Candidate Close Up: Anthony Kuo

Former City Councilmember Anthony Kuo is running for Irvine’s District 5 seat in the April 15th special election. Photo courtesy of Anthony Kuo.

When we last caught up with Anthony Kuo, he was in his first term as an Irvine City Councilmember, elected in 2018. Since then, he narrowly lost his City Council seat in a re-election bid in 2022, ran in the primary to represent District 37 as a State Senator in 2024, and adopted an adorable Labrador puppy.

“She has eaten two sofas, the stairs, the carpet, and even a yearbook,” said Kuo in a recent Zoom interview. “I don’t even know where she finds these things. It’s a lot of work, but she’s so much fun to have.”

Kuo has taken advantage of the break from municipal government to recharge and reset in other ways as well.

“I remember shortly after leaving office, a friend called and said, ‘I'm 99% sure the answer is no, but are you free for dinner tonight?,’” recalled Kuo. “And for the first time in a long time, I could just say, ‘Yes.’”

Kuo used his free time, formerly taken up with City Council business, to reconnect with family and friends as well as support nonprofits like Irvine Junior Games and the 2/11 Marine Adoption Committee, where he is a board member. But he remains devoted to Irvine and its community.

“This isn’t a criticism of others, but we’ve had three recent council members—Jeffrey Lalloway, Lynn Schott, and Melissa Fox—who moved away after finishing their terms,” said Kuo. “I wasn’t going to move. This is my home. I’ve grown up here, lived here, and plan to stay here for a long time.”

His commitment to staying local made Kuo’s run for State Senate surprising to some, including Kuo himself. When he received a call from a political operative in Sacramento regarding the State Senate seat, he expected to be asked for recommended candidates for the seat. Instead, he was encouraged run himself. The campaign did not leave Kuo with fond memories. Although he enjoyed connecting with supporters of his campaign, he felt he was unfairly targeted for working across party lines.

“To be honest, I ran against my better judgment,” said Kuo. “It was not a fun experience. It’s not something I would want to do again.”

Instead, Kuo wants to focus on local issues. He finds solving problems within his own community far more gratifying.

“I love local government,” Kuo said. “I love getting parks built, filling potholes—these might seem like small things in the grand scheme, but they have a tangible impact on people’s daily lives.”

If re-elected, Kuo will prioritize issues that will make Irvine a better place to live. One of those issues is Mayor Larry Agran’s plan to plant tens of thousands of additional trees to create an urban forest within Irvine.

“When I was previously on the council, I attended every tree-planting event I could, especially those with elementary school kids,” Kuo said. “Regardless of political stance, I believe we all want to protect our environment, and trees are an effective way to beautify our community and help regulate temperatures.”

Another priority for Kuo is to see the plan for a Veterans cemetery in the Great Park brought to fruition. After failing to build a veterans cemetery within the Great Park, a new plan was adopted by the state to build a veterans cemetery in Anaheim’s Gypsum Canyon. Last summer, Anaheim announced the first phase of its plan would cost $123 million and take a decade to complete. Irvine City Councilmembers wondered if their own $42 million phase one plan, estimated to take only three to four years, would be a better choice for Orange County’s first veterans cemetery.

“For years, this has been the 800-pound gorilla in the room,” said Kuo. “We need to continue delivering on this for our community and our veterans, particularly as more progress is made at the Great Park.”

In addition to tree planting and cemetery planning, Kuo is eager to give the taxpayers of Irvine a break where he can. He delights in identifying overpriced solutions to some of Irvine’s problems.

“We now have a local feeder shuttle called Irvine Connect, which has been successful,” said Kuo. “But its predecessor, the iShuttle, had issues.”

The iShuttle transported riders between the Tustin train station, John Wayne Airport, and the Irvine Spectrum. At one meeting, Kuo asked staff about the program’s budget and ridership numbers. He realized that each trip of less than three miles was costing taxpayers over $120.

“That was outrageous!” exclaimed Kuo. “I want programs to be successful, but they also need fiscal scrutiny. For that cost, we could send people on multiple Uber rides.”

While Kuo recognizes that not every constituent will approve of every vote he makes, he says providing his constituents with transparency regarding his choices will help voters understand where he is coming from. He also said he is determined to work with everyone on the council, regardless of party affiliation.

“Local government is about problem-solving, not partisanship,” Kuo explained. “I will talk to, meet with, and work alongside anyone who wants to make Irvine better—whether that means supporting our businesses, improving public safety, or responsible development. My goal is to maintain what makes Irvine a great place to live.”

It is this commonsense approach that Kuo hopes will attract a plurality of District 5 voters in next month’s election. He likes to joke that his campaign slogan is “I’m normal and reasonable.”

“Everyone always laughs at that, but then they think about it and say, ‘Those are not qualities you find in people who seek or hold office a lot’,” said Kuo. "People who typically win are the ones saying, ‘I'm the best. I have the best ideas. Only my way is right.’ When you put a bunch of people together have that personality and philosophy, yeah, you're going to have a lot of gridlock. But by sending me to the council, I have a track record of me saying, ‘You have a good idea? I'm going to go with you on that.’”

Find more District 5 Special Election coverage here.