✅ In Stage Two, the County of Orange will be allowed to have the following businesses re-open with adaptations:

�� In-person dining reservations.

�� Retail shopping with social distancing and curbside pickup.

�� Manufacturing.

�� Offices (when telework not possible).

�� Outdoor Museums.

▶️ Limited Services.

- Personal services such as nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms and fitness studios.

- Indoor museums, kids museums and gallery spaces, zoos and libraries.

- Community centers, including public pools, playgrounds, and picnic areas.

- Limited-capacity religious services and cultural ceremonies.

- Nightclubs.

- Concert venues.

- Live audience sports.

- Festivals.

- Theme parks.

- Hotels/lodging for leisure and tourism - non-essential travel.

- Higher Education.

June holds historic significance for the LGBT community.  In 1969, the Stonewall Riots occurred in the New York City as a protest against the police department's unfair targeting of the LGBT community. The Stonewall Riots led to political organizing that is considered to be the beginning of the modern LGBT civil rights movement. The following year, the first LGBT Pride Parade was held in New York City on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Today, California has the largest LGBT population in the nation and is home to over forty LGBT Pride celebrations. 

As Governor Newsom stated recently in his Pride Month Proclamation, "The LGBTQ community has worked tirelessly for respect, equality and their very right to exist. Their battles have been fought in the courts, from marriage equality to demanding equal protection under the law.  While there has been remarkable progress towards acceptance and equality in recent years, members of the LGBTQ community in the United States and around the world still face an unacceptable level of discrimination and violence. This includes LGBTQ people who aren't safe at home and those who do not have a home in which to stay.  We must push back against those who threaten the safety of LGBTQ Californians and challenge our progress. And we must continue to make the case that all human beings share something fundamental in common - all of us want to be loved, and all of us want to love. We cannot march in a parade this June, but we can and will stand with our LGBTQ family, friends and neighbors. Pride celebrations may look different this year, but in California, no matter the circumstances, we are proud to support our LGBTQ community's right to live their lives out loud. As we celebrate Pride across the state, we must continue to demand equal rights for all to create a California for all."

Last year,   I asked the Irvine City Council to fly the Pride Flag from our Civic Center. In doing so, we would be joining many other cities, including Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach, and Fullerton, as well as the Orange County Fairgrounds, in flying the Pride Flag to recognize Pride Month by making it clear to all that our community is a place where LGBT people are visible, accepted, and welcome.

Unfortunately, although dozens of residents spoke at the meeting in support of flying the Pride Flag, the Council defeated the proposal and I was the only Councilmember to speak in favor of it. Councilmember Mike Carroll even called the Pride Flag "a spectacle of divisiveness."

In fact, in direct response to my motion to fly the Pride Flag, the Irvine City Council took the unprecedented step of voting to prohibit a council member from placing an item on the agenda without two other council members approval.  As the Orange County Register correctly stated in a powerful editorial opposing the Council's action, "the transparent goal [was] to shut down the views of the political minority."

Following the City Council's rejection of my Pride Flag motion, I joined with numerous other Irvine residents in our own a Pride Flag event in front of City Hall, celebrating LGBTQ Pride and diversity in Irvine.  I also placed a Pride Flag in front of my office at City Hall office.

I said at the time that I had no intention of being silent.  Therefore, I will again bring a motion to the Irvine City Council to fly the Pride Flag from our Civic Center as a visible and prominent expression of our City's commitment to equal rights for all and to ensure that our LGBTQ community can live their lives out loud.

Under the new rules imposed by the City Council majority in response to my Pride Flag motion last year, I asked Councilmember Farrah Khan to join me in placing this motion on the City Council agenda.  She told me she was working with other, Republican, councilmembers on a Pride-related agenda item.  When I asked her specifically whether the item included flying the Pride Flag, she did not respond.

I have now seen the agenda item, a proclamation, and  it does not call for flying the Pride Flag from the Civic Center as a clear symbol of Irvine's commitment. 

Accordingly, this year I will again bring a motion to fly the Pride Flag from our Irvine Civic Center.

Please show your support for flying the Pride Flag in Irvine by contacting Mayor Christina Shea and the Irvine City Council to let them know.  Click here for their email addresses.

As Harvey Milk told us, "Hope will never be silent."

I've always loved farmer's markets, and I'm glad I was able to help provide fresh food to our community when it's never been more important to eat right to stay healthy!

At this time, there are approximately 23 vendors scheduled to participate with items varying from fruits and vegetables to hummus, bread, beef jerky, honey, and eggs.

A traffic safety plan has been developed with the assistance of Public Works & Transportation, Public Safety, and Community Services staff to facilitate anticipated traffic. 

Admission is free. The Farmers Market is located in Lot No. 2; enter along Great Park Boulevard at Sand Canyon Avenue.

When we first opened the Drive-Thru Farmer's Market at Great Park, I arrived just before 10:00 a.m. and it took e about an hour to get through the line.  Since then, City staff and I have discussed ways to try to improve on that time - now, to better facilitate traffic, vendors with packaged products such as kettle corn, bread, nuts and beef jerky will be at the beginning of the drive-through, and vendors with fresh vegetables will be in two lines at the end - but I would still expect to spend about an hour in line in your car.

We bought fresh vegetables, fruit, bread and terrific tamales last week - and we're looking forward to shopping there again this Sunday!

Here is some important information:

The Great Park Certified Farmers Market is operated by Mary Ann Senske. For vendor details or other information, visit the market on  Facebook or  Instagram.

For questions or to request an application to be a vendor, contact her at 714-733-3167 or  [email protected].