With polls closed and the first wave of mailed-in ballots counted, Betty Martinez Franco leads the race to represent Irvine’s Fifth District on the City Council, according to early returns dropped just after 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 15.
Martinez Franco runs a boutique public affairs firm and holds a master’s degree in public administration from USC.
She leads the race ahead of former councilmember Anthony Kuo. Dana Cornelius, an HOA board member, is in a distant third.
Irvine’s Fifth District includes Woodbridge, University Park and other neighborhoods straddling the 405 Freeway.
The special election is deciding who will fill the newly expanded Irvine City Council’s seventh seat through 2026. The position is open because Larry Agran vacated his at-large council seat after winning his election for mayor in November.
Upon seeing the first results dropped, Martinez Franco said she was shocked.
“I cannot believe it,” she said. “This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened in my life. I have to call my mom and dad in Mexico to let them know.”
Martinez Franco, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, said she could become the first Latina to serve on Irvine’s council. She said she thought her being a political newcomer resonated with voters.
“I am not a politician,” she said. “I did my masters in public administration because I wanted to understand how government works, but voters know I’ve not been a politician. I haven’t been swayed by any investors or anything like that.”
“They can see I am real, I am transparent and I really care about my community,” she added. “To tell you the truth, it’s a breath of fresh air knowing that a Latina was well-received in a city where a Latino or Latina has never had a voice on the City Council.”
During her campaign, Martinez Franco said she sees traffic congestion, public safety, small business support and cost of living as the biggest issues facing Irvine.
“As a small business owner myself, I understand the challenges entrepreneurs face,” she said in a questionnaire with The Orange County Register. “That is why I will push for business-friendly policies, streamline permit processes and create more incentives for local businesses to set up shop in Irvine.”
“My priorities have not changed,” she said Tuesday night. “I want to work on housing affordability, bringing more small businesses to Irvine, addressing traffic patterns and adding bike lanes and e-bike safety programs.”
In-person polling opened on April 5 at Irvine City Hall; additional polling centers opened earlier this week. Ballots were mailed out last month.
Election night caps off what had been an unusual council race for a couple of reasons.
For one, the winner will be filling a district-elected seat for a term that was started by a citywide-elected representative in 2024.
In 2024, when Irvine voters approved the ballot measure to switch the City Council from citywide to district representation, the measure laid out this contingency plan should an at-large seat become open — in this case, Agran’s mayoral win.
The city’s new election system staggered the rollout of the district elections — and increased the council’s size from five to seven members with the mayor still elected by a citywide vote. In November, the first four district seats were decided, with the District 5 and District 6 seats set for the 2026 election.
The race took another unusual turn after former councilmember Tammy Kim dropped out in February amid a lawsuit challenging her residency in the district.
Other than the mayor, Councilmember Kathleen Treseder is Irvine’s last at-large representative.
She was elected in 2022 in a race where she (and Agran) defeated Kuo, who finished third in a crowded field for two council seats.
Treseder’s at-large seat is due for election in 2026, and it will become the race for Irvine’s District 6 seat — finally completing the city’s transition from at-large to district-elected council representation.
