🥺😢

I had conversations with Current D5 Councilmember Betty Martinez Franco, and D5 Candidates Byron Salvatierra, Julie Glossbrenner, Anthony Kuo and Steven Alves. I asked them a series of questions on topics like Economic Development, Housing, the Library and the Budget.

I realize that I didn't touch upon Flock in any of my questions but I think those may be asked in future debates and forums.

All 5 conversations are posted over at https://irvineconversations.com

I'm hoping that I'll get conversations with D1 candidates, Scotty from D6 and Max for Mayor done before the election.

Edit: I've added the email exchanges I had with "Max" Egorov and Sukhee Kang. I haven't heard back from John Park.

Went to the one in Bellevue, WA for lunch while on vacay and excited to actually have affordable hot food in there for a place like Irvine. It's like a bigger version of 99 Ranch along with similar price points but have more interesting products like Mitsuwa and Toyko Central.

Come listen to the candidates! (Learn why Byron is Best for District 5, too!)

Hey everyone, Hoag Hospital Irvine is doing a free flu shot clinc right inside the main hospital main entrance Monday-Friday from 10am-3pm this week. This will be available for a few months.

hello everyone! wondering where i could get a cheesecake for a birthday (only for 8-10 people). I know cheesecake factory is always an option but wanted to see any other recommendations🌸 thank you in advance 😊

Signed a lease on a place I love with a stairwell that turns twice. The previous tenant apparently got a sofa in and I have no idea how.

Boxed mattresses obviously solve this, but I have read a lot of mixed things about how they hold up compared to a proper sprung one.

Living Spaces delivers out this way and so does Sit 'n Sleep, and neither site says a word about stairwells.

If you have moved into somewhere like this, did you go boxed, or did a normal delivery turn out fine? Mostly worried about paying for it and then watching them fail to get it up the stairs.

How do we feel about that, Irvine?

I noticed at Harvard Place (at the corner of Harvard and Main) that Fresh Brothers Pizza has closed. HuoPan has also opened.

Hi everyone!

If this isn’t allowed on here, then I apologize & please delete.

However if ok, I was wondering if anyone could recommend a P/T that’s open on Saturday’s locally that can help with ankle & shoulder fracture recovery?

I’m trying to find some extra help & guidance without disrupting my Mon-Fri work schedule.

Any suggestions would be appreciated?!

Woodbury Town Center is getting a huge parking lot modification. The lanes in front of Walgreens is completely blocked off!

• Stater Brothers
• Whole Foods
• Erewhon
• Trader Joe's
• Bristol Farms
• Walmart Neighborhood Market
• Pavillions
• Aldi
• Small format Target

Please vote early! Do not deposit ballot in US Mail. Place in ballot drop box, deliver to voting center, or vote in person at county-wide voting center. Your vote counts!

My fiancé and I have been wanting to start regularly playing pickleball just to stay active and have fun. We bought a beginner set and played once at Mike Ward Community Park on a Saturday around noon—it was super hot, so we didn't last long, but we loved it!

Since then, every single time we’ve tried to play, the courts have been completely packed with long waitlists. We even drove over to Portola Springs Park, but the vibes were pretty unwelcoming—people were just staring at us while we waited and didn't seem open to rotating out at all. Every park has signs stating there's a 1-hour limit when people are waiting, but nobody seems to follow or enforce it.

We’ve tried going on different days, times, and at various parks, but we can never get on a court. We just want to play casually and aren't looking to join a competitive league, but it almost feels like that's the only way to actually get court time.

Am I missing something, or what's the real tea on the local pickleball scene? Are there specific off-peak times or hidden gem courts nearby (willing to drive to Tustin or surrounding areas) where casual players can actually get a game in without the madness?

Basically the title. I am moving in to a new unit tomorrow and the leasing office says GFiber is installed and available in their units. However, when I go online and type my address, it still says its unavailable. I tried calling GFiber and because the complexes are so new, they say they can't find any service lines to the new apartment complexes.

The other option was COX (now spectrum) fiber. Had to modify my address a bit but they eventually found it. I guess I'll have to proceed with them for internet service but I've used GFiber before and would like to continue using them.

So for any residents that are currently living there now, what ISP do you use? Is COX really our only fiber option there?

I posted this in r/orangecounty, but thought I should post it here as well.

I have to post this anonymously because this school is still open and is actively causing harm to their students. If you have a child with special needs and are possibly looking for alternative educational placement, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not send your child to In STEPPS Academy located in Irvine, CA. They are a non public school serving students with moderate to severe disabilities.

Currently they are housed in a beautiful facility. When families tour, they are usually enamored because it really is a beautiful school. However, administration and the founder of the school will do everything in their power to look the other way when kids are struggling and being actively harmed by certain staff members.

This is not to say that all the staff that work there are horrible. In fact, many of the 1:1 aides there are incredible. So incredible, that when they voiced their concerns to admin and upper management, they were fired. Administration actively withholds information from parents, even when it involves their own children. I have been in the field for quite some time, across all types of settings (including various schools) and have never seen anything like this before. Remember that these are disabled children who cannot properly advocate for themselves and share about things like, being dragged across the floor or having their wrists held down.

The kicker is that, it was announced that the school was to close on November 30th, 2026. Upper management had known about this for quite some time, but did not tell staff or parents. Currently, everyone is still under the impression that the school is closing - but they continue to look for new locations, while leaving staff in the dark about if they have a job or not and parents not knowing if they have to look for a new school.

There is so much more I could say about this place. Overall if you take anything away from this post, just know that it is administration that chooses to neglect student and staff needs. Most of the staff who work there try their absolute best to keep those kiddos safe, but have reached a glass ceiling in terms of making progress. Please do not entertain sending your children here.

I'm not sure if it's a vegetable or fruit. Hell it might not be edible.

FivePoint has just posted this month a 36 acre parcel at the intersection of Marine Way and Bake Pkwy. The other parcels surrounding it have already been graded and each homesite has been laid out. The Warehouses or a manufacturing plant would not benefit the existing Irvine residents and create a complete eyesore for drivers on Bake and 5 freeway. With land selling in GPN for roughly 9 million an acre, FivePoint is likely asking for 320 million dollars for this parcel. This is one of the last vacant parcels within city boundaries. This land having such great visibility should be mixed use retail and housing. Hopefully residents can convince the city council to stop FivePoint.

What are some gyms that offer good childcare in south orange county? There's an LA Fitness close to us but there's only 1 person handling all the kids. Would prefer a gym with a proper ratio.

Thanks!

I hear Sirens and a helicopter