Betty Martinez Franco leads race for Irvine City Council Fifth District seat in early returns Tuesday night

With polls closed and the first wave of mailed-in ballots counted, Betty Martinez Franco leads the race to represent Irvine’s Fifth District on the City Council, according to early returns dropped just after 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 15.
Martinez Franco runs a boutique public affairs firm and holds a master’s degree in public administration from USC.
She leads the race ahead of former councilmember Anthony Kuo. Dana Cornelius, an HOA board member, is in a distant third.
Irvine’s Fi