"4 Asian Americans could be seated on LA City Council"

A record number of Asian Americans could be elected to the Los Angeles City Council this fall, reports LAist.

Currently there are three – Kevin de León, Nithya Raman and John Lee.

John Lee won the primary with well over 60 percent of the vote and will be headed to another term.

Grace Yoo is on track to challenge incumbent Heather Hutt in a runoff in the District 10 race. Yoo, if victorious, would be the first Korean American woman to ever win a council seat.

DeLeon is facing a tough challenge to hold on to his seat in the 14th district. He faces tenant rights lawyer Ysabel Jurado. Jurado is Filipino American. DeLeon identifies as Latino and Chinese American.

Raman who was born in Kerala, India will face Ethan Weaver in a runoff in the District 4 race.

Despite being the third largest racial group in Los Angeles County, a 2023 report from the UCLA Asian American Center found Asian Americans are underrepresented in the political landscape.

The report concluded Asian Americans are divided among multiple districts, diluting their voting power and hampering the community’s ability to elect candidates that represent them.

“By splitting the Asian American population into multiple districts, they’re making up a smaller share of each of those different districts, which means that their vote doesn’t carry as much power,” said Natalie Masuoka, chair of the Asian American Studies department at UCLA said to ABC7.

Advocates say until the districts are realigned, Asian Americans will not be heard.

“Being ignored has a consequence to the people who live in the city and who live in the county,” said Bill Fujioka who chairs the board of the Japanese American National Museum.

According to the LAist, the Asian Americans currently on the council come from a diverse point of view and don’t vote as a bloc. Raman is described as progressive while Lee has supported a crackdown on homeless encampments.

“For a long time, our Asian American and Pacific Islander community has been seen as one monolith,” said Nancy Yap of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment. “Just how these two council members carry themselves is already very different from one another.”

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"LA Could Have A Record Number Of Asian Americans On City Council. What Impact Would That Have?"

For a city with the country’s second-largest Asian American population, L.A. has gone for long spells without a single Asian American on its city council.

In 1985, Michael Woo became the first Asian American elected to the council and was the only one in city history until 2015, when David Ryu won a seat.

In the decade since, the number of Asian Americans on the 15-member council has steadily grown to three: Kevin de León, Nithya Raman and John Lee.

Their political ideologies and approaches vary widely, underscoring what community advocates have been shouting from the rafters for forever: the Asian American Pacific Islander community is not monolithic.

In November, voters could add a record fourth Asian American council member to the mix.

The latest primary vote tallies that dropped late Friday afternoon show three Asian American candidates on track to head to the runoffs.

Lawyer and community leader Grace Yoo is on course to challenge council member Heather Hutt in the centrally-located Council District 10 encompassing Koreatown, Mid-City and West Adams. Yoo, who's running in second place to Hutt in the primary, would, if elected, be the first Korean American woman on the council.

Another run-off is happening in the 14th District in northeast L.A., which will continue to have a council member of Asian descent no matter what; the question is who.

Embattled council member de León is expected to square off with tenant rights lawyer Ysabel Jurado in a district that includes Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock and a big chunk of downtown.

Jurado, the primary’s top vote-getter so far, could become the city’s first council member of Filipino descent if she were to defeat de León, who identifies as Latino and Asian American. His campaign said de León has Chinese ancestry on his paternal side.

The winners will join Raman and Lee around the council dais. Those council members won re-election to their seats outright in the primary by each getting more than 50% of the vote.

According to numbers provided by the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder's Office, 2,844 ballots remain to be counted countywide.

A milestone, both symbolic and significant

The growing presence of Asian Americans on the city council is part of a trend in L.A. where more candidates of color are emerging — and winning, said UCLA political scientist Natalie Masuoka. Notably, in 2022, city controller Kenneth Mejia became the first Asian American elected to citywide office.

This generation of Asian American politicians are the children of immigrants who arrived in the U.S. after immigration laws were liberalized in 1965.

As immigrant communities have become more settled and larger, Masuoka said, they've also become "more invested in politics, because they really have the time and space and an opportunity to do so."

That evolution, she said, is reflected in the increased Asian American representation on the council.

But what does this demographic shift mean for city politics?

For Woo, the milestone is in many ways symbolic as he said most council business doesn’t typically divide on ethnic lines, let alone ideological ones, with much of members’ time devoted to the grind of budgeting and allocating money for city services.

And just because a politician comes from the same background as underrepresented constituents doesn’t mean they’ll vote or speak out on issues that reflect the needs of their community, Woo said.

A survey showed Asian American Angelenos have found political representation wanting, even with a growing number of Asian American council members.

Just 46% of the Asian American respondents said they feel represented well at City Hall, which was the lowest percentage of any racial group by double digits, according to the survey released Dec. 2022 by the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment, a voter education group.

Woo questioned whether Asian American voters are keeping track of the changing demographics of the council or just paying attention to who represents them. But for some, it could be powerful to see someone from the community guide the city, Woo said.

“It shows there's somebody who's in a leadership position, who looks like me, and maybe this means I could be there [in City Hall] or my kids someday could aspire to be,” Woo added. “Also, just putting the hours into being visible in a community is one way to give people who otherwise feel excluded or irrelevant to the political class some connection.”

In the past, council members have elevated issues relevant to Asian Americans.

Woo recalls that during his time on the council he called for the police department to make more Asian American hires to reflect the city's population. As a result, the department put more resources into advertising and outreach in Asian American communities.

“Without somebody on the council to bring this up, these things tend to get ignored,” Woo said.

During the surge in anti-Asian violence during the pandemic, then-council member Ryu sponsored a resolution supporting a federal bill targeting hate crimes. He also raised topics important to Korean Americans, such as commemorating the anniversary of Korea’s independence in a speech in council chambers.

In 2022, Lee and Raman joined then-Mayor Eric Garcetti in proclaiming May 3 as Asian American Pacific Islander L.A. Day.

The proclamation of the holiday was a rare instance of Lee and Raman joining forces. The Asian Americans on the council do not vote as a bloc when it comes to topline issues such as police funding or homelessness.

Case in point: Raman, who is part of a newer, progressive flank of the council, has harshly criticized a controversial city ordinance that bans homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools, parks and daycare centers.

By contrast, Lee, an independent and only non-Democrat on the council, has taken an aggressive approach to the encampments in his Valley council district. The 12th District saw the most arrests made last year under the anti-camping ordinance.

The council members “really represent such a diversity from AAPI communities,” said Nancy Yap, the executive director of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment.

"For a long time, our Asian American and Pacific Islander community has been seen as one monolith," Yap said. "Just how these two council members carry themselves is already very different from one another."

Yap sees the same political diversity in the Asian American candidates headed to runoffs in November.

While research has shown that Asian Americans strongly support candidates who share their background, Yap said there’s also recognition that effective representation can come from outside the community.

“Sometimes we can relate to folks who are from our community who know us really well,” Yap said. “But it is about who we believe will advocate for us the best.”

If Asian Americans have enough numbers where they could make the margin of difference in a close race. But for the best chance of getting their top choice into office, they will need to vote in coalition with other groups to get their top choice into office, according to a study co-authored by UCLA's Masuoka and Nathan Chan, a political scientist at Loyola Marymount. She said because of the way districts are drawn, Asian American voters do not have a majority or plurality anywhere in the city.

There's long been talk of redrawing district lines so Asian hubs such as Thai Town and Historic Filipinotown can be grouped together to help consolidate Asian American voting power.

Woo noted that redistricting is the rare order of council business where ethnic solidarity comes into play. And it's an occasion in which Asian American council members working together could hold sway as they pick the commissioners who rearrange the voting maps every decade.

"亞美政聯實習計畫畢業典禮 14大學生收穫滿滿" (World Journal)

亞美政聯（CAUSE）2023大學生暑期領導力實習計畫（Leadership Academy）畢業典禮18日在聖蓋博舉行。今年共有14名實習生從該項目畢業，他們在畢業典禮上分享了參與該項目的經歷，表示受益匪淺。

今年實習計畫已是第30屆，亞美政聯創始人創辦人兼主席胡澤群（Charlie Woo）指出，今年有100多位申請人，其中14人憑藉各自特長入選。暑期實習共有九周，學生們每周全職工作五天，約40小時，其中兩天在亞美政聯洛杉磯辦公室，另外三天在加州、聯邦民選官員辦公室或亞裔權益非營利組織實習。因為這些大學生來自美國各州，為讓他們後顧無憂地在加州實習，亞美政聯提供每位實習生4000元生活補助。

洛杉磯加大學生Meghna Nair，三歲從印度移民至美國。她說，參加該項目是想更深入了解亞裔社區的文化。她表示，通過該項目認識了很多傑出的人物，從他們身上學會了很多。她說，「亞美政聯拓寬了我的視野，讓我的世界更寬廣。」Meghna Nair在加州眾議員Al Muratsuch辦公室實習。

就讀於洛杉磯加大的Emma Chen，生長於聖蓋博谷。在參加此夏令營之前，就在亞美政聯實習。她了解到該夏令營廣受好評之後，決定也來參加。她得以在國會眾議員劉雲平（Ted W. Lieu）辦公室實習。她說，參加該項目讓她看到更多可能性，很多前輩給了她未來在該領域繼續發展的啟發。

就讀於波莫那學院（Pomona College）的Angel Yuan是加拿大人，在加拿大高中畢業後來美國讀大學。她說，通過該夏令營，認識了很多人，讓她了解政治是

芝加哥大學華裔生Liam Chia對公共政策非常感興趣，他說，自己來自於亞裔社區，弟弟有唐氏症，在照顧他的責任中，慢慢體會到社會政策和政治影響的重要性。亞美政聯的暑期項目讓他有機會更深入地了解政治，建立相關領域的人脈。他在國會眾議員趙美心辦公室實習。

胡澤群在當天的畢業典禮上祝賀14位政治實習生畢業，他強調了傳承的重要性。他說，畢業生應不忘如今所得到的實習機會，在未來應回饋給下一代亞裔，如此傳承才可以讓亞裔社區更加壯大。

CAUSE Statement on Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay

Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) expresses our deep sadness over the events of the last few days in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. Our hearts are with the victims, survivors, and their families in this difficult time. We commend and thank the emergency responders, elected representatives, and community leaders who continue to care for our communities.

Over the past three years, Asian American communities have felt particularly vulnerable because of an alarming number of violent incidents targeting Asian Americans. While the threat specific to both areas is no longer immediate, these events, during a time of Lunar New Year celebrations, will undoubtedly have impacts that reverberate far wider than the boundaries of the cities impacted. With 3 out of 4 Asian Americans in California worried about being the victim of physical violence, this community-wide concern about public safety is grounded in reality and needs to be addressed.

More than ever, culturally adept, in-language resources and services are also necessary for these ethnically diverse communities. As our community finds ways to grieve and heal, we must also work together to ensure that our needs are heard and addressed.

Thank you to the leaders who lead in advocating for resources for Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Thank you to the leaders who create safe spaces for us to heal and bring us together as a community. Thank you to everyone who cares for us as we work towards a future where we are all safe and empowered. 

If you are in need of assistance or support, the City of Monterey Park, LA County, and other partners set up a resource center at Langley Senior Center, 400 W Emerson Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754. A candlelight vigil is scheduled to take place at Monterey Park City Hall on Tuesday, 1/24/23 at 5:30pm. For more information, visit https://www.montereypark.ca.gov/ or call 626-307-1458

In LA Mayoral Race, A Fight For Asian American Voters

By Josie Huang

Published Nov 2, 2022 1:04 PM

The Golden Dragon in Chinatown is a go-to dim sum spot for tender chicken feet and generous servings of har gow. Lately it’s also the place to snag endorsements in the race for Los Angeles mayor.

In September, Congressmember Karen Bass stoodon a stage adorned by a golden dragon and a phoenix alongside prominent Asian American Democrats, including Attorney General Rob Bonta and fellow U.S. Rep. Judy Chu.

Weeks later, developer Rick Caruso would step onto the same stage, joined by backers from the Chinese, Thai, and Korean American chambers of commerce.

The very different set of endorsements exemplify the kind of inroads each candidate has made in the Asian American Pacific Islander community.

She Is An ‘Ally’ Against Hate … He Has ‘Business Sense’

Bass, a former community activist, has sewn up the support of the AAPI Democratic establishment, including all the local Asian American Democratic clubs. Supporters repeatedly point to her political experience and record of working across racial lines.

“Karen Bass has been an incredible ally in the fight against anti-Asian hate,” said Chu, whose legislation addressing the rise in bias attacks during the pandemic drew support from Bass, the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Caruso, a Republican-turned-Democrat and former city police commissioner, has enjoyed the backing of AAPI business leaders, many of them immigrants, who admire his success building shopping centers like The Grove and The Americana at Brand and envision him cutting through red tape.

“He has business sense,” said Jimmy Woo, who represented the Millennium Biltmore hotel at the event with the chambers of commerce. “He also doesn't kiss people's ass. He doesn't need to.”

‘Asian Americans Matter’

In L.A. there are enough AAPI voters to help swing a race. They make up nearly 10% of the city electorate, according to Pomona College political scientist Sarah Sadhwani, who analyzed ballot-tracking data.

As a group, Asian Americans are becoming more politically active. Since L.A. last got a new mayor — almost 10 years ago — three Asian Americans have been elected to the city council. For decades, there were none following the departure of Councilmember Michael Woo in 1993.

The top issues for AAPI voters are the same as for other Angelenos: homelessness, the economy and public safety, according to a survey from the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State Los Angeles.

But the cultural and linguistic differences among Asian communities means that political campaigns historically don’t bother to engage. Not so in this contest.

“I think one of the exciting things to come out of this race is that Asian Americans matter,” said Sadhwani, who co-led the Pat Brown Institute survey.

With a war chest expected to top $100 million, Caruso has been able to target Asian voters with in-language mailers and TV ads, like this one in Korean:

To win over Filipino Americans, he hosted a campaign event at The Americana in Glendale that drew hundreds and doubled as a promotional event for the film Easter Sunday, the first big-studio film featuring a mostly Filipino American cast.

“I’m just proud of the fact that we can give a voice to the community that really is not heard in Los Angeles,” Caruso said in a video posted on social media.

Bass, who’s being outspent more than tenfold, has had to rely more heavily on earned media from ethnic news outlets such as the Chinese-language World Journal and The Filipino Channel.

She’s also made visits to important AAPI hubs such as the Hollywood Sikh Temple and held events like last week’s roundtable with AAPI leaders from organizations including Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Southern California and the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance.

One of the topics of discussion was unhoused AAPI populations. “Asians are homeless, too, but [AAPI leaders] feel like they have been invisible,” Bass told LAist. “They're worried that their numbers are not focused on.”

Bitterness Over ‘92

The only Asian-language ads that Bass has bought are in Korean, according to her campaign — underscoring which community she thinks needs the most convincing about her candidacy.

While Caruso has burnished his image in the Korean American community — landing the endorsement of the Korea Daily and a gig as the grand marshal at the Los Angeles Korean Festival parade — Bass has been haunted by a comment she made decades ago.

When civil unrest rocked the city in 1992 following the acquittals of the LAPD officers who beat Rodney King, Bass, then a community activist, used the word “miracle” to describe the destruction of liquor stores. Many were owned by Korean Americans.

Korean American supporters of Caruso have continued to voice bitterness toward Bass, who as co-founder of the Community Coalition worked to keep down the number of liquor stores in South L.A. after the unrest. The area had been awash in liquor stores, and Bass’ group responded to research on the health impacts of alcohol abuse by launching an initiative to convert stores destroyed during the unrest into other types of businesses.

"We don't think it is acceptable to have a liquor store on every corner," Bass toldThe Christian Science Monitor in 1993. "The point is not to drive businesses away but to have businesses that are productive to the community."

In an interview earlier this year with the Korea Daily, Caruso said “Bass should be ashamed” of her remark, and said she “must” apologize.

“My opponent would like to stir the pot again because he sees that in his interest,” Bass told us. “To me, what is in the interest of the city is that the city come together.”

The Congressmember has positioned herself as a uniter after audio leaked last month of city council members making racist and homophobic comments.

Bass convened a coalition of civic and faith leaders — including several from the AAPI community — to “move past the politics of divide and conquer.”

‘Will We Be Represented?’

There’s little indication of which way AAPI voters may be leaning except for one poll conducted in late September by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the LA Times. It showed a wide majority of likely Asian American voters favor Caruso — by a margin of 51% to 29%.

The poll had a small sample size but even so, the results may indicate Caruso’s advertising blitz is resonating with voters used to being neglected, said Sadhwani.

“Over the last 20 years, when we survey Asian Americans, they consistently say that no one bothers to knock on their door or send them a flyer even though they are registered voters,” she said. ”Having personal contact of some sort matters to turnout.”

Bass and her supporters say the millions of dollars Caruso is pouring into advertising would be better spent on affordable housing that L.A. desperately needs, something he has never developed.

LAist was unable to arrange an interview with Caruso in time for this story.

With ballots already being cast, some AAPI civic leaders, like Nancy Yap, are already looking to a post-election future.

Yap is executive director of CAUSE, a nonprofit that promotes AAPI leadership that interviewed the candidates earlier this year about issues such as homelessness and anti-Asian attacks:

In the videos, the candidates place value on inclusion. Yap will be closely watching how campaign rhetoric translates into action in the new mayor’s office.

“Will we be represented in their administration, and [will] the diversity of our communities [be] represented in their administration?” she said.

Beyond questions of staffing, “it's also really knowing us and willing to engage in conversation with us,” Yap added.

3 experts speak about Asian voting power in District 45

BY JO KWON ORANGE COUNTY

PUBLISHED 5:00 AM PT OCT. 28, 2022

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — The Democratic Congressional Campaign committee announced earlier this year it would make a seven-figure investment to reach Asian voters in California.

The Republican National Committee has opened several Asian Pacific American community centers across Orange County to recruit volunteers for voter outreach to support its party’s candidates.

Analysts says the newly drawn 45th Congressional District, which includes portions of Los Angeles and Orange counties, is one of the districts that could potentially flip the house.

Nancy Yap from Center For Asian Americans United For Self-Empowerment discusses the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization's efforts in voter engagement.

Cal State Fullerton professor Jennifer Yee, who teaches Asian American studies and a civic engagement class, discusses why there has been a focus on the Asian vote for the midterm elections.

Political and civic engagement consultant Jackie Wu talks about the demographics of the CD 45 and the potential for the voters in the district to be a swing vote.