by GRACE LEE
editor@charactermedia.com
Grace Yoo, a longtime Koreatown attorney and activist seeking to unseat L.A. City Council member Herb Wesson in the upcoming election for Los Angeles City Council District 10, held her first public fundraiser Thursday evening at Madang Restaurant in the heart of L.A.’s Koreatown.
On a chilly night that drew approximately 40 of Yoo’s supporters from the Korean community to Madang’s patio, a live band performed Arirang, the Korean traditional folk song, while guest speakers delivered remarks. William Min, the oldest practicing attorney in the city of Los Angeles, emphasized how important it is for second-generation Korean Americans to take the lead and support the community.
Meanwhile, Wesson, the Los Angeles City Council president and current District 10 councilmember, held his own fundraising event in Koreatown the same day, at the same time—at the Secret Garden Restaurant between Koreatown and Downtown L.A. (Yoo campaign organizers said the simultaneous events happened to be a coincidence.)
When asked for her reaction that most of downtown L.A.’s prominent business leaders were attending her opponent’s fundraiser, Yoo told KoreAm, “I’m not disappointed. My belief is that I will get their votes if they live in [Council District] 10, and when it comes to the election, that’s what matters.”
It’s not a stretch to say Yoo faces an uphill battle in her first-time candidacy for the 10th District seat. For one, she’s running against a veteran politician and incumbent since 2005. In addition, Yoo’s core base, the Asian American vote, is widely dispersed across the city and region.
Yoo said she has raised approximately $50,000 so far, and that her goal is to raise up to $200,000 before the March 3 primary. She anticipates reaching that goal through the city’s “‘2 to 1” matching funds of $50,000 to $100,000, and raising an additional $100,000 in contributions from residents within the city.
Yoo, the former executive director of the Korean American Coalition, announced her bid for Los Angeles City Council in late November. By November 25th, she had gathered the required 1,000 voter signatures to qualify for the March 2015 ballot.
At a previous news conference discussing her candidacy, Yoo, 43, said she was running partly because of the controversial 2012 redistricting plan, in which City Hall politicians drew new boundaries for L.A.’s 15 council districts and divided up Koreatown into separate districts.
The contentious redistricting process prompted a federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the city by Korean American activists, who asserted that the redrawn maps diluted the political power of Koreatown, which has a sizable Korean population. Yoo helped find plaintiffs for the lawsuit.
“I’m running for City Council District 10 because all of our voices, not just the special interests of a few, deserve to be heard in City Hall,” Yoo’s campaign pamphlet stated. On other issues, Yoo has worked to help bridge the gap between immigrant communities and has advocated for children’s rights. If elected, she said she plans on promoting youth programs because she believes that healthier, thriving children help build a stronger foundation for communities.
The 2015 primary will be held on March 3. The general municipal election will be May 19. You can register to vote at registertovote.ca.gov or call 1-800-481-VOTE. The voter registration deadline is February 17.
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Photo courtesy of Michael Won/Korea Daily
