In the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat Derek Tran, a Vietnamese-American attorney, is running against three-term incumbent Michelle Steel in California District 45. Tran describes himself as a descendant of ‘boat people’ and has practiced law as a small business advocate. The Vietnamese voters, being the largest group in the district, will be closely watched. In the same district, Garden Grove City Councilwoman Kim B. Nguyen-Penaloza, of Vietnamese descent, is also running.
In the 40th Congressional District, Democrat Joe Kerr, an early candidate, is running against Republican Young Kim. Kerr, a former firefighter and union leader, has received endorsements from key Democrats. Meanwhile, Democrat Alison Damicholas has also filed to enter the race. Both Democrats are backed by State Senator Dave Min, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Min (47th District), seeking the state’s third congressional seat, faces Republican former California State Assemblyman Scott Baugh, with Boyd Roberts and Bill Smith also filing to run. Min has the official endorsement of incumbent Katie Porter (who is running for U.S. Senate) and aims for more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary.
In the 34th Congressional District, David Kim is running for a third time against incumbent Jimmy Gomez, and another Korean-American, Calvin Lee, has filed for the Republican candidacy. Though relatively unknown, Lee has been gaining recognition through street greetings around Koreatown.
Former Assemblyman Steven Choi (37th District), seeking a comeback in the state Senate, is expected to face off against incumbent Josh Newman. Other political newcomers include Anthony Kuo and Jacob Creer.
Crescenta Valley Town Councilwoman Elizabeth Ahlers (R), Rosemead City Councilwoman Sandra Armenta (D), and Alhambra Vice Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez (D) have filed to run against Teddy Choi (D) for State Senate District 25 in La Crescenta, north of Los Angeles. The district is vacant, with incumbent Anthony Portantino (D) running for the U.S. House seat being vacated by U.S. Senate candidate Adam Schiff.
The competition in state House districts has been set, with several new Korean-American candidates notably influencing the race.
In the 54th District, where Korean-American John Lee (D), with a nonprofit background, has been campaigning since earlier this year, L.A. County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Gonzalez has announced his candidacy. On the Republican side, Elaine Alaniz has filed. She is hoping to make a runoff with Gonzalez.
Ed Han, a former UCLA School of Law lecturer and military prosecutor, is running for the State Assembly member in the 44th district. The district is expected to be a crowded field with eight candidates. With the exception of Tony Rodriguez, six are Democrats, including Burbank Vice Mayor Nick Schultz and Glendale City Councilmember Elen Asatryan. Incumbent Laura Friedman is running in the US Representative 30th district.
Pastor Jacob Woo Ho Lee, running as an independent against incumbent Sharon Quirk-Silva in the 67th Assembly District, where Young Kim once worked. Woo Ho Lee, 67, from Buena Park, is relatively new to candidacy and has not yet gained significant recognition within the Korean American community.
In LA, where elections are held in even-numbered districts, Councilmember John Lee, elected in a special election to the 12th District and then re-elected, is running for a third term. Serena Oberstein has filed to run and is expected to be a strong contender. Serena Oberstein, of Jewish descent, also ran in 2019 but was disqualified from the race as she ran for office less than two years after leaving her post as chair of the Ethics Commission.
In District 10, where Grace Yoo is making her third bid, incumbent Heather Hutt, State Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, former L.A. Commissioner Aura Vasquez, and Rev. Eddie Anderson have filed to run. For now, it’s a two-horse race between Yoo and Hutt.
Meanwhile, Korean Americans are also running for judgeships in large numbers.
In LA County Superior Court, Judge Jacob Lee is running for the 39th District, Judge Mark Kim for the 46th District, Judge Lawrence Cho for the 67th District, Judge Tony Cho for the 85th District, Judge Gia Kim for the 105th District, Judge Andrew Kim for the 167th District, and Judge Michelle Ahnn for the 79th District. In OC, Judge Joseph Kang has registered to run for County Superior Court No. 12 and Judge Richard Lee for Court No. 12.
BY BRIAN CHOI, JUNHAN PARK [ichoi@koreadaily.com]
