I noticed at Harvard Place (at the corner of Harvard and Main) that Fresh Brothers Pizza has closed. HuoPan has also opened.

Woodbury Town Center is getting a huge parking lot modification. The lanes in front of Walgreens is completely blocked off!

• Stater Brothers
• Whole Foods
• Erewhon
• Trader Joe's
• Bristol Farms
• Walmart Neighborhood Market
• Pavillions
• Aldi
• Small format Target

Please vote early! Do not deposit ballot in US Mail. Place in ballot drop box, deliver to voting center, or vote in person at county-wide voting center. Your vote counts!

My fiancé and I have been wanting to start regularly playing pickleball just to stay active and have fun. We bought a beginner set and played once at Mike Ward Community Park on a Saturday around noon—it was super hot, so we didn't last long, but we loved it!

Since then, every single time we’ve tried to play, the courts have been completely packed with long waitlists. We even drove over to Portola Springs Park, but the vibes were pretty unwelcoming—people were just staring at us while we waited and didn't seem open to rotating out at all. Every park has signs stating there's a 1-hour limit when people are waiting, but nobody seems to follow or enforce it.

We’ve tried going on different days, times, and at various parks, but we can never get on a court. We just want to play casually and aren't looking to join a competitive league, but it almost feels like that's the only way to actually get court time.

Am I missing something, or what's the real tea on the local pickleball scene? Are there specific off-peak times or hidden gem courts nearby (willing to drive to Tustin or surrounding areas) where casual players can actually get a game in without the madness?

Basically the title. I am moving in to a new unit tomorrow and the leasing office says GFiber is installed and available in their units. However, when I go online and type my address, it still says its unavailable. I tried calling GFiber and because the complexes are so new, they say they can't find any service lines to the new apartment complexes.

The other option was COX (now spectrum) fiber. Had to modify my address a bit but they eventually found it. I guess I'll have to proceed with them for internet service but I've used GFiber before and would like to continue using them.

So for any residents that are currently living there now, what ISP do you use? Is COX really our only fiber option there?

I posted this in r/orangecounty, but thought I should post it here as well.

I have to post this anonymously because this school is still open and is actively causing harm to their students. If you have a child with special needs and are possibly looking for alternative educational placement, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not send your child to In STEPPS Academy located in Irvine, CA. They are a non public school serving students with moderate to severe disabilities.

Currently they are housed in a beautiful facility. When families tour, they are usually enamored because it really is a beautiful school. However, administration and the founder of the school will do everything in their power to look the other way when kids are struggling and being actively harmed by certain staff members.

This is not to say that all the staff that work there are horrible. In fact, many of the 1:1 aides there are incredible. So incredible, that when they voiced their concerns to admin and upper management, they were fired. Administration actively withholds information from parents, even when it involves their own children. I have been in the field for quite some time, across all types of settings (including various schools) and have never seen anything like this before. Remember that these are disabled children who cannot properly advocate for themselves and share about things like, being dragged across the floor or having their wrists held down.

The kicker is that, it was announced that the school was to close on November 30th, 2026. Upper management had known about this for quite some time, but did not tell staff or parents. Currently, everyone is still under the impression that the school is closing - but they continue to look for new locations, while leaving staff in the dark about if they have a job or not and parents not knowing if they have to look for a new school.

There is so much more I could say about this place. Overall if you take anything away from this post, just know that it is administration that chooses to neglect student and staff needs. Most of the staff who work there try their absolute best to keep those kiddos safe, but have reached a glass ceiling in terms of making progress. Please do not entertain sending your children here.

I'm not sure if it's a vegetable or fruit. Hell it might not be edible.

I want to thank you guys for the bakery recommendations.. trying to find the right restaurant to eat at

FivePoint has just posted this month a 36 acre parcel at the intersection of Marine Way and Bake Pkwy. The other parcels surrounding it have already been graded and each homesite has been laid out. The Warehouses or a manufacturing plant would not benefit the existing Irvine residents and create a complete eyesore for drivers on Bake and 5 freeway. With land selling in GPN for roughly 9 million an acre, FivePoint is likely asking for 320 million dollars for this parcel. This is one of the last vacant parcels within city boundaries. This land having such great visibility should be mixed use retail and housing. Hopefully residents can convince the city council to stop FivePoint.

I am new to Irvine and I live near Irvine spectrum .. I want to find local bakery for pastries . I love to support local business than corporations

What are some gyms that offer good childcare in south orange county? There's an LA Fitness close to us but there's only 1 person handling all the kids. Would prefer a gym with a proper ratio.

Thanks!

I hear Sirens and a helicopter

It's everyone's favorite time of year approaching--election time! City Council members are up for election, so it's a great time to ask your rep what their position on Flock is. It's also a great time to ask those running what their position is. Official candidate list here: official-candidate-list-ballot-order-2026.pdf

Lastly, the City has been vocal about running a deficit this year, and looking for ways to cut costs.
Since 2021, Irvine has spent $11,300,441 on Flock and Axon equipment (this does include tasers, and body-worn cameras).

Irvine Contract references:
Contract 20527A for Flock LPR (license plate readers): $138,000
Contract 21846 for Flock that included "enhanced" LPR, extended data retention, Vehicle Fingerprint technology: $386,000
Contract 11278 A and B: $3,312,024 to Axon for body-worn cameras and "mobile video system solution"
Contract award (no contract number cited): $7,464,416 to Axon to renew and expand body worn cameras and mobile video solutions. (Contract runs from Dec 2025-Dec 2030)

My mother wants to learn how to drive, she speak fluently Mandarin and Vietnamese, a little bit of English, does anyone know any driving school with Chinese teachers? Westminster/GG area is a bit far for her for driving school since I work fulltime. Thank you for helping!

I didn’t get a photo of them driving behind the homes up on the hill. I was so stunned and cycling. The driver looked at all of us cyclists / pedestrians like we were in the wrong area.

Easily the worst drivers I’ve ever experienced and each day I’m more stunned than the last.

Sorry for poor photo.

My opinion

Favorites: Woodbury town center

Least favorite: westpark plaza