The 2026 Irvine elections will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect municipal officials in Irvine, California. Four of the seven seats are up for election on the Irvine City Council. In addition to municipal offices, voters will decide on Measure D, a proposed charter amendment to adopt ranked-choice voting for city elections.
Municipal elections in California are officially nonpartisan; candidates’ party affiliations do not appear on the ballot.
Mayor
Incumbent mayor Larry Agran was elected mayor of Irvine in 2024, defeating a field of challengers and is eligible for re-election in 2026.
City council
District 1 District 1 covers north Irvine, including Orchard Hills, West Irvine, Northpark, Stonegate, and parts of Northwood.The incumbent is Melinda Liu, who was first elected in 2024 to a short term after defeating John Park. Candidates Melinda Liu (), incumbent Irvine city councilmember, serving a short term Sukhee Kang (), Former Mayor of Irvine John Park (), Vice Chair of the California Republican Party, Irvine Finance Comissioner and perennial candidate
Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of September 19, 2026 CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handMelinda Liu (D)$233,018$33,109$83,264Sukhee Kang (D)$154,730$35,338$120,101John Park (R)$21,440$8,657$12,783Source: City of Irvine
District 5 District 5 includes the neighborhoods of Rancho San Joaquin, University Park, Westpark, and Woodbridge. The incumbent is Betty Martinez Franco, who was first elected in 2025 to a short term after defeating former councilmember Anthony Kuo. Candidates Steven Alves (), Chief of Staff to Irvine Councilmember James Mai Betty Martinez Franco (), incumbent Irvine City Councilmember, serving a short term Julie Glossbrenner (), Real Estate Agent Anthony Kuo (), former Irvine City Councilmember, Irvine Finance Commission member Byron Salvatierra (), Iraq War Army Veteran and cybersecurity manager
Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of September 19, 2026CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handByron Salvatierra (D)$46,586$18,148$17,440Betty Martinez Franco (D)$52,377$21,740$31,786Anthony Kuo (R)$12,676$6,263$6,413Steven C. Alves (R)$12,274$3,431$8,843Julie Glossbrenner (NPP)$0 $0 $0Source: City of Irvine
District 6 District 6 includes the neighborhoods of University Hills, Irvine Business Complex, and the University of California, Irvine. While technically vacant, Irvine councilmember Kathleen Treseder, serving at-large since 2022, resides in District 6. Candidates
Scotty Hong (), Council Executive Assistant to Irvine Mayor Larry Agran and Irvine Sustainability Commissioner Kathleen Treseder (), at-large Irvine City Councilmember
Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of September 19, 2025CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handKathleen Treseder (D)$71,198$14,620$55,080Scotty Hong (D)$21,383$14,367$7,331Source: City of Irvine
School boards
The city of Irvine is served by several school boards, including the Irvine Unified School District, Tustin Unified School District and the South Orange County Community College District. School board elections with overlap in Irvine during the 2026 general election are listed below.
Irvine Unified School District
Area 2 Area 2 covers portions of University Park, Woodbridge, Rancho San Joaquin, Westpark, and the Irvine Business Complex. The Incumbent is Katie McEwen, who was first elected in 2022.
Candidates
Katie McEwen, incumbent Irvine Unified School Board Member Ron Scolesdang, Candidate for Irvine Mayor in 2024 and Irvine Sustainability Commissioner
Area 4 Area 4 covers portions of Great Park, Portola Springs, Orchard Hills Cypress Village and Woodbury. The incumbent is Jeff Kim, who was elected in 2022 unopposed.
Candidates
Jeff Kim, incumbent Irvine Unified School Board Member Jane Wood, Teacher and Businesswoman
Tustin Unified School District
Area 5
Area 5 covers portions of Lower Peters Canyon and Walnut. The incumbent is Jonathan Abelove, who was elected in 2022 unopposed.
Candidates
Jonathan Abelove, incumbent Tustin Unified School Board Member Ziggy McBride, Educator and Librarian
South Orange County Community College District
Area 2
The election for SOCCCD Area 2 was cancelled, with incumbent T.J. Prendergast III securing a four year term.
Ballot measures Measure D
The Irvine City Council voted to place a measure on the November 3, 2026 general election asking whether to adopt ranked-choice voting for municipal elections at its July 14th meeting. On August 10, 2026, the Orange County Registrar of Voters designated the ballot measure as Measure D (not to be confused with the 2024 ballot measure of the same name that expanded Irvine's city council and formed single member voting districts). Irvine's current elections are run under a first-past-the-post system where election winners frequently don't get majority support. If passed, this measure would allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference; if no candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated, and ballots are redistributed in rounds until one candidate reaches a majority.
If passed, ranked-choice voting would make Irvine one of two Orange County cities using the system, alongside Huntington Beach, which was separately ordered by an Orange County Superior Court judge to adopt ranked-choice voting following litigation over its at-large council elections.
Endorsements
Notes
References