Important decisions will be made by voters in Irvine city elections come November. With fewer than 90 days until the November 3 election, and the potential of having time subtracted for mail-in voting, time is of the essence for voters to thoroughly vet the candidates we chose to represent us.

Irvine is a special city — a different city — where a diverse population demands the highest quality of governance from those we chose to elect. It is for that reason that Irvine is a model city boasting tremendous schools, a strong housing market, a vibrant workforce, world class health care and is consistently atop of the list of the safest cities in the United States.

For all those reasons, we must remember that it is critical that those whom we elect to City Council and mayor must have a commitment to local issues and the local community.

We worry that all-to-often local political campaigns attempt to divide and polarize our community by making national politics and its increasing divisiveness the centerpiece of the debate. Be wary of any candidates that use campaign materials focusing on national issues or the presidential race instead of the issues that make this city, this community, a special one.

At Irvine Weekly, we focus on community news from a hyperlocal perspective. And our opinion content will be aimed at holding candidates accountable, committed and focused to real local issues: like accountability and transparency of city government and its elected leadership; like high quality schools; like responsible stewardship of city resources; like encouraging health care innovation; and, perhaps most importantly, public safety.

And, with more than a dozen candidates working for just two City Council seats, and four additional candidates running for mayor in November, these local issues become more relevant than ever.

The race for two seats on the City Council is packed. It will be a mix of first-time and long-time politicians, including current council members. The office of mayor has a mix of candidates that includes current Irvine Mayor Christina Shea, who is looking to be re-elected. One of the three challengers for the seat is current Irvine Councilmember Farrah Khan.

As the Irvine city elections inch ever closer, expect to be bombarded with mailers, phone calls, TV ads, digital ads and more — but hopefully not candidates knocking on our doors given COVID-19. With that, keep in mind that the candidates most knowledgeable about local issues are the candidates we should elect. Let’s not let anyone bring the divisive national politics to our special city community.

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