Community Link Newsletter

 

Community Link Newsletter

December 3, 2021 | Edition 48

Welcome to the Community Link Newsletter

Our weekly newsletter aims to keep residents and businesses connected to us and all that is going on in and throughout the City. You can connect with us and learn more about our community, cultural events and celebrations, and news of interest by reading this newsletter, visiting our website at cityofirvine.org, and following us on our social media channels, listed at the bottom of this email. We look forward to connecting with you. 

 
Holiday Tree

Irvine's Holiday Tree Lights up Tomorrow!

Celebrate the season as “snow” falls over the Irvine Civic Center, and the community gathers for the annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony on Saturday, December 4, 4–6:30 p.m.

Join an evening of holiday cheer at this free event, which will include visits with Santa Claus, live holiday music, and a winter-themed train route.

For more information about this event and other upcoming holiday events, visit cityofirvine.org/specialevents

 
Home for the Holidays

Bring a Pet Home for the Holidays this Weekend

The Irvine Animal Care Center invites the community to its 15th annual Home for the Holidays Pet Adoption Fair Sunday, December 5, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Home for the Holidays will feature local pet rescue groups and pet-related vendors, along with upwards of 200 adoptable animals. Advance ticket reservation is required for all attendees (including children).

Admission is $5 per person. Learn more and purchase tickets here

 
50th anniversary Symposium and Photo Contest Exhibition

50th Anniversary Symposium & Photo Contest Exhibition

Join us Tuesday, December 7 at 5:30 p.m., at Irvine City Hall for a special 50th Anniversary celebration featuring an opening reception of the winning and finalist submissions in the 50th Anniversary photo contest. Followed by the debut of the City’s oral history video and symposium, featuring some of Irvine’s most prominent leaders and visionaries, highlighting how Irvine came to be the model master-planned community it is today.

In addition, the winning images in the City’s 50th Anniversary Photo Contest will be on display. Learn more at cityofirvine.org/50th

 
Covid Clinic

Get Vaccinated in Irvine

The City of Irvine has expanded its partnership with testing provider Covid Clinic to provide vaccinations at the Irvine Civic Center and Great Park. All three vaccines for COVID-19 will be offered for patients 16 and older. 

 

Vaccine appointments for first dose, second dose, and booster shots are available at cityofirvine.org/covidclinic, and the vaccine type can be selected during registration. Vaccine appointments will be available during the following times:

  • Great Park Lot 2: Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Civic Center Piazza: Fridays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

In addition, the City of Irvine is partnering with Orange County and Cal Optima to host a vaccine clinic December 8 from 3 to 8 p.m. at Los Olivos Community Center. All vaccine types and all doses, including boosters, will be available. To register, visit othena.com

 
Urban Forest

Learn about Irvine's Urban Forest

Did you know Irvine has received the "Tree City USA" designation from the Arbor Day Foundation for the past 30 years? 

The number of trees in our City may have been very evident over the past week, as our Public Works & Transportation staff was busy responding to more than 80 wind-related reports and incidents by cleaning up and removing downed trees and debris. 

 

The City of Irvine is home to more than 500,000 trees, of which nearly 80,000 of those are maintained by the City. These trees create our urban forest. You can learn more about the urban forest, its benefits, and how the City's arborists achieve their goal of keeping Irvine safe and green in our video

 
Disabilities

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and this year's theme is "leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible, and sustainable post-COVID-19 world."


The City's Disability Services team provides support to individuals with sensory, physical, or cognitive disabilities, and their family members. Support services include social recreational programming, inclusion and accommodation support, and resources and referrals.

 

You can request accommodation services while participating in Irvine classes, activities, and programs by contacting Disability Services at ids@cityofirvine.org or 949-724-6637. In addition, the Friday Night Social Club will be hosting a Winter Festival Friday, December 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. Learn more and signup at yourirvine.org

 

Fun Fact for 50 Years of Incorporation 

Irvine Spectrum Before
Irvine Spectrum After

December is here, which means many of us may be visiting the Irvine Spectrum Center to do holiday shopping. If you tried to head that way before the early 1990s, all you’d bring home was Lima beans! That’s because the area was once covered in acres of lima bean fields.

It wasn’t until 1995 that the Irvine Spectrum Center opened, with 250,000 square feet of dining and entertainment that included the Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21 IMAX & RPX. This was the first Megaplex Theatre in the world with 6,400 seats and 21 screens, plus an eight-story high IMAX screen.

Today, it welcomes more than 17 million visitors annually and has grown to more than 1.2 million square feet, with the country’s largest and most successful Improv Comedy Club, along with a Nordstrom, Target, H&M, and other retailers. 

 

Upcoming Meetings & Events 

Dec. 4 | 4 p.m.

Holiday Tree Lighting

 

Dec.5 | 10 a.m.
IACC Home for the Holidays

 

Dec. 6 | 5:30 p.m.

Finance Commission

Dec. 7 | 5:30 p.m.
50th Anniversary Symposium and Exhibition Reception

View the City Calendar 

Let's Be Friends