Grace Yoo, David Ryu, and their supporters rallied and marched on February 28 to make the final push to gather more voters for the March 3 primaries.
With the March 3 city primary elections only a few days away, the two Korean American candidates for Los Angeles City Council, David Ryu (District 4) and Grace Yoo (District 10), led a rally march on February 28 to “get out the vote” and raise awareness about the primaries to the Los Angeles community.
Ryu, Yoo, and their supporters gathered at the Western/Wilshire Metro Station, where the two candidates shared a few words before the march down to Western/Olympic and back up to Western/Beverly. This particular metro station is also the location at which stands a landmark in memory of Alfred Hoyun Song—the first Korean American member admitted to the California Bar, and the first Asian American elected into the California state legislature.
“What we are trying to do is build upon what Alfred Song has done,” said Yoo.
If Yoo and/or Ryu are to be voted into office, they would be the second Asian Americans voted into Los Angeles city council. The first Asian American to have been on L.A. City Council is Mike Woo, who was in office 30 years ago.
Yoo in particular has reached out to the Korean church community several times for support, and those who know her personally say that her faith is a significant part of who she is and what she does.
“Grace is a firm believer in social justice on the basis of the gospel,” said David Cha, who knew Yoo for over 20 years in a church setting. “She has a heart for the poor and the broken."
Yoo, who has worked as an attorney and community organizer through the Korean American Coalition (KAC) is going up against incumbent and president of L.A. City Council Herb Wesson of District 10, and Delaney “Doc” Smith, physician and theologian.
Ryu is running for office in District 4, in which the incumbent Tom LaBonge’s term of office is ending. Ryu is running against 13 other candidates, which may turn out to be helpful for Ryu since it would require less votes for a victory.
Some of his opponents include Carolyn Ramsey, who used to work under incumbent LaBonge, and Steve Veres, who is endorsed by California senate leader Kevin DeLeon. Ryu has been most noted for his work in community organizing and his fundraising, as he has raised over $360,000 during his campaign.
“We are projecting a 15 percent voter turnout on March 3,” Ryu said. “No one is voting – that’s why what you are doing counts, and if you vote this time around, it will count five to even ten times as much as it normally would. Decisions are made by those who show up – please vote on March 3.”
An increase in voter turnout seems already apparent according to the vote-by-mail counts released in press releases Monday. Almost 4,000 votes have been cast by mail already, and 29 percent of Asian voters have voted by mail – a stark comparison to the 12 percent of Asian Americans who voted in 2011.
This article has been updated on March 2, 2015 at 3:09 P.M. PST.
