by GRACE LEE | @grace_koream
editor@charactermedia.com
With the primary nominating election for the L.A. City Council less than a week away, Korean American candidates Grace Yoo and David Ryu are actively canvassing different neighborhoods they haven’t visited to increase voter participation.
Grace Yoo, a longtime community activist who is running for L.A. City Council District 10, has been focusing on canvassing different demographics within her district. As of Feb. 25, Yoo has raised $72,886 in contributions while her opponent City Council President Herb Wesson has raised $401,950.
There has been an ongoing political battle between these two politicians over the issue of public safety problems. Yoo spoke out against Wesson in an interview with CBS saying that the city council president had been too slow to speak out against Koreatown’s karaoke bar La Defence, which was deemed to be a drain on police resources by the city zoning administrator, as there had been several reports of assault and two reported cases of rape after victims left the bar. La Defence is now closed for business for violating city permit rules.
When asked about the obstacles of running against a veteran politician, Yoo told KoreAm that many business members who donated to the political campaign were initially hesitant to make contributions as they were “afraid of retaliation.” She stated that many business owners feared that their permits would be revoked.
David Ryu, another Korean American running for City Council District 4 raised $367,868.87 in contributions with $299,181.59 in expenses and $71,522.21 cash on hand. Although Ryu started off with the highest number of contributions, his opponent Steve Veres, director to state senator Kevin de León caught up quickly with support from the Political Action Committee (PAC). Veres ultimately received $263,428.45 in contributions with $85,071.85 from PAC.
Ryu faces an uphill battle as other L.A. City Council District 4 candidates, such as Iranian American economist Sheila Irani and community activist Carolyn Ramsay, have drawn the highest share of their campaign contributions from ZIP codes within the district. According to the LA Times, Ryu received 34% of donations within the district while Irani and Ramsay drew 82% and 72% respectively. Ryu’s goal until the primary is set at $489,000 including matching funds from the city.
Ryu will be holding his final fundraiser at Koreatown’s lounge, Lock & Key tonight at 7 PM. Both candidates are still in need of support from the community as the March 3 primary is less than a week away.
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Featured image courtesy of David Ryu and Grace Yoo
