Gonzalez is the district director for Santiago and was supported by major unions, including those representing teachers and construction workers. The California Democratic Party and Governor Gavin Newsom also endorsed him. The support has helped Gonzalez raise nearly 10 times the campaign cash of his opponent. Gonzalez, a Chinatown resident, said his goals as a lawmaker would be to focus on “affordable housing, criminal justice reform, climate justice and a fair economy.”
As district director, he worked on housing with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and on economic justice issues, including advocating for a $25 minimum wage for health care workers in California.
Do has had a career leading nonprofit advocacy groups including the American Lung Assn. of California and Parent Revolution, an education reform organization. Support for his campaign comes largely from the left wing of the Democratic Party, including the LA chapter of Our Revolution, the organization founded by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). He is also supported by the Korean American Democratic Committee and the East Area Progressive Democrats.
Born in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, Yi said the district needs a representative in Sacramento who will focus on the region’s biggest issues: “Sky-high rent and displacement, lack of decent public spaces and … the worst air in the country. We deserve public officials who feel the urgency our region now demands.”
One of his biggest priorities is fixing mass transit, particularly by making the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority an elected body, similar to how the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) board is elected, a change that would require state approval. He also wants to get rid of the single-family house classification to create more equitable access to housing.