Irvine District 5: Betty Franco Leads Five-Candidate Council Race; Kuo and Alves 45 Votes Apart

IRVINE, Calif. — November 5, 2026. A five-candidate council election in Irvine’s District 5 has produced a clear early first-place position and an unusually narrow difference between the next two candidates. The November 4 Orange County results show Betty Franco with 3,860 votes (34.23%), followed by Anthony Kuo with 2,922 (25.91%) and Steven Alves with 2,877 (25.51%). Kuo and Alves are separated by 45 votes; however, the District 5 election fills a single council seat, so the crucial lead in this contest is Franco’s position over her nearest rival, not a hypothetical second seat.

All five candidates

The county election report also lists Byron Salvatierra at 1,023 and Julie Glossbrenner at 594. The cumulative choices in District 5 are distinct from citywide mayoral totals or the votes in Irvine’s Council Districts 1 and 6. A voter in another district does not automatically receive the District 5 ballot.

One seat changes how to interpret the close margin

The 45-vote distance between second and third is a notable feature of the rankings, but it does not determine the person leading this single-seat election. Franco’s lead over Kuo is 938 votes. Any future shift depends on the remaining lawful votes in District 5, not the countywide outstanding-ballot total. No official winner has been certified.

Local services and separate city votes

The council participates in land-use policy, transportation, parks, public safety and Irvine’s municipal budget. Voters also considered Measure D, a citywide proposal involving ranked-choice voting in future city elections; it recorded 30,361 Yes and 28,539 No votes in the November 4 source. Measure D’s tally is not a recount of the District 5 candidates. Our Irvine election guide explains the different district and measure ballots.

Why these numbers remain preliminary

California’s county election offices continue reviewing qualifying mail ballots, provisional votes, conditional registrations and other necessary canvass items. An indicator saying that polling-place precincts have reported does not mean all valid ballots are counted. The Orange County Registrar has scheduled manual tabulation and risk-limiting audit work after Election Day. The county must complete its official results within California’s legal deadlines; statewide certification is due December 11. Vote totals in this story are the November 4 reporting snapshot accessed November 5, not a claim of a new November 5 tally.

For updated figures, consult the Orange County Registrar of Voters and NBC Los Angeles’ results table. Different source update times may show different totals. California58 reports candidate rankings and approved legal thresholds without endorsing an electoral choice or treating a news projection as certification.

California58 Elections Desk | November 5, 2026. Sources: Orange County election returns, local election and ballot documents linked above. Figures are uncertified and subject to change.

YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER NEEDS YOU

Help this community newspaper grow

Your support helps build coverage for the people and places this local newspaper serves.

Donate once by card ↗

Help Irvine News grow Help strengthen reporting on Irvine: community voices, important decisions and local life.

Support Irvine News

Choose how to support Irvine News:

Credit / Debit Card via Stripe

Choose an amount from $1. One-time support through the publisher's LINKERNO Stripe account.

Continue with PayPal Continue with Zelle

Zelle payments go to Vitaly Ataev Troshin. Please verify the recipient in your bank before sending. Availability depends on your bank.

Optional reader support. When possible, add “Irvine News” to the payment note. Contributions are not advertised as tax-deductible. Support does not influence editorial decisions.

Optional support through the publisher. Contributions are not advertised as tax-deductible and never buy editorial influence.

Irvine News — Your Community Newspaper

Have a correction, news tip, local announcement, or story to submit? Contact our editorial team. All submissions are reviewed before publication.