Opinion: Voters in Irvine’s Council District 5 have an opportunity to make a historic choice

Voters in Irvine’s Council District 5 have an opportunity to be heard this month by voting in the April 15th special election. One candidate stands out as a historic choice because she represents communities that are not presently represented on the council. Betty Martinez Franco, a small business owner and immigrant from Mexico who has lived and raised her family in District 5 for over 20 years, would be the first Latina on the Irvine City Council if she’s elected. In addition, she would be a much needed voice for residents who rent their homes in Irvine. 

Latinos are the third largest ethnic group in Irvine, comprising a little over 11% of the city’s population, behind Asians and whites. While Latinos have lived and worked in Irvine since before the city was formed, the city has  not had a Latino councilmember. Even though it borders cities with more visible Latino communities such as Santa Ana, Tustin, Costa Mesa, and Lake Forest, Irvine has remained a city where fewer Latinos reside but many come to work and provide services. Irvine could not operate with Latinos. 

Electing Martinez Franco to the Irvine city council would signal that Latinos are welcome in Irvine even at the highest levels of decision making. Irvine has historically not been a Latino friendly municipality compared to other cities in Orange County and throughout the Golden State. This becomes apparent to Latinos who come here to work and to those of us who live here and find ourselves wondering where we can find our mercados, tiendas and eating establishments without traveling far. Martinez Franco will represent us with pride and will be able to forge strong relationships with the established and emerging Latino leadership throughout the county and state. The future of California is Latino, and with Martinez Franco on the council, Irvine would be taking a step into that future where our community is ascendant in setting the policy and business agendas. 

Irvine is one of the most expensive housing markets in the state. It’s a city where home ownership has become increasingly out of reach for its residents. In the past two decades, the home ownership rate in Irvine has declined. Less than half of Irvine residents live in owner occupied housing. A majority of Irvine’s residents are renters. 

Martinez Franco is a long time renter in Irvine. She has the lived experience of renting an apartment home that is managed by the largest landlord in town. For many, Irvine feels like it’s a city run like a Homeowners' Association. This can change by giving renters a strong voice on the city council dais who has the lived experience of renting a home in Irvine and raising her family in it. There are hundreds of hard-working families in Irvine who aspire to homeownership, yet that dream is becoming less attainable. Tenants need advocates who understand their struggle and who will do more than just pay lip service to those hardships. Renters will find an ally in Martinez Franco because her experience will be similar to their own. 

Special interests are propping up the candidacy of Anthony Kuo, giving him a 10-to-1 spending advantage according to a recent report from Voice of OC. Voters in District 5 can reject these special interests who seek to buy this council seat. Over the past several decades across multiple levels of government, we have seen record-breaking amounts of campaign spending. Wealthy special interests are pumping more money into Irvine city council races, and for what? There’s a saying in politics “who funds you runs you.” In the case of Kuo’s candidacy, do we want McDonalds’ franchisees and The Lincoln Club, the largest conservative donor network in the state, to be calling the shots? 

There’s a sense among many Irvine residents that the city caters to big businesses at the expense of mom and pop shops and hard working families. By electing Martinez Franco, who actually owns and operates her own small business in Irvine, instead of pretending to be a “businessman” on a ballot designation, we will have a representative who actually understands what it means to operate their own for profit enterprise in 2025 in Irvine. 

Adriana Maestas is a City of Irvine resident and business owner.