Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan and incumbent District 3 Supervisor Don Wagner are going head-to-head in March’s primary election, with one of them likely to walk away with the seat representing the eastern part of the Orange County.
Unlike the OC Board of Supervisors District 1 race, in which one of five candidates has to secure a majority of the votes to avoid a November runoff, only a tie would leave District 3 without a winner.
District 3 represents all or at least parts of Anaheim Hills, Irvine, Lake Forest, Tustin, North Tustin, Villa Park, Orange, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Yorba Linda and the other eastern unincorporated areas. Ballots are making their way into the mailboxes of registered voters this week.
Read more: Follow the links on each candidate’s name to see how they responded to our 2024 voter guide questions, and check out the entire guide here.
The five-member Board of Supervisors sets policy and direction and oversees the county’s $9.3 billion budget, 18,000 employees and various departments including animal care, landfills, public works, social services and public health.
Khan was elected to the Irvine City Council in 2018 and then as the city’s mayor in 2020. Among the top issues she said she’d like to address as a county supervisor are homelessness, housing and climate change.
Wagner was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2019 in a special election. He previously served six years in the State Assembly, and was mayor of Irvine from 2016 to 2019. He said if he wins he would continue to prioritize public safety and addressing homelessness.
Khan called homelessness and housing the most pressing issues in the county. The county’s support of local nonprofits and organizations that address homelessness has been good, she said, but thinks the focus should move away from traditional shelters.
“We have to really dive in and take care of our unhoused,” she said. “That means making sure that we’re putting funding into areas like social services and creating a case management program where there’s one-on-one support to learn what the needs are of the community.”
Traditional shelters “don’t work.” she has said. “It’s critical to understand the needs of unhoused individuals. They may include mental health needs, some being critical enough for us to utilize CARE courts, the legislation I advocated and spoke in favor of. There may be substance abuse issues, medical needs or just financial instability.”
By redirecting funds from creating more traditional shelters toward “case management-based temporary housing — a ‘wellness center’ — we can reduce our homeless population,” she said. “This is a system that can work in any city, especially those that have been resistant to traditional shelters.”
When it comes to meeting housing needs, Khan said the county and cities are doing their best, but there needs to be a way to make sure what’s being built offers an affordable entry point for families into homeownership and doesn’t become investment properties.
“How do we limit corporate investors from basically buying out homes that are available for our families and pushing them out so they can’t even compete with them? We need real reform to make sure that we’re providing housing for our community, not for corporations,” Khan said. “As we build out, and as we provide more affordable housing, we also need to make sure that the housing that we build isn’t going to be taken up by corporations and not individuals and families.”
She also called collaboration with cities “crucial for promoting the development of affordable housing in Orange County, going beyond the management of unincorporated areas. The county needs to actively seek ways to incentivize new developments and engage with cities.”
Wagner wants to maintain the county’s focus on addressing homelessness, he said, including expanding efforts beyond providing housing to also providing support for people to get help in other ways such as with substance use and mental illness.
“I want to make sure that we, as a government, give to the people who want the help they need, because ultimately, that’s how we’re going to be successful in reducing our homeless issue and get people stabilized,” he said. “Then, they’re able to live in a housing situation.
“I don’t believe the answer is just to build houses or rent hotel rooms, because if you haven’t fixed the underlying issue that is troubling someone, that’s not a long-term solution.”
He said “gaps in care and in enforcement tools remain that frustrate our ability to continue progress. I am working with the county to undo the misguided court decision in the Boise case that unwisely limits our ability to enforce anti-camping and anti-vagrancy laws. I also am working with South County cities in my district to further efforts to help address homelessness, especially with short-term inclement weather facilities.”
When it comes to public spending, Wagner said public safety has taken a front seat as one of the concerns he wants addressed.
“Especially in California, when we’re seeing a legislature that is not as tough on crime as it should be, when we’re seeing surrounding communities, L.A., with these smash-and-grabs, they’re bleeding down into Orange County,” Wagner said. “When we’re seeing some of those issues out there, I would say a priority, if not a top priority, has to be maintaining public safety.”
Wagner said he wants to ensure that law enforcement and departments such as the Orange County Fire Authority continue to be properly funded to have the tools and technology needed to respond to emergencies quickly and effectively.
With his background in government, Wagner said he is confident in himself as a public servant.
“I’ve been in this business for an awfully long time, and I have done my best to think through the issues, come up with a view of the appropriate role of government, and then vote that role,” Wagner said. “I’m quite comfortable explaining to the public why I do what I do and let the public decide, because the way this government works is, we ultimately are responsive to the public. I’m going to do what I think is in the absolute best interest of the public.”
In her campaigning, Khan said she has been visiting constituents outside of Irvine, meeting folks in Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest, in the canyons and elsewhere to find out each city’s individual needs.
“It’s really just letting people know that I’m here, and listening to what their needs are. The district is so diverse with their needs,” Khan said. “What’s really key here is having that open dialog, letting them know that I’m here to listen to them and to deliver.”
The Registrar of Voters will open the first wave of vote centers on Feb. 24 and more will open as election day on March 5 draws nearer. Secure drop boxes are available 24/7 in various locations and ballots may also be mailed back. For more information visit ocvote.gov.
