Candidate for
Council Member; City of Redwood City

Bio

I am the son of Korean immigrants who came Redwood City to pursue their dreams. I want to give back to my community to ensure that my generation and the next have the same opportunities.

I was born in the main building of Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City, and I grew up in the Palm Park and Farm Hill areas. I now live in a historic house in Mezesville neighborhood. My parents are a current Redwood City small business owner and a former preschool teacher.

I attended Roy Cloud Elementary School and McKinley Middle School in Redwood City, and I was a National Merit Scholarship finalist. (Reference Link) In college I studied marine biology, oceanography, and political science.

I can cook a mean Thai curry and lentil soup, and I am an avid hiker, walker, camper, and nature lover. I speak Korean and Japanese and am also the first out LGBTQ candidate for City Council in Redwood City.

Work

I currently work for my father, but I spent several years working in the public sector and that is where my passion lies. I have worked for child support services and am currently secretary for a non-profit advocating for public access at Redwood City's bayfront.

In my free time I enjoy providing effective media and communications services to community groups in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

Community Advocacy

I have organized and led many actions and media campaigns to stop home foreclosures in Redwood City and pack city council meetings in support of affordable housing, local hiring, and prevailing wage standards. Working with ACCE (the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment), I helped Gloria Takla, a senior citizen and Redwood City resident, to keep her home by pressuring Chase Bank in Redwood City until Ms. Takla was given a loan modification.

I assisted cleanup efforts at Le Mar Mobile Home Park in Redwood City after a devastating fire in January 2012 which many in the community traced back to possible lax code enforcement standards, and connected a survivor to city resources. (Reference Link) (Second Link) I also participated in the count of unhoused and unsheltered people in Redwood City for San Mateo County's 2013 homeless count.

Last year, I led protest actions and a coordinated media campaign against Cargill's proposed Saltworks development in Redwood City. The so-called "50/50" Saltworks plan was withdrawn from discussion two weeks after a highly successful Earth Day 2012 protest I organized outside DMB headquarters. Eventually, the local Vice President of DMB resigned and the developer left Redwood City. However, Cargill is still at work trying to find ways to build.

I have also organized and led many actions and media campaigns to oppose the construction of a new county jail in Redwood City. (Reference Link) Due to an inability to secure state funding, the new jail is now projected to cost $400 million just to build, and the burden would be on county taxpayers.

As Secretary for Save Pete's Harbor, I advocated for the nearly 200 former residents of Pete's Harbor as well as for the public access marina itself. My lobbying work took me to the State Lands Commission, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and the district and capitol offices of many state legislators. Save Pete's Harbor successfully advocated for its position in advance of an appeal hearing with the city council in May, convincing the council to send the proposed development plans back to the planning commission for further review and public input.

I have appeared as a panelist on the TV show "Other Voices" and at local events to discuss topics such as local activism and issues concerning Redwood City. Most recently I served as a panelist for Californians United for a Responsible Budget to discuss issues surrounding the new jail being built in Redwood City, with specific focus on Redwood City's current housing situation and development plans for the area around the new jail site.

Community Work Outside Redwood City

In San Jose I worked alongside labor and community activists to organize protests and media events against the city's drastic cuts to their workers, in particular cuts to police and fire departments which have severely impacted public safety in San Jose. I have also helped organize free dinners at one of the many encampments for unhoused people in San Jose, and I documented city efforts to destroy and remove property belonging to unhoused people.

In South San Francisco I helped to turn out concerned Peninsula and South Bay residents to a May Planning Commission meeting and an August City Council meeting to support the building of a new Planned Parenthood facility in South City. (Reference Link)

In Palo Alto I have been an organizer, freelance communications specialist, and event emcee for the Stop the Ban coalition, which is currently advocating for unhoused people in Palo Alto and the services they need.

In Menlo Park I organized a massive demonstration representing over a dozen organizations outside the Democratic Volunteer Center to pressure the party to hold President Obama accountable for the government's treatment of LGBTQ whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

I am also a member of the Coastside Beach Coalition, which is organizing to stop the critical erosion of land near Highway 1 on the San Mateo County coast.