Each year the FBI ranks the public safety levels of U.S. cities according to population and considers a number of factors including murder, rape, assault, burglary, arson and auto theft.
This is the 15th year in a row Irvine has held the top spot as America’s safest City among cities with a population of 250,000 or more.
Irvine Police Chief Mike Hamel credited the department’s positive relationship with the community and strong City leadership for its continued success.
“Irvine continues to be a safe community due to the partnership between the committed men and women of the Irvine Police Department, our City leaders who always make public safety a top priority, and our residents and business community,” Chief Hamel said. “Maintaining public safety, while delivering professional and compassionate service to everyone is always our top priority.”
Councilmember Melissa Fox said, “We are America’s safest city because the men and women of the Irvine Police Department perform their duties at the very highest levels of professionalism and integrity. Our Police Chief, our City Council and our residents expect and require nothing less. Our residents know that our police officers are dedicated to ensuring the safety of our residents and treat everyone with fairness and respect.”
Irvine was also 1 of only 11 police major departments in the nation that did not use deadly force from 2016-2018.
During the protests following the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, our Irvine Police Department helped ensure that all voices were heard. I was glad that Irvine Police Chief Mike Hamel stated that he was personally “deeply disturbed” as a member of law enforcement by the “unjust and disgraceful” murder of George Floyd; that it “erodes the trust and confidence we work so hard to reach”; and that he demands that his officers “treat every member of the public with respect and professionalism.”
Irvine’s outstanding safety record is proof that public safety is enhanced, not compromised, by holding police officers to high standards, and is enhanced even more so when the police officers embrace a tradition of holding themselves to the highest standards of accountability and community service.
To see the FBI report, click HERE.
I strongly agree that the City of Irvine must go on the record officially declaring its unequivocal condemnation of the killing of George Floyd, casually and callously murdered by police officers on an American street in full public view and with an attitude of absolute impunity.
Red and Yellow Ribbons have been placed around the trees for them in the center of the loop, but it would be great to show up for them too!
The Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore rankings assess the nation’s 100 largest cities on factors such as park access, acreage, investment, and amenities. 
The Irvine Ranch Conservancy
Today, Wednesday, April 22, is 
Another highlight of Irvine’s environmental leadership was the creation of the 
Similarly, Choi sabotaged the Green Ribbon Environmental Committee. In fact, when I was elected to the Irvine City Council in November 2016, the Irvine Green Ribbon Environmental Committee had been inoperative for several years because Mayor Steven Choi and his allies on the Irvine City Council did not appoint sufficient members to constitute a quorum. 
A crucial environmental issue facing Irvine in the near future is whether to switch from purchasing energy from SoCal Edison to utilizing a Community Choice Energy provider.
From these humble beginnings, a large and vibrant Korean American community has grown, now numbering nearly 2 million people of Korean descent in the United States, including nearly half a million people in California.
As the daughter of a Korean War combat veteran and proud recipient of the Republic of Korea 
Last year, I joined three of my colleagues on the Irvine City Council to 
Recently, using data from the FBI, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the violent crimes rate in the 294 U.S. cities with populations of at least 100,000 — a population-adjusted measure of incidents of rape, robbery, homicide, and aggravated assault — to identify 
According to the most recent FBI data, there were zero murders, 40 rapes, 53 robberies, and 67 aggravated assaults reported in Irvine in 2018. Adjusted for population, there were just 56 violent crimes reported per 100,000 Irvine residents, by far the lowest rate of any U.S. city with a population of at least 100,000 and less than one-sixth the national violent crime rate.
Last year was the first time that the Irvine Global Village Festival, formerly held at Col. Bill Barber Park next to Irvine City Hall, was held at the far more expansive grounds of the Orange County Great Park. This year was the first time that the Festival was extended to two full days.
Irvine Chief of Police Mike Hamel said, “Irvine continues to be a safe community due to the collaboration between the men and women of the Irvine Police Department who work tirelessly every day to identify and respond to criminal activity and quality of life issues, our City leaders who always make public safety a top priority, and our residents who actively participate in crime prevention and community improvement strategies.”
My favorite Irvine cultural event of the year is almost here! Experience sights and sounds from around the world on Saturday, October 12 through –Sunday, October 13, 2019, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., at the Orange County Great Park, at the 
I am thrilled that, for the very first time, the Irvine Global Village Festival will run for two days at the Great Park!
Here are some important Festival details:
Please join us on Thursday, September 19, at 5:30–6:30 p.m. for the City’s public outreach opportunity regarding the Sweet Shade Ability Center at Sweet Shade Neighborhood Park. 
Universal playgrounds are designed to be usable by all people to the greatest extent possible without the need for adaptation or specialized design, including theme-oriented playground equipment, site furnishings, and shade canopies that are well integrated with the existing park, leaving no child on the sidelines.
Red flags laws have now been passed in 17 states and several more states are considering such laws. Red flag laws have been supported by both Republicans and Democrats. In the aftermath of the recent mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso, President Trump declared that ‘We must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms and that if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process. . . That is why I have called for red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders.’
California has some of the country’s strictest gun control laws; these laws are likely the reason that California has one of the lowest overall gun deaths per capita in the nation.
One of these steps — and by far the most important — is that Federal gun regulations must catch-up to California’s. 
California’s law also empowers police to petition for the protective orders, which can require authorities to remove firearms for up to one year. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have since adopted similar laws.
The 
Significantly, Mayor Shea asks that we not turn this discussion into a “partisan” issue, and that we not hold local, state, or national politicians responsible for their actions, or lack of action, leading to the proliferation of mass shootings and gun violence.
Join your Irvine neighbors and the 
Grab a bite on a warm summer night from food trucks that will have items available for purchase.
Significantly, with new parks, open space, and amenities added over the past year, the City rose from last year’s ranking of 10th in the nation, climbing up four places.
2019 marks the 10th anniversary of the Irvine Korean Cultural Festival, an event designed to celebrate and share Korean cultural heritage and artistic traditions with the broader Irvine community and Orange County.
I am proud to live and serve on the City Council in a city that celebrates and treasures our Korean American community and I join my Korean American friends and neighbors in celebrating Korean American contributions to our shared American heritage and way of life.
According to their report, WalletHub “drew upon the various findings of positive-psychology research in order to determine which among more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities is home to the happiest people in America. We examined each city based on 31 key indicators of happiness, ranging from depression rate to income-growth rate to average leisure time spent per day.”
Here is what I would like to hear the Mayor address:
But we need to do more.
What I would like to hear the Mayor speak about tonight is a vision and a plan for completing the next crucial phase of the park – the Cultural Terrace.
Finding solutions to the housing crisis and alleviating homelessness has been a priority for me, both as a member of the Irvine City Council and as Chair of the 
I would like to see our city leaders display the truly democratic spirit that united all decent people in our community in condemning religious and racial bigotry, and not the divisiveness that is created when wedge issues, outside our jurisdiction and purview, are brought before the City Council. Focusing on these wedge issues does not produce positive policies that bring our city together, but instead a theatrical politics of division that can only drive us apart.
What Irvine needs is a vision for the future that focuses and energizes our continued quest for being the very best place in the world to live, work and raise a family.
Founded in 1965, UCI now has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy.
To determine which areas prioritize residents’ well-being, WalletHub compared more than 170 of the most populated U.S. cities across 42 key indicators of good health.
The rocks of Orange County contain the fossilized remains of plants and animals from every major time period since the Jurassic – over 180 million years of prehistory! At this point, only a small fraction of the collection has been inventoried – about 20,000 specimens out of an estimated 3,000,000 or more from over 1,000 localities.
Unfortunately, this fabulous collection is not now open to the public. Although a county ordinance and federal preservation laws require that fossils, mostly uncovered by construction, be saved and kept in the county they were found, for the “benefit and inspiration of the public”.
Comprised of 15 members, the ICYFAC is an advisory body to the Community Services Commission.
Designed as a small city, with a grocery store, construction site, art studio, house, café, bank, emergency services, health center and farm, Pretend City is a familiar environment in which children infant through eight-years-old will have joyful opportunities to build problem solving and critical thinking skills, develop creativity and begin a life-long love of learning.
“Every child is unique, and they should know that no matter how different their friend may look from them, everyone should be treated fairly. On this special day at Pretend City, we want to have an open discussion with your child about equality. Don’t miss out on this important life lesson for your child!”
