Larry Agran's Accomplishments

Civic Leadership

Larry Agran first served on the Irvine City Council from 1978 to 1990, and was Irvine’s first directly elected Mayor in 1988. He returned to the Irvine City Council in 1998 and was elected Mayor in 2000 and 2002. In 2004 he returned to the City Council. Throughout his many years of public service, he has represented the City of Irvine on numerous regional boards and has earned a well-deserved reputation as a tireless advocate for the interests of the citizens of Irvine.

Environmental Stewardship

Under Larry Agran’s leadership, Irvine became the first city in America to implement curbside recycling, our city’s commitment to parks, hike and bike trails was enhanced and the citizens of Irvine passed the historic 1988 Open Space Agreement which permanently preserved about 16,000 acres of parklands and open-space.

He earned national recognition in the late 1980’s for his leadership in implementing a ban on the use of chlorofluorocarbons in Irvine because of their damaging affect on the ozone layer. Eventually the rest of the country — and world — followed his example.

He has been consistently endorsed by the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters

El Toro International Airport Fight/ Orange County Great Park

In 1992, the MCAS El Toro was slated for closure by the Federal government. Over the next ten years, a war would be waged over the future reuse of the base. The county and monied interests wanted to build an international airport, despite the fact that the base was closed because of “urban encroachment.” Sitting right at the edge of the City of Irvine, we recognized that sur5rp[kocommunity would face a devastating impact on air quality and quality of life
Larry Agran recognized that to beat a bad you need a better idea. He launched Project ‘99 in the late ‘90’s and in 1998 was reelected to the Irvine City Council on a campaign platform that pledged to stop the ill-conceived El Toro Airport Plan.

In November 2000, Larry Agran won the Mayor’s seat and immediately began work on a countywide initiative designed to stop the airport. That initiative was Measure W — which amended the Orange County General Plan to authorize an urban regional park and a variety of agricultural, material recovery/recycling, recreational, cultural, educational, employment, public and housing land uses at the former MCAS El Toro — which won countywide with more than 58% of the vote in March of 2002.

Following the success of Measure W, the Departmentt of the Navy announced they wanted to sell the property at auction. They recognized that 7 square miles of land in the heart of Orange County is a valuable asset. Working collaboratively with the federal government, the City devised a plan that would result in the funding and development of a magnificent park that included a wildlife sanctuary and corridor, and the development of “green” communities that served residential, educational and recreational needs.

In late 2004 the base was put up to auction. The winning bidder was Lennar Corporation who paid the federal government $649.5 million. In exchange for limited development rights at the edges of the park, Lennar was required through a development agreement to dedicate 1,347 acres — twice the size of Central Park — to the City of Irvine (which had annexed the base property into its City to allow for the auction of the property) along with $200 million in developer fees to help build the park. Another $201 million is guaranteed to come from CFD (community facilities district) funds and hundreds of millions more will come from redevelopment tax increment — all to be invested into the planning, design and construction of the park.

Larry Agran has served as the Chair of the Orange County Great Park Corporation since 2004. Under his leadership, an international design competition was held to select the master designer — with Ken Smith Landscape Architect and his team winning the competition. Today there is an adopted masterplan that includes a 2 mile canyon, hundreds of acres of sports and recreation fields, a lake, a cultural terrace, hike and biking trails, passive and active areas, agricultural lands and the iconic Great Park Balloon.

An international airport would have destroyed the quality of life in Irvine and the other adjoining South County cities. Because of the leadership of Larry Agran and Beth Krom, who carried forth his legacy of leadership when she became Mayor, the citizens of Irvine are already enjoying the “Preview Park” and Great Park Ballon and will watch the adopted park masterplan come to fruition over the coming years.

Other Key Priorities

Throughout his years of leadership on behalf of the city of Irvine, Larry Agran has been a leading voice for balanced planning, environmental stewardhip and innovation. He has been instrumental in advocating for transit resources, affordable housing, programs for children, seniors and families and has consistently supported enhanced public safety resources.

Few local leaders have had the positive impact on a community that Larry Agran has. He has helped to ensure that Irvine’s focus remains on the quality of life priorities that matter to everyone.