said it was because of his accent and I was a big old bigot. No, it was because of the dumb things he said WITH his accent (when you could decipher them.)
Jay Chen ran into the same thing criticizing Michelle Steel.
She says some dumb goofy dinghy broad stuff for an educated individual with a masters degree from USC that has nothing to do with the accent.
Patrick Strader must be stewing in his own juices right now…
I would think that he would be stewing in juices that he had siphoned away from someone else.
Larry may be wondering why he chose to run for mayor instead of retiring right now.
Power and hubris. Next question!
She was an at large DEI commissioner for almost 3 years. They didn’t accomplish a thing. Here I am blasting the commission on her way out. She doesn’t deny out. Carroll has not reappointed a commissioner since I spoke. Btw I was a district 5 resident for 20+ years. I fled.
https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/play/lZLlMLm1KzKruJtIU6-uw5myk2AoHu1_yfHs2jRM-RNgDLO23nk05gcBwNwlZTZ-C6RMdwWaIRM0dXoQ.o1FogwvXbJlzgnqQ?canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&continueMode=true&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fus06web.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2FkknUwoZEocXOR76-IH2mqkcHYEUz-3u6fkoaGmVsoZZ_HtZ1PrsP0gpnVSFVOEj1.6o9T86fRWfYVWE6c (Queue to 50:00 to 59:40, Franco leaves room at 58:15.)
For those of you who want to enjoy Eric’s accented (not that there’s anything that’s wrong with that) speech, start at 53:30. He’s much more gracious and complimentary towards this committee than you would imagine from reading him here; indeed, you’d never expect him to be as critical of it as he is in the second sentence of his comment just above. And he ends many statements with a rising pitch, as if they were questions, which I never would have expected.
Isn’t that, like, a Kardashian thinggg???
No, that’s normal interrogatory inflection. This is for declaratory statements, like: “That’s a Kardashian thing?”
Irvine no longer has at large DEI commissioners. Their purpose was to assist the original group of appointed commissioners to prepare a RFP for a DEI consultant. They never accomplished that charge.
I should supplement my comment above. Eric also spoke starting shortly after the 56:00 minute mark, and gave an insulting diatribe of the sort that we’re used to here, including attacking the committee for noting Afghan Independence Day while not celebrating Armenian, Greek, and other independence days. (I think he included some that were not Eastern Orthodox as well.) So if you want to hear three minutes of that, including the use of forms of “bullcrap” as a verb, as well a novel use of “bullcrapping” as a gerund, there you can find it. Personally, I think that that term doesn’t mean “shit.”
Thus is the record set straight. Carry on!
It was a reference to a bluffing card game.
And Nooone defended the chair NAACP operative Amilcar Aaron or their work.
Reports on the street are Kuo has conceded.
I started to calculate how much he’d need of the remaining vote, presuming that the third candidate continues to get 10%, and I think it was somewhere in the mid-60s — beyond what was plausible from the existing results.
I hate immigrants so much, I married one.
I married an immigrant who came here as a child, we got divorced after a bit over a decade, and then eight years later, I married another one who I met here as an adult. I didn’t marry her out of hatred, though; I doubt that you married yours for that reason either.
Me too re spouse and when they arrived. Soviet era.
I like your lede to this thread.
I am OVER THE MOON that Kuo lost. People forget how bad he was on the dais, how far deep in the pockets of Republican and corporate special interests he was, and how he always dodged a good debate on a topic more serious than Where Am I Wednesday at Handels Ice Cream.
I was skeptical of Betty at first given that she worked at the same PR firm as Flint, but I have seen zero evidence she was involved in anything. I see zero Melahat connection. I don’t agree with ALL her positions, namely her support of vets cemetery in Great Park, however, I don’t live or die on that issue and I think she will be good on other progressive den issues and she is talking to the right (and most informed people) within her circles.
Thus, I’m a big Betty fan now!
Another issue aside from my Betty support.
Betty, a newcomer and political outsider with very little cash beat a GOP darling that is well funded. This is a David vs Goliath story that is beautiful to see. Based on Irvine’s first district election cycle in 2024, where we got some terrible and very well funded Councilmembers (William Go, James Mai), I was feeling sour about Irvines switch to District Elections. Sour no more! Betty won (and even thought of running) BECAUSE of district elections. So I’m back to praising the switch to Districts as it helps curb but spenders influence and is a gateway for newcomers to enter politics.
Will Betty be a great Councilmember? We shall see.
Thanks for your commentary! We’ll hope to hear more.
Jeremy,
Based on her 2+ year track record as an at large Irvine DEI commissioner, don’t expect much.
And, William Go is too smart or successful to be a politician. He actually is a stakeholder in the city, owns property, employs people.
Tammy Kim unloads a MOAB* of schadenfreude. Over Here. https://www.tammykim.com/irvine-special-election-results
She sent it to me and I believe I will post it as its own story.
* Mother Of All Bombs.
This Kuo creep is just another Bilodeau. Why did Agran get into bed with this zit? Other than fellow zitness.
Agran is the same putz that endorsed khan for supervisor after she threatened revenge on the county for withdrawing from the ocpa and then claimed she did a good job as mayor and he learned some things from her on March 11, 2025 during his state of the city speech.
Noah drops ball and claims Agran is one of 4 dems on dais that was backed by the COPD. He wasn’t. They endorsed Tammy two name for mayor not him. Hello!!!
It was one of angry Agran’s pet peeves that he didn’t garner there endorsement over the fraudulent one.
“If Martinez-Franco maintains her lead, she’ll be the first ever Latina Councilwoman in the city and cement a four-person majority of council members backed by the Democratic Party of Orange County.”
https://voiceofoc.org/2025/04/betty-martinez-franco-maintains-lead-in-irvine-city-council-special-election/
Two name Tammy has zero credibility regardless of Kuo’s shortcomings which seem aplenty.