On Thursday, Dec. 14, Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan announced that her campaign for Orange County Board of Supervisors officially secured a spot on the 2024 Primary Presidential Election ballot.  

Seeking Orange County’s District 3 seat — which covers Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Villa Park, Tustin, Irvine, Lake Forest, and Rancho Santa Margarita — Khan will challenge current District 3 Supervisor Don Wagner, who was elected to the board in 2019.

Khan’s campaign website asserts that considering her two terms as Mayor of Irvine, she has a “proven record” serving as a community representative.

In addition to helping launch the Orange County Power Authority, and assisting in the development of Irvine’s Climate Action Adaption Plan, Khan said other notable accomplishments from her time in office include establishing Orange County’s first COVID-19 vaccination clinic and ensuring HERO pay for frontline workers.

As a county supervisor, Khan’s candidate statement filed with the Orange County Registrar of Voters,  she is focused on battling homelessness and increasing public health access in District 3.

“My top priorities are to tackle homelessness with tailored city-based solutions, launch an Affordable Housing Initiative, expand public health access, promote public safety through innovative programs, prioritize environmental sustainability, address historical resource disparities head-on, and enhance our disaster preparedness efforts to keep our communities safe,” Khan wrote.

Khan lists Planned Parenthood Community Action Fund of Orange & San Bernardino Counties, along with the Orange County Labor Federation, The Democratic Party of Orange County and the Irvine Democratic Club as endorsers of her campaign.

Wagner, who served as Mayor of Irvine before heading to the OC Board of Supervisors, said he is committed to improving the quality of life in Orange County. Elected to District 3 after defeating Loretta Sanchez in 2019, Wagner’s current term will expire in January 2025.

As the incumbent, Wagner said he will continue to advocate for safe cities within District 3,  while maintaining efforts to develop the veterans cemetery in Gypsum Canyon. 

If re-elected, Wagner said he would work to address the fentanyl crisis and continue to advocate for the mental health of veterans, according to his candidate statement.

“Many Third District cities now rank among California’s ten safest. My office eliminated rape kit backlogs and created “safe zones” for e-commerce and child custody transfers. By partnering with elected leaders of both parties, I am working to reduce the scourges of fentanyl poisonings and veteran suicides. My public safety record earned the endorsement of Sheriff Don Barnes,” he wrote in his statement for candidacy. 

The 2024 Primary Presidential Election will be held on March 5. 

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