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Irvine Ranked Safest Big City in America for 21st Consecutive Year

Issue # 0589

Author

Joshua Tjia
16 Mar

In this Irvine Insider Issue . . .

😁 Laugh of the Day

🌤️ Irvine Weather

🏙️🚓 Irvine Ranked Safest Big City in America for 21st Consecutive Year

🚒🧯 Firefighters Stop Irvine Garage Fire from Spreading to Nearby Units

📚📖 Irvine Public Library Invites Community to Suggest Books, Games, and More

🚧 Culver Drive Pavement Project and Protected Bike Lane Work Starts March 16

🌱🍓 Strawberry Happy Hour Returns to Tanaka Farms with All-You-Can-Eat Berries

🥬🫘 Nutrition Tips for Managing Asthma

🌌🥾 Explore Peters Canyon After Dark on a Guided Night Wildlife Walk, Mar. 21

🎨📝 Applications Open for the 42nd Irvine Annual Art Exhibition

🎼🎼 Upcoming High School Music Calendar

🐱🐶 Help Foster Pets: Irvine Animal Care Center Donation Drive Continues

🎾 UC Irvine Men’s Tennis Defeats Air Force 4–2 to Finish Perfect Homestand

🏀🏐🎾⚽️ UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

🏀🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS

🏈🎾 High School Athletics Calendar

🚓📦 Suspects Arrested After Package Theft and Vandalism at Irvine Spectrum Apartments

🍏🥭🍑 Local Farmers Markets

🌟🏪🎉Irvine’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

📅📅 Lots of Local Events

📞💡 Useful Contact Information

How can you tell if March is happy?

It has a little spring in its step.

We hope this joke brings some laughter to your day! 😁

Irvine Ranked Safest Big City in America for 21st Consecutive Year

During the March 10 State of the City address, Larry Agran reported that Irvine has been ranked the Safest Big City in America for the 21st consecutive year, according to FBI violent crime statistics.

  • The city recorded no criminal homicides in 2025, while violent crime decreased by 5% and property crime fell by 16%.

  • The mayor also noted increased serious traffic accidents and discussed steps including lower speed limits, stronger enforcement against street racing, and additional e-bike safety education.

Firefighters Stop Irvine Garage Fire from Spreading to Nearby Units

Orange County Fire Authority firefighters quickly contained a townhome fire in Irvine on March 13. They found the garage of an end unit fully engulfed and flames beginning to spread into the home and a neighboring unit. Crews rapidly knocked down the fire, saving adjacent townhomes and most of the interior of the affected residence. No firefighters or civilians were injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Irvine Public Library Invites Community to Suggest Books, Games, and More

Can’t find something you’re looking for at the Irvine Public Library? The community is invited to submit requests for books, DVDs, video games, publications, or e-books through the “Suggest a Purchase” form in the library catalog at cityofirvine.org/libraries. Library staff will review suggestions for items that are current, widely appealing, and positively reviewed.

Culver Drive Pavement Project and Protected Bike Lane Work Starts March 16

Roadwork will begin today, Monday, March 16, on Culver Drive and Forge in the Orchard Hills neighborhood, with pavement rehabilitation and installation of a Class IV protected bike lane along Culver Drive and Orchard Hills Drive to improve cyclist safety.

Construction will take place weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through April, and drivers may experience temporary traffic impacts during the project.

Strawberry Happy Hour Returns to Tanaka Farms with All-You-Can-Eat Berries

Tanaka Farms in Irvine is hosting Strawberry Happy Hour on March 16–18 from 2–4 p.m., where visitors can enjoy all-you-can-eat strawberries right in the fields, take home one pound of fresh Tanaka berries, and visit the farm’s barn animals.

Find tickets here

Nutrition Tips for Managing Asthma

Diet can help support asthma management by reducing inflammation in the airways and supporting overall lung health. Nutrient-rich foods with antioxidants, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids may help ease symptoms and improve breathing, while highly processed foods and certain additives may trigger or worsen asthma symptoms.

Foods That May Help

  • Beans – Support gut health and immune balance

  • Apples & Oranges – Provide antioxidants that help reduce inflammation

  • Salmon – Source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D

  • Spinach – Contains folate linked to fewer severe attacks

  • Tomato Juice – Lycopene may help relax airways

  • Turmeric – Curcumin offers anti-inflammatory benefits

  • Pomegranates – Antioxidants support lung function

  • Ginger – May help ease airway inflammation

Foods to Limit

  • Fast foods – Often high in inflammatory fats

  • Sulfite-rich foods – Dried fruits, wine, pickled items

  • Salicylate-rich foods – Coffee, tea, certain spices

Explore Peters Canyon After Dark on a Guided Night Wildlife Walk, Mar. 21

Explore the park after dark at Peters Canyon Regional Park during Parks After Dark: Peters Canyon on Saturday, March 21, from 7–9 p.m. This free, naturalist-led night hike invites participants to look for nighttime wildlife such as toads and owls while learning about the park’s nocturnal ecosystem.

Applications Open for the 42nd Irvine Annual Art Exhibition

Applications are now open for the 42nd Irvine Annual, a juried art exhibition that has showcased California artists for more than 40 years. Artists can submit their work for a chance to be featured in the summer exhibition at the Irvine Fine Arts Center.

Submissions are accepted through April 30, and artists can apply at cityofirvine.org/irvineannual.

Upcoming Northwood High School’s Music Calendar

  1. March 16: IUSD Instrumental Music Festival

  2. March 18: 8th Grade Family Night – Jazz Ensemble I

  3. March 21: Irvine Jazz Festival

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://timbmusic.org/events/

Upcoming Woodbridge High School's Music Calendar

  1. March 16: Wind Ensemble & Philharmonic Festival, IHS Performing Arts Center

  2. March 20: WHS Carnival

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.whs-music.org/

Upcoming Woodbridge High School’s Vocal Music Calendar

  1. March 20, 7:00 PM: Spring Concert, WHS Performing Arts Center

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://woodbridgechoirs.weebly.com/calendar.html

Upcoming Irvine High Choral’s Music Calendar

  1. March 17, 7:00 PM: Spring Concert, Irvine High PAC

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.ihschoralmusic.org/calendar.html 

Upcoming Portola High School Music’s Calendar

No further events scheduled for this month.

For the latest updates or additional details, please visit https://www.phsmusicbooster.org/buy-ticket

Help Foster Pets: Irvine Animal Care Center Donation Drive Continues

The Irvine Animal Care Center is halfway through its Foster Donation Drive, and there’s still time to help! Donations support puppies, kittens, recovering pets, and animals preparing for adoption. The drive runs through March 31, and items can be sent directly from the center’s Amazon or Chewy wish lists.

Most-needed items include:

  • Feline Breeders Edge Formula

  • Acrylic pet playpens

  • Durable KONG toys

  • Other specialty foster supplies

Find more information here

UC Irvine Men’s Tennis Defeats Air Force 4–2 to Finish Perfect Homestand

The UC Irvine Anteaters men’s tennis team defeated the Air Force Falcons 4–2, finishing a perfect week of home matches and improving to 7–5 this season. UC Irvine will play its next match on the road against the Boise State Broncos on March 22.

UCI Anteaters Upcoming Home Games

Men’s Basketball

  • Tue, Mar 17 – vs UNLV, 8:00 PM

Baseball

  • Fri, Mar 20 – vs Oregon State, 6:00 PM

  • Sat, Mar 21 – vs Oregon State, 1:00 PM

  • Sun, Mar 22 – vs Oregon State, 1:00 PM

🏐⚽🏀 Upcoming home games for the IVC LASERS 

Baseball

  • Tue, Mar 17 – vs LA Harbor, 2:00 PM

  • Wed, Mar 18 – vs LA Harbor, 2:00 PM

Men’s Tennis

  • Thu, Mar 19 – vs Fullerton, 2:00 PM

Women’s Beach Volleyball

  • Fri, Mar 20 – vs Saddleback, 10:00 AM

  • Fri, Mar 20 – vs Riverside, 12:00 PM

High School Athletics Calendar

**

Updated With March Schedule

Upcoming Irvine High School’s Varsity home games:

March 2026

Monday, March 16

  • Lacrosse, Boys - 4:00 PM vs Portola

Tuesday, March 17

  • Swimming & Diving, Boys - 3:30 PM vs University

  • Softball - 3:30 PM vs El Toro

  • Swimming & Diving, Girls - 3:30 PM vs University

  • Volleyball, Boys - 5:15 PM vs Laguna Beach

Thursday, March 19

  • Tennis, Boys - 3:15 PM vs University

  • Softball - 3:30 PM vs Northwood

Suspects Arrested After Package Theft and Vandalism at Irvine Spectrum Apartments

A mail carrier alerted police after spotting two suspects stealing packages at The Park at Irvine Spectrum Apartments. The pair fled through the apartment landscaping, causing damage, and later attempted to escape in a rideshare after leaving their car at The Marketplace. Irvine police located the suspects and arrested Adrien Jarrell, 48, and Darcel Williams, 42, both from Los Angeles. Officers recovered stolen packages and property from their vehicle, and the suspects were booked into the Orange County Jail on burglary, conspiracy, vandalism, and narcotics-related charges.

Irvine’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

We know our community is brimming with businesses that have fascinating stories and big hearts. If you’re a local business owner making waves, crafting unique experiences, or simply putting a smile on our faces, we want to chat with you! “Irvine Insider” is eager to shine a light on the unsung heroes of our city. Let’s collaborate and let the community know what makes your business special.

Click the link below and fill out the Local Business Spotlight Application Form to be featured and let’s celebrate the spirit of Irvine together!

Irvine Insider is sent to a local audience of Irvine residence Monday through Friday with 50% - 60% open rate. Our newsletter is a great way to reach Irvine residents.

  • Kaiser Permanente Irvine Farmers Market

  • Saturday Farmers Market at Mariners Church Irvine

    • When: Saturday, 8 AM - 12 PM

    • Where: 5428 Bonita Canyon Dr, Irvine, CA 92603

  • Great Park Certified Farmers Market

  • Manassero Farmers

    • When: Daily, 9 AM - 4:30 PM

    • Where: 33 Irvine Valley, Irvine, CA 92604

  • Tanaka Farms

    • When: Daily, 9 AM - 5 PM

    • Where: 5380 3/4 University Dr, Irvine, CA 92612

    • More Info:Tanaka Farms

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