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Irvine’s amazing grads
Irvine’s vision to create a “City of Intellect” is highlighted again this year with the class of 2026 showing off academic success, athletic prowess, achievements…
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Jun 3, 2026
Two fan favorite dining spots now open
La La Land Cafe at Irvine Spectrum Center, the 25th location for the brand, aims for warmth and a place …
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Jun 3, 2026
UCI summer camps offer rock climbing, cooking and more
Finding the right summer camp for kids often means choosing between sports, science or the arts. However, UC Irvine offers …
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Jun 3, 2026
IVC men’s tennis wins state championship
The Irvine Valley College men’s tennis team capped a dominant 14-1 season by capturing its second consecutive California Community College …
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Cutting-Edge Connectivity
New Irvine Community Pacifica Place Debuts First-of-Its-Kind 3 Gig Wi-Fi 7 Network as High-Speed Internet Becomes a Must-Have Residential Amenity
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Getting wild at OC Zoo for a day
About 455 runners of all ages took part in the Run Wild 5K event at the OC Zoo in Irvine…
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Wild Rivers: A full day of fun for families, friends
Summer in Orange County gets a little bigger this year as Wild Rivers adds a growing lineup of entertainment and…
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Grown-up comfort foods for kids at heart
Sophisticated versions of childhood staples at Irvine Spectrum Center
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10 happenings in June
1. Gospel concertExperience the sound that shaped a nation at this Juneteenth celebration. The concert pays tribute to African American…
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Q&A: Making the most of mosaics
Artist Dawn Mendelson will teach an Introduction to Mosaic Art class June 20 at the Irvine Fine Arts Center. We…
HIghlights
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Athletes of the year
northwood high school Natalie Keith Softball, flag football The 2026 Pacific Coast League female athlete of the year was a standout on the Northwood varsity softball team for four years and the flag football squad for three seasons. While maintaining a 4.1 GPA, Keith has earned a full-ride scholarship in softball to the University of Arizona. In softball as a senior, the shortstop led Northwood to the CIF-SS final and was named league MVP. In her junior year, Keith led the flag football team to the program’s first CIF-SS championship and was named player of the year for Division 2.…
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UCI basketball signs world’s tallest player
The tallest person ever to play college basketball is making Irvine his new home. Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 center transferring from the University of Florida,…
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IVC men’s tennis wins state championship
The Irvine Valley College men’s tennis team capped a dominant 14-1 season by capturing its second consecutive California Community College Athletic Association state title, sweeping…
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University boys soccer captures state title
University High’s boys soccer team brought home the CIF State Division IV crown with a 3-2 victory over Del Mar in the final. It capped…
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Great Park is base for Men’s National Team
The U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team has selected Championship Soccer Stadium at Great Park as its official training base during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.…
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A linear park journey
Jeffrey Open Space Trail is a portal to the past and a connection in the present
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Connecting the missing middle
Jeffrey Open Space Trail is evolving from a scenic area through the villages north of the 5 freeway into a seamless linear park stretching across…
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Irvine ranks No. 2 in the U.S. for parks and open space
Irvine has officially secured its spot as a national leader in urban excellence, capturing the No. 2 spot in the 2026 ParkScore index for the…
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Col. Bill Barber Memorial Park
Where the community connects – in every sense of the word
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Council approves nature park zoning
The Irvine City Council voted 7-0 last month to approve a zoning amendment allowing an alternative option for the privately owned Oak Creek Golf Club.…
Master Plan
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The Irvine advantage
Cities inevitably change. A well-conceived master plan’s value lies in how its fundamentals can remain consistent even as conditions change over the years. By identifying…
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Irvine is area’s best city for renters
Irvine once again affirmed its reputation as one of the nation’s premier places to live by earning the top spot among Southern California cities for…
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Best city for families in Southern California
WalletHub recognized Irvine as the fourth-best city for families in the U.S. for 2025.
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Irvine is top city in the state
Irvine has been named California’s best city to live in – and the fifth best in the U.S. – by Niche, a national platform for…
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Irvine earns Master Plan accolade
The master-planned city of Irvine has been recognized as the nation’s best planned community by Zonda, an international real estate research organization.
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Hidden in plain sight: Subtleties of the Master Plan
A master plan may sound like a formidable document full of statistics and theories, but done right – as in Irvine – it’s a blueprint…
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A secret to Irvine’s beauty
The landscape architecture of Irvine is a key part of why the city is such a desirable place to live. Pick a place in Irvine,…
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Early attention to infrastructure pays off
Every great city is built upon a solid foundation, known as infrastructure. Across America, it’s often overlooked or crumbling. In Irvine, however, infrastructure was master…
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Behind the dynasty
Forget track spikes and starting pistols. At Sierra Vista Middle School, the most fiercely contested sport on campus is played with safety goggles, data sheets and college-level textbooks. This is the competitive world of Science Olympiad, where the Irvine school has quietly built a modern academic dynasty – one that just captured its second consecutive Division B National Championship and its third national title in five years, winning medals in 18 of 23 events. Think of it as a track meet, but for science. Students work in pairs to compete across 23 events, ranging from building mechanical flight devices to…
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UCI professor changed emergency medicine
Kyriacos A. Athanasiou sometimes struggled to not fall asleep while sitting in class during early-morning rounds at the University of Texas Health Science Center in…
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Q&A: Early success for concertmaster
At age 13, Owen Lo is already a familiar face on the stage of Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The Sierra Vista Middle School…
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Irvine schools earn top state honor
Seven Irvine Unified schools have been named 2026 California Distinguished Schools, the state’s highest honor for public schools. Lakeside, Rancho San Joaquin, Sierra Vista, South…
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Natural Sciences Center brings IVC students together
The new Natural Sciences Center at Irvine Valley College is a win-win for Hinanui Swider. She benefits as both a student and a tutor. Now…
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Amenities abound at Spectrum Terrace
Some folks spend work breaks gulping coffee, gobbling doughnuts or playing word games on their phones. Bharat Ananth hits the trails. “I’m a big outdoor person,” says Ananth, vice president for digital and IT at Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, which recently moved into a new headquarters at Spectrum Terrace. He arrives as early as 6 a.m. to jog along the 1.5-mile trail circling the resort-like, 73-acre campus at the 405 freeway and Laguna Canyon Road. “I’ve been working in Southern California for 25 years, and this is one of the best locations,” he says. Ananth’s enthusiasm helps explain why leading firms such…
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Beloved surf-born brand finds big stage in Irvine
Bass Pro Shops’ latest purchase has a local vibe that many Irvine shoppers might appreciate. Bass Pro’s White River Marine Group acquired Hobie, the iconic…
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Bacchus Bar & Bistro adds lunch and brunch
Danny Choi was no wine connoisseur when he bought Bacchus Wine Bar in 2017. He preferred Michelob to merlot, had never set foot in a…
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Celebrating Small Business: Quail Hill Shopping Center
OLIVER’S TRATTORIAOpened by chef Erik De Marchi at Quail Hill Shopping Center in 2023 “One of my favorite places in OC. Every detail is perfected…
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Q&A: Secret spaces at Spectrum Center
Blaise Witnish is Global CEO of Funlab, the parent company of Holey Moley and Hijinx Hotel. She shares strategy and secrets at these instantly Instagrammable…
Sustainability
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Irvine among first Clean California Communities
The city of Irvine has been named one of the first 33 communities in the state to earn the new Clean California Community designation from Caltrans, the state agency responsible for highway maintenance and transportation infrastructure.
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Concepts of environmental sustainability were pioneered in Irvine and continue to guide the city today
Nature was on the minds of Irvine Company planners as far back as 1959. Though “environmental sustainability” is widely recognized today, it was largely unknown…
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Irvine among nation’s greenest cities
Thanks to its abundance of parks, open spaces and trees, Irvine has been named one of the “Greenest Cities in America” by the finance website…
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EV drivers boosted by more city chargers
Electric vehicle owners in Irvine have a growing number of options to charge up.
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Water-wise tips for fall
In September, plants’ water needs drop by approximately 30% even if the temperature is hot. Because the days are shorter, evaporation decreases. Plus, plants begin…
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Welcome to Irvine Standard, a community paper that celebrates the people, places and experiences that make Irvine America’s best master-planned city. Thanks for reading.