Irvine kids help clean up Orange County creek ​

By Irvine City News staff ​

Some 50 Irvine-based Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and other community volunteers gathered at Irvine Regional Park to remove trash and debris from a dry creek bed before next season’s rains wash it into the ocean. The volunteers worked with Orange County Coastkeeper and the Irvine Ranch Conservancy.  

The scouts and community members removed 150 pounds of trash, while learning firsthand how inland water pollution affects the ocean’s health. Creek cleanups are especially important for Orange County’s water quality because streams and flood control channels drain with the winter rains into the region’s bays and ocean. Between 60-80 percent of debris in the ocean comes from inland sources. 
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Coastkeeper will use data from the day’s cleanup to evaluate community cleanup effectiveness and promote best practices for the public to reduce litter in local streams and rivers. Coastkeeper is a nonprofit clean water organization that serves as a proactive steward of our fresh and saltwater ecosystems.  ​

​Irvine City News staff

While Irvine may not be the Happiest Place on Earth (a theme park a few miles up the 5 Freeway claims that title, with Finland also staking a claim), we are one of the happiest cities in the United States, according to financial services company WalletHub. 

Irvine ranked 8th happiest out of 180 largest cities in the country, based on a look at data analyzing 28 key indicators of happiness, including quality of sleep, depression rates, income-growth rates, and daily leisure time.

The five happiest cities according to the study are Fremont, California; Bismarck, North Dakota; San Jose, California; Pearl City, Hawaii; and Plano, Texas. The least happy city is Detroit, Michigan.

Irvine ranked 1st in the nation with the lowest unemployment rate and third in share of households earning above $75,000. Irvine was 2nd in sports participation rate, behind Seattle and ahead of Portland. 

The city also ranked 2nd in having the lowest rate of separation and divorce in the country, and ranked 4th highest in life expectancy. Lower rankings in income growth rate (125th) and job security (120th) kept the city from ranking higher overall.

The data crunched in the study was obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and many other sources, as well as studies correlating specific data to happiness. Researchers have long studied the science of happiness and found that its key ingredients include a positive mental state, healthy body, strong social connections, job satisfaction and financial well-being. The study then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the cities.

California had the highest number of happy cities on the list, including Fremont and San Jose ahead of Irvine, and Huntington Beach just behind. Last year, a similar ranking of states by WalletHub had only Minnesota, Utah and Hawaii as happier than California. Nebraska came in after California, rounding out the top five happiest states, according to the study.

As far as happy countries go, the United States didn’t fare quite as well, according to a separate study called the World Happiness Report. Finland ranked No. 1 in the global survey that analyzes the state of happiness. The U.S. was 18th out of 156 countries. 

The study is based on data from Gallup World Poll surveys that ask citizens to weigh in on happiness factors such as income, life expectancy, freedom, trust, social support and generosity. The rest of the top 10 include Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia. 
Interestingly, the study also ranked countries by the happiness of its immigrant population, and those rankings closely matched the happiness of the nation over all. 

We’d love to see “if California were a country” comparisons, ranking the state on the global scale against the countries. We’re certain the Golden State would break into the top 10, especially if weather is taken into account. Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland? Brrr!
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Still, we do like a quote we saw from Finish diplomat Päivi Luostarinen about her country: “The most important building blocks for a happy society are democracy, equality, good education, and high-quality child care, as well as taking care of each other. These values are very important for Finns.”
Important for Irvine-ites as well, we might add. 

By Irvine City News staff

Most anyone who grew up in Irvine knows the names Woody and Bridget, because most kids spent time at Woodbridge Village Center. It opened in 1979 when there wasn’t much between it and the 405 but open space and agricultural fields. Over the years it evolved into perhaps the most family-friendly of Irvine Company retail centers. 

A family could easily spend an entire day there, between the discount movie theater, Ruby’s Diner, Barnes & Noble, a candy shop, the old-school toy store and the play area. Not to mention the extra curricular enrichment available there, including music and art lessons, classes at Kumon Math and Reading Center, and more.

Though still popular with Woodbridge locals and families, in recent years the center has started looking a tad tired. Low rent, even. If there’s one thing folks in Irvine know, it’s that the best-known landlord in town doesn’t do low rent.

Soon, the word was out (accurate or not) that the owner planned to knock the center down and put in housing, or a mixed-use project with retail and apartments. A community group soon formed to protest any such moves. Fortunately, before anyone had to chain themselves to bulldozers, a $30 million play was published that would save the local center while improving and revitalizing it.

The basic infrastructure of that improvement opened in recent weeks, though locals will have to wait for more of the new restaurants and amenities to debut in coming months to really gauge the changes.

The biggest change is the removal of a central two-story building, which opens up the entire center in an attractive way. Yes, that’s right: the landlord reduced the rentable square footage at the center by some 15,000 square feet! We assume that means the remaining space is no longer low rent, actually or metaphorically. Which could be why a few old favorites vacated before the remodel, including the candy/shave ice spot and the toy store. Kids will miss them, but they both had seen better days.

Overall, the new design is quite lovely, with new paint scheme throughout, lighting, and landscaping. There are now views of the lake from a variety of new vantage points and seating areas with Adirondack chairs, sofas and tables in the area dubbed the Front Porch. The children’s play area is improved, including a key addition to be named later (literally!). 

CorePower Yoga has moved to the other side of the center, and Focus Dance Center made the move from its former space at the UCI-adjacent University Center, which is also undergoing a refresh (and arguably rivals Woodbridge Village Center as Irvine’s most family-friendly shopping space of the 21st century). The new location is 12,000 square feet, and offers some 250 classes in all forms of dance and movement.

The major new tenant that’s already open is Grocery Outlet, which fills the space most recently occupied by Assi Natural Market, the so-called “Asian Whole Foods” which didn’t last long at the center. The new market’s name is to be taken literally: it’s an outlet store to search for bargains on staples, produce and alcohol for savvy and price-conscious shoppers, or so insiders say, and less a go-to regular market. 

Locals should anticipate with excitement the opening of other restaurants coming to Woodbridge Village Center, including Sessions West Coast Deli, offering a surfer-centric take on artisanal sandwiches, salads and breakfast burritos; The Lost Bean, an organic/gourmet coffee shop with a laudably sustainable business model; and The Pizza Press, which joins the assembly-line pizza parlors already ubiquitous in Irvine. We will admit to favoring The Pizza Press, however, thanks to its newspaper-named menu items and branding, plus an adventurous craft beer menu that sets it apart from some of the others.

The only true disappointment so far at the new center is the demise of the dollar movie theater. In the good old days (say a few months ago) one could bring the whole family to see a fairly recent film no longer in the theaters, pay $2 per ticket ($1 on Tuesdays, if memory serves, and more for 3D), buy some popcorn and candy and get out without breaking the bank.

It’s no longer so. The movies are now first-run, and prices are up in the $6.99 range, with $4.99 for matinees and kids 12 and under. Which wouldn’t be bad if they’d updated the theater, but it’s the same sticky-seat place that was perfectly fine when a family could go out to the movies and spend less than a premium hamburger costs these days.
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Oh, and in case you’re wondering about the key addition to be named later? It’s a new friend for Woody and Bridget, the large play area frogs that generations of kids have climbed on. There’s now a third big frog, and it needs a name. There’s a contest to give it one, now through March 2, with the prize a $500 American Express gift card. Our entry, unofficial though it is, is Barranca. What can we say—Irv is already taken.
Enter the contest at shopirvinecompany.com/woodbridgefrogs 

By Irvine City News staff

Irvine celebrates Halloween and the changing of the seasons with a wide variety of events, both family-friendly and for adults who love playing dress-up for the holiday.  

Choose a costume and enjoy a chill-filled celebration of all things creepy, mysterious and spooky. Here are some choices for Halloween fun around town, and nearby:

Boot Hill haunted house for CHOC
October 13–14, 20–22, 27–29; 7–10 p.m.  
It’s the 18th year that the folks at 16 Goldenrod in Irvine have hosted an Old West-themed haunted house, complete with a creepy cemetery and a creative back story about the town of “Bridgewood” that once stood where Woodbridge is now. It’s free, there’s parking at nearby Springbrook Elementary, expect a line and please donate generously to CHOC Children’s Hospital, the beneficiary of all the boos at Boot Hill. Note that it’s not open on Halloween itself! 
legendofboothill.com 
 
Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch & U-Pick Tours  
Through October 31 
Find your way through the corn maze, visit the petting zoo, take a wagon ride around the farm, and pick your own pumpkin right off the vine. And on weekends, the Fall Harvest Festival includes a pumpkin cannon, carnival games, food and more. 
tanakafarms.com/tours-pumpkin-patch 

Costume Week at Pretend City  
Oct. 22-28 
Dress your kids in costume and go to Pretend City Children’s Museum the week before Halloween and receive 25 percent off a second admission. 
Also check out Frankenstein Friday on Oct. 27, Healthy Halloween Oct. 30, Trick and Treat through the City on Oct. 31 and Dia de los Muertos on Nov. 2.
Pretendcity.org

Haunted Hotel at Wyndham Irvine 
October 28; 9 p.m.-2 a.m. 
For over 21 Halloween fun, the third annual Haunted OC Hotel bash features 4 DJs on two floors of the Wyndham Irvine, with ballrooms, bottle service and VIP areas set up throughout the hotel. Tickets range from $23-$1,200. 
orangecountynightlife.com/event/71501/haunted-oc-hotel-halloween 
 
 
Eat, Drink and Be Scary Costume Party at Hotel Irvine 
October 28; 9 p.m.–2 a.m. 
This Halloween, partygoers should don their scariest, most original costumes and creep over to Red Bar and Lounge for its second annual Halloween party. There will be Halloween-themed specialty cocktails to sip, while fans of fun mix and mingle with other creatures of the night and enter the group costume contest to win some scary-good prizes.  
hotelirvine.com/happenings 
 
Oktoberfest at Hotel Irvine 
October 29; 11 a.m.–4 p.m.  
Sample craft beers from Ballast Point, Stella Artois, North Coast, Stone and others, along with a menu featuring rustic sausages, hot dogs, burgers and more, in Hotel Irvine’s big back yard space. There’s live music, games and activities for all ages. General admission is $40 per adult; $15 per child ages five to 12; children under four years complimentary.
hotelirvine.com/happenings

Irvine Park Pumpkin Patch
Through October 31  
Irvine Regional Park, Orange 
Enjoy a pumpkin patch, hay maze, pony rides, haunted house, face painting, bouncy houses, games, food and of course the train ride at our favorite park not in Irvine. 
irvineparkrailroad.com/events/pumpkin-patch ​

By Irvine City News staff

By Irvine City News staff

The attractions of living in Irvine are many, and among them are the city’s adjacencies: what’s next or near to us. While easy access to Segerstrom Center for the Arts, John Wayne Airport, Disneyland and South Coast Plaza come immediately to mind, it’s easy to forget the natural wonders within or near the city limits. These include the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary that flows into the Back Bay, the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, the rugged San Joaquin Hills, and the beauty of Laguna Canyon.

It’s important that Irvine continue as a good steward of our own city, as well as the natural and human communities we impact. One such place is Laguna Beach. We share the canyon that connects our cities, and when Irvine locals visit the beaches, art festivals and shops of Laguna, we impact traffic and parking, too.
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One way to lessen the impact on our neighbors, and on ourselves, while eliminating the stress of driving Laguna Canyon and finding parking in the summer is to take the bus. It’s the Summer Breeze, the free weekend bus service from Irvine to Laguna Beach.

For a second summer, the Orange County Transportation Authority, in partnership with the city of Laguna Beach, will offer the buses from the Cavalia parking lot to Laguna Beach. The parking lot is between Laguna Canyon Road, the 133 and the 405. The buses run every 20 minutes or so from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from July 1 to Sept. 3.

Laguna Beach stops include the bus station, Sawdust Festival and Festival of Arts/Pageant of Masters attractions. Riders can catch the free Laguna Beach Trolley from the stops, which runs up and down the coast.
And for the even more adventurous (and those adept at transit maps, apps and timetables), the Laguna trolley connects to the Dana Point trolley at the Ritz-Carlton, and the Dana Point trolley connects with the summer trolley in San Juan Capistrano.

An alternative way to hit the beach without driving in summer weekend traffic is to catch a Metrolink train from the Irvine station to San Clemente or Oceanside. It’s only $10 roundtrip, and kids under 5 are free. Trains on the Orange County and Inland Empire line depart Irvine starting at 8:42 a.m. each morning. The last train back leaves San Clemente Pier at 5:55 p.m.

And if you’re a baseball fan, don’t forget the Angels Express Metrolink trains for weekday home games that begin at 7:07 p.m. The trains depart Irvine station at 4:15, 5:17 and 6:05 p.m., arriving in Irvine for boarding a few minutes later. The train leaves the Anaheim station 30 minutes after the game ends.
 
octa.net/Bus/Routes-and-Schedules/Special-Bus-Service/Laguna-Beach-Summer-Breeze
visitlagunabeach.com/trolley
san-clemente.org/i-am-a-/visitor/san-clemente-trolley
visitsjc.com/summertrolley
octa.net/Metrolink/Promotions/Angels-Express-2017

​Irvine City News staff

The start of summer vacation seems like the beginning of a few months of ease for educators, parents, students and those who support their efforts the rest of the year. Au contraire, to which any parent can attest whose June, July and August is already booked with summer camps, swim team, road trips and other forms of enrichment designed to keep their progeny engaged in lifelong learning and off of screens (at least a bit).

Spring and summer is also a busy time for Irvine Public School Foundation (IPSF), the nonprofit that helps bridge the gap between government funding and what it really takes to keep Irvine public school programs excellent.

The busy season kicked off with the IPSF 20th Birthday Bash in conjunction with the 3rd Annual STEAM Carnival at the Orange County Great Park. Some 3,500 attended a creative twist on the traditional carnival, as 50 booth sponsors offered fun, hands-on activities in an interactive atmosphere to spark students interest in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). It was fun for adults, too, with a “Cheers to 20 Years” beer and wine garden featuring craft beer from TAPS Fish House & Brewery, wines by Bianchi and ONE HOPE, and food tasting from Luna Grill and the newly-opened Texas De Brazil restaurant.

“What started as a group of concerned parents wanting the best, well-rounded education for their children has now evolved into one of the leading educational foundations in the nation,” said Neda Eaton, president and CEO of Irvine Public Schools Foundation. “Over the past 20 years, IPSF has proudly contributed over $63 million in programs and funds to support education in Irvine. It’s so incredible to bring the community together to celebrate this milestone.”

The event raised over $57,000 to benefit Irvine Unified School District (IUSD).

IPSF’s annual Spirit of Community Awards luncheon will be held June 1 at Strawberry Farms. The Spirit of Community Awards is a partnership between IPSF and Irvine Unified Council PTA that recognizes the contributions of individuals, groups, or organizations that have made a significant contribution of time and/or talents to benefit the students of the Irvine Unified School District.

The IPSF Summer Enrichment Academy offers enrichment courses for a variety of subject areas, including coding, arts, athletics and STEM courses. There are two sessions, June 19-July 7 and July 11-July 28, with elementary, middle school and high school courses, plus one-week specialty camps, with most held at neighborhood IUSD schools.

On Monday, June 5, IPSF will host the 7th Annual Tee It Up For Education Golf Tournament at Strawberry Farms. Join IPSF for a fun-filled day of golfing and networking with civic, business, and education leaders throughout Orange County, all in support of Irvine schools.

On Sunday, July 16, 2017, IPSF and Angels Baseball Foundation will team up to host the 5th Annual Aces & Athletes Poker Charity Casino Night. This year’s Tacos, Tequila & Texas Hold ‘Em event will be held at the exclusive Don Julio Club at Angel Stadium. The night will feature dinner, cocktails, great prizes and raffle items.

And it’s not too early to save the date of Oct. 14 for the 8th Annual Spirit of Excellence Gala. Presented by FivePoint, the stylish and fun fundraising evening celebrates excellence in education and the achievements of distinguished alumni, while raising funds for Irvine classrooms to benefit more than 33,000 students. Last year’s event raised some $780,000.
 
Ipsfacademy.org
Ipsf.net

By ​Irvine City News staff

 
The citizens of Irvine remain committed to honoring America and those who served it by establishing the Southern California Veterans Cemetery at one of two sites on the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. But no one need wait until a final resting place is decided upon to show respect to the service men and women who defend our nation.

We can honor those who made the supreme sacrifice for our freedom by visiting Irvine’s Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial as its expansion debuts the Sunday before Memorial Day. Last July, the Irvine City Council unanimously approved the Community Services Commission’s recommendation for the improvements. The extension of the plaza will add an additional pedestal to engrave in granite the names of those killed in action since Oct. 1, 2001. The new pedestal will also include a panel with information about Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, the memorial’s history and statistics, and a poem. There will also be two new benches for those who wish to spend time contemplating the memorial and its meaning, and the names of those commemorated at the memorial.

The Gratitude and Honor Memorial was originally dedicated in 2010 as the first permanent memorial to honor every American fallen service member in Afghanistan and Iraq for their sacrifice in service to our country.

The memorial started informally, when Irvine resident Asher Milgrom began building wooden crosses for each service member killed as the Iraq war began in 2003. Milgrom and his family placed the memorials at Northwood Community Park, and soon the candlelit commemoration grew as the community supported and embraced it. As the overseas conflicts continued, more individual memorials were added. Soon, a groundswell grew to make the memorial permanent. Spearheaded by Irvine resident Andy Zelinko, the movement for a permanent memorial grew with community donations in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a $150,000 contribution from the city of Irvine. The city council budgeted $130,000 toward the expansion.

The ceremony on Sunday, May 28 at 4 p.m. will re-dedicate the newly expanded memorial. Gold Star family members will speak about their loved ones who died in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Scott Huesing will be the guest speaker at the ceremony. He is a retired USMC Infantry Major with over 24 years of service, both enlisted and as a commissioned officer. Huesing wrote the book “Echo in Ramadi” about leading the Marines of Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines into combat in 2006.
 
The Northwood Gratitude
and Honor Memorial
Northwood Community Park
4531 Bryan Ave., Irvine
 
northwoodmemorial.com

 Farm living is the life for us at tanaka farms

​By Irvine City News staff

The culinary concept of farm-to-table dining has been a healthy trend for a few years now. Chefs go directly to farmers and ranchers to choose what they’ll put on our plate, paying close attention to the provenance of all they prepare. At Tanaka Farms, home cooks can enjoy the same experience by picking their own produce—and by picking we mean fresh from the fields. There’s also a produce stand open 7 days a week, for those who don’t want to get their hands dirty.

And more importantly, kids can join in. By picking strawberries, carrots and other fresh fare right off the plant or from the soil, they can learn crucial lessons about where food really comes from, and understand the benefits of choosing what’s fresh and seasonally grown.

Plus, riding a tractor and playing in the dirt is fun!
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After all the winter rain, this is a great season to visit Tanaka Farms. Now is the perfect time of year, with the farm’s vibrant crops and fruit in perfect balance with the lush green hills of the surrounding open space and nearby Strawberry Farms Golf Course.

The best season for sweet strawberries is now into June, while melons will be seen in July and August. There’s also other produce grown on the farm, which often includes Swiss chard, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, Maui onions, and more. The fruits and vegetables available varies throughout the growing season, and because of the rains on certain days strawberries may be in shorter supply, so call or check the website to be sure.

Farmer Tanaka, his wife, Shirley, and his son, Farmer Kenny, own and operate Tanaka Farms, which is a 30-acre working farm. According to the farm’s website, Tanaka Farms began with great-grandfather Teruo, who immigrated from Hiroshima-ken, Japan, to California. His son, known today as grandfather George, was born in Dinuba. Farmer Tanaka is a third-generation Japanese American (“Sansei”), who was born and raised in Huntington Beach, and has a degree in Agricultural Business.

In 1998, Tanaka Farms began using Responsible Farming Methods after land development prompted a move of the farming operation from its former location at Irvine Center Dr. and Bake Parkway to its current location at University Dr. and Michelson Dr. “This means food safety is our top priority,” the family says on the website. “We do our best to follow organic growing guidelines but will deviate if necessary to save a crop.”

There are several options for produce picking. Patrons (individuals or groups) can take a tractor ride, which loops around the entire grounds and makes several stops at the different areas to pick cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, etc., finishing with strawberries. If one is short on time, skip the tractor ride and pluck your own berries off the “U-Pick” planters adjacent to the market stand. With both options, you pay for what you pick. Some farm tours are free (other than paying for the strawberries picked); others include an $18 fee. Weekend tours don’t require a reservation, certain weekday tours do. It is a bit confusing, so check the website or inquire at the farm for more information.
 
tanakafarms.com

​By Irvine City News staff