Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan’s first 100 days in office have been highlighted by some notable first-ever accomplishments, like helping Irvine become the first city in Orange County to establish a COVID-19 task force. Khan admits, however, that there have been some policy issues, like the veterans cemetery project, that continue to present challenges.

Khan has now spent just over three months in her role as mayor, leading Irvine amid the unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Khan has managed to keep Irvine residents informed on issues pertaining to foul-odors from the All American Asphalt Plant, updates on CalVets’ involvement with the veterans cemetery project, and ensuring Irvine’s senior population has adequate access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Reflecting on her first 100 days as mayor, Khan said she personally views establishing a pair of task forces for COVID-19 and business reopening, as her most important accomplishments.

Established in December, Irvine’s COVID-19 Task Force enlisted health care professionals from around Orange County, including Orange County Health Care Director Dr. Clayton Chau.

Khan said these recent partnerships will help prepare Irvine’s health care and small business infrastructure for the future, and it may already be paying off.

“I thought [the task forces] really set the stage for what we were going to accomplish this year and really brought the community together,” Khan explained. “It’s important, as a city of our size, that we start working partnerships more, not only in our city, but regionally, to make sure that we’re bringing the best to our city.”

Since Orange County began establishing SuperPODs for the COVID-19 vaccine, Khan has been vocal about Irvine’s ability to host a super vaccination site. However, Khan said it was through her conversations within the COVID-19 task force, that the city was able to adapt to the shifting landscape of vaccine availability and distribution.

While Irvine has not yet received a SuperPOD site, Khan said that thanks to the connections established with the COVID-19 task force, the city obtained valuable insight, which led to a major focus on the city’s demographic of at-risk seniors.

In fact, Khan said even Chau was impressed to report that Irvine had vaccinated more than 70 percent of its senior population – one of the highest rates within the county.

“Within those conversations, we saw the county was moving in a direction to meet their equity metrics, and that didn’t include Irvine. So how do we bring vaccines into Irvine to help our residents, especially our most vulnerable seniors?” she said. “From that, came the partnership with MemorialCare and Hoag, where they started setting aside vaccines to help us, so we set up our vaccination clinic at Lakeview Senior Center vaccinating anywhere from 200-300 people a day.”

Looking back, Khan said she is unsure how much the last three months have changed her, but admitted that as mayor, her decision making can “set the tone” for decision making in the city.

“I don’t think it’s changed me much, but it has given me the ability to be in a position where I can direct which way our city goes,” she said. “As a council member we all have an equal vote, but at the same time it’s the mayor that sets the tone for the city.”

In terms of challenges, Khan referenced the on-going discussions regarding the site selection for the veterans cemetery. Currently, the California Department Of Veterans Affairs is performing a feasibility study on two alternative sites in Irvine. The studies will be funded by $700,000 set aside for CalVets in the state budget.

The veterans cemetery has become a frequently discussed topic at Irvine City Council meetings. In fact, CalVet recently presented an update and addressed concerns from City Council members that the project was being delayed by allowing the CalVet study to continue.

“I’m really hoping that this year will be the year that we actually settle where the cemetery is going to be, and get it in a position where we won’t be debating it anymore,” Khan said. “I think it has to do with the fact that a lot of our development at the Great Park is being held up because of the cemetery. There’s uncertainty about the cemetery being built or not built – that’s holding up a lot of our projects that we’d like to get started on.”

As Orange County continues to meet requirements to reopen under California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, Khan said she is looking forward to the city’s primary focus shifting away from COVID-19, and being refocusing on future growth.

“We’re not only taking care of the pandemic, but building on the relationships within the business community, making sure, when we talk about us as a growing city, we’re talking about making space for those start-ups and providing a landscape that when companies look at Irvine, they don’t see us as a small town,” she said. “Really, just making sure that we have a system in place where we are safeguarding our current villages because people moved into these areas because of the way they are – master-planned. Yet looking at areas to urbanize a little bit – think more arts and entertainment, and lifestyle to our city that accommodates various ages.”

Khan credits her vision for the future to a lesson she learned through her years of public service.

“If you don’t upgrade your city, you become the sleepy town that doesn’t accomplish much. I think Irvine has so much more to offer, that’s why it’s important to have these conversations with our many partners to see what the city is going to look like,” Khan explained. “It’s going to grow. I know people don’t want it to grow, but with our current RHNA numbers and the land that’s available, our city is going to grow more, and we just want to make sure it’s a sustainable type of growth where we’re balancing things out.”

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