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Shea, Choi, and Rodgers have a new vision for Irvine
The large scale world of politics such as the Presidential race is messy, sometimes unethical and always combative. The federal government is divided by parties, that are always at odds; each group trying to further their own agenda. One would expect non- partisan politics and a more harmonious approach to local government, but then again you may not be familiar with the politics of the city of Irvine. If you happen to tune into the local television channel and watch an Irvine City Council meeting, you are almost always guaranteed a great show. With all the back and forth bickering and attacks, it is hard to imagine these people get anything accomplished. But they must be doing something right because Irvine is the safest city in the nation and one of the most successfully planned communities.
The Irvine City Council is currently divided into two groups, both of whom are running to keep a majority seat. The “Democrats” consist of Mayor Beth Krom, Councilmen Sukhee Kang and Councilmen Larry Agran. The “Republicans” are Councilwoman Christina Shea and Councilmen Dr. Steven Choi. Although they disagree on many issues and how to best run Irvine, it is evident that both groups equally love and share a passion for the city of Irvine. In the August issue, readers were introduced to the Keep Irvine Great team of Beth Krom, Sukhee Kang and Larry Agran. It is important for the citizens of Irvine and the readers of this magazine to be educated on all sides of an issue and to know about all the candidates running in the city elections. It is time to introduce Christina Shea, Dr. Steven Choi and Dr. Pat Rodgers, who make up Team Irvine. They are running on a pledge to the citizens of Irvine to find traffic solutions, maintain quality schools, get the Great Park on track, stop the Musick Jail expansions, restore fiscal responsibility and rise to the highest ethical standards.
Dr. Pat Rodgers
Dr. Pat Rodgers was asked by existing councilmember’s Christina Shea and Dr. Steven Choi to join them and form Team Irvine to win back the majority seats. Dr. Rodgers is a retired Irvine Police Lieutenant who is running for City Council. For 26 years he served as an Irvine Police Officer, retiring in 2002. Since he has been busy training police officers in Iraq and Afghanistan. When referring to the upcoming city elections, he said: “I feel like David getting ready to fight Goliath.”
Dr. Steven Choi
When speaking about his experience in City Council, Dr. Choi stated that “it has been a frustrating last year for Christina Shea and myself- so many corrupt unethical things happening.” Dr. Steven Choi was first elected to Irvine City Council in 2004 and he is running for re-election. He came to the United States as a Peace Corps language instructor in 1968. He has served as Trustee of the Irvine Unified School District from 1998 to 2004 and as member of the Orange County Great Park Board of Directors. He has also taught at UCI and USC amongst other colleges and universities. Dr. Choi is committed to having an open and accountable government, protecting private property rights, cutting government spending, fighting crime and supporting programs for children and senior citizens.
Christina Shea
Christina Shea is running for Mayor of Irvine against Sukhee Kang. She was first elected to City Council in 1992 and elected Mayor in 1996 and 1998, and now she is seeking her third term as Mayor. She is also a member of the Orange County Great Park Board of Directors, serves on the Orange County Republican Central Committee and she is an independent business consultant. The Conservative Women’s Leadership Association named her “Leader of the Year” and the OC Metro named her “Most Influential Woman in Orange County.” PAYAM conducted a Q and A with Christina Shea to learn more about her.
"We need to have a balance. We need to modernize and expand our traffic transportation system and we also need a state-of-the-art monitoring system, including more cameras."
PAYAM: One of your pledges to the citizens of Irvine is to find traffic solutions. What traffic problems does Irvine have and what solutions can you offer?
Shea: The problem is that Irvine is being over developed. Approving too much development too fast causes too much traffic. We have a problem with circulation. I have approved some of the development, but I have also opposed some development. We need to have a balance. We need to modernize and expand our traffic transportation system and we also need a state-of-the-art monitoring system, including more cameras.
PAYAM: The citizens of Orange County have been enthusiastically waiting for the Great Park. What is the biggest problem facing the full construction and development of the Great Park?
Shea: Because of the state of the economy, our partner, the Lennar Corporation has breached their contract with the city of Irvine. Their original development agreement was to build 3,000 homes and now they want to build 10,000. They were supposed to build a cemetery and now they are backing out of that without telling anyone. From the original $200 million given by the Lennar Corporation, there is $95 million left and the park still has no infrastructure. We do not have the money because we have spent the money on soft costs. We are wasting a lot of money.
PAYAM: What would you to get the Great Park up and running?
Shea: First we need a real business plan. Then I would put together a Blue Ribbon committee of the brightest, the best and the most experienced people to tell us what to do. People who know construction, design and electricity. We need to re-look where we are at and due to our budget, we need to phase into construction.
To learn more about Team Irvine, visit:
www.teamirvine.org
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