Former Irvine Vice Mayor Tammy Kim, who recently aimed to return to the City Council, now faces serious legal troubles. The Orange County District Attorney’s office announced that Kim has been charged with ten felonies related to alleged dishonesty about her residency while serving on the City Council and during her campaign for mayor last fall.
The charges against Kim include three counts of perjury, three counts of filing false documents, and various other counts related to voter registration fraud and aiding illegal voting. If convicted, she could face more than 11 years in prison. Kim is set to be arraigned on Friday morning.
In a brief statement to the press, Kim indicated that she plans to plead not guilty. Her attorney, Caroline Hahn, stated they intend to mount a strong defense but did not provide further details.
The accusations suggest that Kim used two fraudulent addresses while campaigning for mayor in November 2024 and for a City Council seat in early 2025. She had owned a condo in Irvine’s 3rd District since 2015 but allegedly stopped claiming it as her residence. To run for mayor, Kim changed her driver’s license and voter registration to an address in the 5th District, where she reportedly never lived. This address belonged to a family she met through a Korean language class, and she did not inform them of her use of their address.
Kim won a seat on the Irvine City Council in November 2020, receiving nearly 44,000 votes in a competitive race. At that time, candidates could live anywhere in the city due to the at-large voting system. However, the city switched to district elections in the fall of 2024, requiring council members to reside in the districts they represent.
After losing the mayoral election to Councilmember Larry Agran by nearly 5,000 votes, Kim announced her candidacy for the now-vacant 5th District seat. She later changed her driver’s registration to a different 5th District address on January 10 and filed new nomination paperwork.
However, her campaign faced legal challenges. Former mayoral candidate Ron Scolesdang sued Kim, claiming she was using an incorrect address. Scolesdang had even hired a private investigator to monitor her. Kim eventually withdrew from the race on February 7, the same day a court removed her from the ballot.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the community watches closely. Kim’s situation raises questions about electoral integrity and the responsibilities of public officials.