In an election that appears to have generated the highest voter turnout in the city's history, Tammy Kim beat out thirteen other candidates to take first place in the November 3, 2020 Irvine City Council race. Kim won her City Council seat with more than 40,000 votes, the highest vote count for any candidate for Irvine City Council or Mayor in the city's history. Kim will be the first East Asian American woman to serve on the Irvine City Council.

Kim's winning margin was more than 5000 votes ahead of the second place winner, another significant achievement. The top three winning candidates will all be sworn in at the first City Council meeting in December. Along with Mayor-elect Farrah Khan, Kim will be one of four new members elected to the Irvine City Council this year.

"As a Korean immigrant, I have felt a strong desire to give back to family and community throughout my life. My civic involvement in Irvine, as a community leader and Irvine Finance Commissioner, provided both the inspiration to run and the confidence to fully embrace this new challenge at a time when our city is seeking to advance a strong, sustainable future, while contending with the economic impacts and public health concerns associated with the ongoing pandemic.

I'm truly humbled by the support I received throughout this campaign. The voters have made clear they want leaders with a global focus and a track record for getting things done. As a first-time candidate, I did not expect to be the target of an aggressive campaign of misleading and deceptive mailers funded by special interests, but I was. It just made me work that much harder, and that hard work paid off. Knowing that Irvine voters saw through the lies and focused on my message and my record of service, makes this victory all the more sweet."

Tammy Kim currently serves as an Irvine Finance Commissioner. In her race for City Council, Kim earned the endorsements of Congresswoman Katie Porter, Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, State Controller Betty Yee, former Irvine Mayors Beth Krom and Sukhee Kang and a broad coalition of public officials, civic leaders and labor and advocacy groups.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tammy-kim-makes-history-in-irvine-city-council-election-301168045.html