Candidate Close Up 2024: Tom Chomyn
District 3 City Council candidate Tom Chomyn has lived in the area for 27 years. Photo credit Tom Chomyn
Tom Chomyn is a 27-year District 3 resident who is running to represent his District as a City Councilmember. He currently serves on the city’s Community Services Commission, which he was appointed to by Councilmember Larry Agran in July of this year. If elected, Chomyn said he will focus on revitalizing local infrastructure, increasing affordable housing, and addressing climate change.
As a graduate of Indiana University with a degree in urban planning, Chomyn originally planned to work in government in Washington, D.C. He pivoted to a career in sales, eventually moving to Irvine. Despite this shift, his passion for urban development and planning never faded.
"I think I can help the city out," Chomyn said during a recent Zoom. "I’ve got an urban planning background, and I’m sitting in the best urban planned city in the country."
Chomyn’s passion for community is evident in the various ways he has served Irvine over the years. From volunteering with his neighborhood swim team to leading a veterans’ group, he has prioritized community involvement. Six years ago, his participation with a group dedicated to saving the Veterans Memorial Park and Cemetery was a turning point. After becoming the field director for their signature-gathering effort, Chomyn and a team of 150 volunteers collected nearly 20,000 signatures to support the cause.
"I really made a difference," he said, reflecting on his contribution to the project. "Since then, people have asked me to run for City Council."
During his campaign, Chomyn has walked his district extensively, meeting with constituents and hearing their concerns firsthand.
"I walked 49 miles in my district in one week," he said, humorously adding that he lost 10 pounds in the process. "I’ve met so many unique neighbors, and when you finish a day like that, you think, 'Wow, this is cool.'"
Heritage Park Library
One of Chomyn’s primary concerns for District 3 is the state of the 41-year-old Heritage Park Library, which he called a local hub for the community.
"It’s time to double the size of the park library, remodel it, and rejuvenate it," Chomyn said. He noted that the library is in constant use, with 100,000 books checked out every month and the parking lot frequently full. "That will be my number one priority when I get on City Council."
Housing
Affordable housing is another priority for Chomyn, who acknowledged that District 3 doesn’t have as much capacity for new housing developments as other parts of Irvine. He said that he would work with local companies to help subsidize housing options within his district.
"We have one of the older portions of Irvine, so we can't really build houses like the Great Park or Orchard Hills," he said. "But we can work with the Irvine Company to subsidize some of their apartments."
Chomyn also emphasized Irvine’s leadership in affordable housing, pointing out that the city has more affordable units than the rest of Orange County combined.
"I want to keep that going in District 3," he said, noting that affordable housing is essential for maintaining the variety of families that make up the community.
Climate Change
Chomyn’s commitment to addressing climate change is another key concern for his district. He supports increasing solar power usage in the city and wants to offer residents a $5,000 rebate program for installing solar panels. He also has ambitious plans for reforestation in Irvine.
"I want to work with Larry Agran to plant 200,000 trees in the next five years," Chomyn said. "It will not only beautify the parks, but it will also help with climate change."
As part of this initiative, Chomyn personally distributed 120,000 tree seeds to District 3 residents over the summer.
"We put six seeds on each door hanger for people to plant in their yards or bring to Arbor Day next April," he said.
Walnut Trail
Chomyn also outlined his vision for improving the Walnut Trail, a stretch between Sand Canyon and Harvard that currently serves as a cracked, asphalt pathway. He proposed planting 2,000 trees, including 200 orange trees to bring back a piece of Orange County’s agricultural history.
"I’d like to put in a cement walkway, add a restroom, and install five drinking fountains," he said, envisioning a safe and beautiful space for residents to enjoy.
Community
For Chomyn, the upcoming election marks a significant moment for District 3.
"In 54 years, we’ve had one City Council member live in this district," he said. "This is going to be the first time we have a full-time district person."
Chomyn’s candidacy is rooted in his deep connection to the district and his desire to continue serving the community.
"With my 27-year history of living in the district,” he said, “I know the issues and my constituents.”
Irvinite Questions
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Irvinite Questions 〰️
Read Chomyn’s answers to some questions posted by members of the Irvine subreddit.
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Well, with my urban planning background, one of my papers focused on transportation systems, specifically subway systems around the world—where they started, why they were efficient, and how they worked. Now, while I’m not planning a subway system for Irvine, I believe I can apply that transportation background to help with our traffic problems, especially during rush hours in the morning and evening.
One solution I see is expanding the Irvine Connection bus system, which serves mostly Irvine residents. I’ve ridden it, and I think people feel comfortable with it. I’d like to expand the system to cover more parts of Irvine, including routes to the airport and the Spectrum, and make sure it serves residential areas more effectively. By improving the bus system, we can reduce the need for individual car use and lower gasoline consumption.
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Irvine isn’t really known for nightlife. The nightlife we do have is primarily at the Spectrum, where many places are open until 10 p.m. But Irvine is a city full of families, homes, and apartments. It’s quiet, and people value that quietness. We have Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, and downtown Santa Ana for more active nightlife options. Honestly, as much as I’d like to pretend I’m 21 again and enjoy nightlife, I moved here for the lack of it—and as a father, I’d like to keep it that way.
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I’m on the Community Services Commission, which oversees parks and recreation. In August, we approved four new artificial turf fields in the Great Park. I wanted eight, but we only got four because the Pacific Symphony is using the other fields for the next three years. The reason I pushed for artificial turf is that it saves 90% in water usage and allows fields to be in constant use. With natural grass, fields need time to rest after being watered, sometimes for 2 to 5 hours or even a full day. Turf doesn’t have those limitations.
By installing more artificial turf fields, we can alleviate the problem of busy fields being unavailable and ensure people can use them whenever they need. It will also save the city water and money in the long run.
What they do now with artificial turf is water it down during the day, especially on hot days, or sometimes at halftime during games. With the four new fields we approved, we’ll use this method as well. Installing artificial turf is expected to reduce water usage by 90% over ten years, which could mean saving millions of gallons of water. There were concerns about toxins in older turf that used rubber, like the Irvine High School football field. But turf has come a long way. The new artificial turf we're installing has no toxins or rubber, so it’s safer and more environmentally friendly. Of course, the fields can still get hot, but watering them helps manage that.
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The city passed an ordinance about a year ago to phase out gasoline-powered leaf blowers and replace them with quieter, energy-efficient battery-operated ones. The problem is enforcement. It’s hard to catch people violating the ordinance or dedicate enough staff to policing it. It’s similar to the issue with e-bikes—we want to regulate them, but how many hours do we spend enforcing those laws? The idea of limiting gas-powered blowers is great, but the challenge is enforcing it fairly and efficiently without overwhelming city staff.
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