Irvine City Council

A Muslim candidate for the Irvine City Council said Thursday that a councilman's comment linking an Islamic civil rights group to terrorism has led to a death threat against him. Police said they are investigating. Attorney Todd Gallinger, a Muslim convert, said a man called his office Tuesday, about three weeks after Councilman Steven Choi spoke at a forum and urged voters not to support a candidate who worked for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The opening moments of city council meetings nationwide are fairly predictable. They include the Pledge of Allegiance, a roll call and perhaps a prayer. Some cities call for a moment of silence. But two councils in Orange County known for fractious meetings have tried adding a moment of music to the mix. And even that's being debated. Consider the dueling members of the Irvine City Council, Larry Agran and Christina L. Shea, who often disagree on issues -- even music.

In a biting report aimed at efforts to build one of America's largest urban parks, the Orange County Grand Jury suggests the ambitious plan could founder if left in the hands of Irvine city leaders. The Orange County Great Park, which would take shape at the former El Toro Marine base, has gained national attention for its ambitious scope, and landscape artists from around the world recently competed for the right to design it.

Four of the five Irvine City Council members leave today for an all-expense-paid, nine-day trip to Barcelona, Paris and New York City as part of their role in planning a 1,000-acre park at the former El Toro Marine base. The cost of the trip is still being calculated, but the itinerary includes two nights at the five-star Grand Marina Hotel in Barcelona. Traveling are seven members of the Orange County Great Park Corp.

After a raucous eight-hour meeting that ended just before 2 a.m. Wednesday, the Irvine City Council agreed to continue studying an expansion of the city-owned electrical utility -- a proposal embroiled in recent weeks in allegations of corruption and unethical conduct. Councilman Chris Mears has accused Mayor Larry Agran of promoting the utility proposal through an Anaheim company with undisclosed financial ties to longtime Agran political advisor Ed Dornan.

Joining a growing chorus of opposition to a proposal by the Anaheim Angels owner to change the team's name to the Los Angeles Angels, the Irvine City Council has passed a resolution supporting Anaheim. The unanimous vote Tuesday says that the Angels have brought pride to Orange County and that the name should remain as is. Those opposed to the name change include the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Irvine City Council voted 4 to 1 early Wednesday to take the next steps toward setting up a municipal electric utility to power the future north end of the city. Those steps include spending up to $369,000 on additional studies, applying for interconnection with Southern California Edison as a municipal utility and issuing a request for qualifications for contractors to handle day-to-day operations. The dissenting vote was cast by council member Christina L.

An Orange County transit advocate has launched a petition effort to preserve the CenterLine light-rail project, which could be dealt a serious, if not fatal, blow by a pending ballot measure that would eliminate rail altogether in Irvine. The anti-rail initiative, which the Irvine City Council has agreed to put before voters by June 30, would block construction of the $1.1-billion line through Irvine and strip all references to light rail from the general plan, the city's main planning document.

Re "Irvine Plan to Annex Musick Jail Opposed," Feb. 19: Thank you to The Times' Jean Pasco for the heads-up on the inclusion of the James Musick jail in the Great Park plan. Why should I, as a representative of the citizens of Lake Forest, support Irvine in this land grab? Was it not the majority of the Irvine City Council who turned their backs on a rational compromise agreement with the sheriff over the future expansion of the jail just a year ago? I thank Supervisor Tom Wilson and the sheriff for their stance against this proposition.

Larry Agran, former Irvine mayor and 1992 presidential candidate, is running for City Council in an effort to help thwart plans for an airport at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. "We need a City Council that is taking a lead in this entire battle," said Agran, 53. "There needs to be an honest, side-by-side choice between the county's airport plan and the South County plan. I believe that the majority of residents, if given the chance, will vote against the airport plan."