[Meet the Candidates: Grace Yoo]
Residents of L.A. City Council District 10, home to Koreatown, will see Grace Yoo’s name on the ballot for the third time. This time, an appointed incumbent and three other prominent African-American candidates are in the race. Mark Ridley-Thomas, who defeated Yoo to win a seat on the City Council, was tried and convicted of misconduct and sentenced to prison. Yoo, who has been handing out plastic grippers to “‘open’ a new council with an anti-corruption, anti-discrimination banner,” says there is nowhere to back down.
Below is an excerpt from an interview with L.A. City Council District 10 candidate Grace Yoo.
-First, the election race is tough.
“There are currently five candidates, four of whom identify as African-American. A sitting city councilwoman, a state representative, a pastor, and a former commissioner are battling for 140,000 votes. The district is a relatively large area that stretches down the west side of Koreatown, with a total population of 270,000. It is about 44 percent Latino, 28 percent black, 18 percent Asian, and 10 percent white.”
-Your assessment of appointed Councilmember Heather Hutt.
“Heather Hutt sat back and let $1.6 million in funding for District 10 go to District 13. How does this make sense when there are so many problems in the district she represents? It’s very irresponsible. I don’t know if she’s doing her job or not. There’s a lot of frustration.”
-The size of voter participation for primary turnout is relatively small.
“That’s right. 20-30% is the norm, and it goes up a bit when there are a lot of candidates, and we’re expecting that again. So, concentrated voting from certain minorities is key to getting close to winning. In the last mayoral election, 53% of whites, 45% of Asians, 40% of blacks, and 32% of Latinos voted in District 10. It’s not an easy fight.”
-What do you hear from constituents when you visit them?
“A lot of people recognize me because I already ran twice. A lot of seniors say, ‘If you get elected, don’t change, stay engaged.’ There’s a lot of distrust in politics. I feel more responsible.”
-How do you help Korean Americans get out to vote?
“The campaign office (323-405-7789) is helping seniors who have moved or changed addresses. We also started mail-in ballot applications on January 5, so I encourage people to take advantage of that. Vote-by-mail begins February 5.”
-I heard there’s a ballot drop-off option.
“That’s right. You don’t have to go to the voting site. The campaign staff can do all the work for you, including helping with voting and mailing in your ballot.”
-If someone has a business or property in LA, can that person register and vote?
“Yes, it is possible if you own property in LA. You can only vote from one location.”
-You’ve raised the most money early on (over $180,000). How much more is needed?
“As we saw in the last election, another $400,000 to $500,000 in the primary would be more effective and positive. You can donate in your company’s name. For individual donation, you need a green card or higher. If you’re a U.S. citizen from overseas, you can still donate, and you can do it twice, once in the primary and once in the general election. We will not forget your help and will definitely win.”
BY BRIAN CHOI, JUNHAN PARK [ichoi@koreadaily.com]
