API Democratic Groups Mobilize for Muratsuchi, Eng

Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi with supporters at his Torrance campaign headquarters. Back row, from left: Assemblymembers Ash Kalra, Laura Friedman, Wendy Carrillo and Monique Limon, Speaker Anthony Rendon, Assemblymembers David Chiu, Muratsuchi, Rob Bonta, Liz Rivas and Sydney Kamlager-Dove.

An API Mobilization Weekend was held Oct. 13 and 14 for two Democratic candidates: Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi of the South Bay, who is seeking re-election in the 66th Assembly District, and former Assemblymember Mike Eng, who is running for the State Senate in District 22.

The mobilization was hosted by the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, California Democratic Party API Caucus, California Young Democrats API Caucus, and Korean American Democratic Committee.

At his Torrance campaign headquarters, Muratsuchi was joined by fellow members of the Assembly from both Northern and Southern California: Speaker Anthony Rendon (Lakewood), API Legislative Caucus Chair Rob Bonta (Oakland), David Chiu (San Francisco), Luz Rivas (Arleta), Laura Friedman (Glendale), Monique Limon (Santa Barbara), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (Los Angeles), Ash Kalra (San Jose), and Wendy Carrillo (Los Angeles), plus Torrance City Councilmember Tim Goodrich.

During the rally, Muratsuchi filled in one eye of a Daruma doll, a tradition in Japan. If the candidate is victorious, the other eye is filled in.

In the Nov. 6 election, Muratsuchi will face off with Republican Frank Scotto, a former mayor of Torrance. Muratsuchi, a former deputy attorney general and Torrance school board member, was first elected in 2012, lost to Republican David Hadley in 2014, and defeated Hadley in 2016.

Muratsuchi’s latest endorsements include the California District Attorneys Association, the California Environmental Justice Alliance, and SameSide, a platform for grassroots political engagement through fun experiences in music, arts and culture.

A similar rally was held at Eng’s campaign headquarters in El Monte.

In Senate District 22, which includes West Covina and City of Industry, Eng is facing a fellow Democrat, Susan Rubio, a former city clerk and councilmember for Baldwin Hills. In addition to three terms in the Assembly, Eng has served on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees and as mayor and councilmember in Monterey Park.

The winner will succeed Ed Hernandez, who is running for lieutenant governor.

Other API candidates on the ballot include:

State Controller — Incumbent Betty Yee (D) vs. Konstantinos Roditis (R). Yee, who previously served on the Board of Equalization, has been in office since 2015.

State Treasurer — Fiona Ma (D) vs. Greg Conlon (R). Ma is currently a member of the Board of Equalization. The winner will succeed John Chiang (D), who unsuccessfully ran for governor.

27th Congressional District — Incumbent Judy Chu (D) vs. Bryan Waitt (D). Chu, who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, has been in office since 2009.

33rd Congressional District — Incumbent Ted Lieu (D) vs. Kenneth Weston Wright (R). Previously a member of the Assembly and State Senate, Lieu has been in office since 2015.

34th Congressional District — Kenneth Mejia (Green) vs. incumbent Jimmy Gomez (D). Mejia is a board member of the Wilshire Center/Koreatown Neighborhood Council.

39th Congressional District — Young Kim (R) vs. Gil Cisneros (D). Kim has served in the Assembly and as director of Asian affairs for Rep. Ed Royce (R), who is not seeking re-election.

24th Senate District — Peter Choi (D) vs. Maria Elena Durazo (D). Choi, a nonprofit director, previously ran for the seat in 2014. The district is currently represented by Kevin de Leon (D), who is running for U.S. Senate.

34th Senate District — Incumbent Janet Nguyen (R) vs. Tom Umberg (D). First elected in 2014, Nguyen previously served on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

49th Assembly District — Incumbent Ed Chau (D) vs. Burton Brink (R). Chau was first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2016. He previously served as a board member of the Montebello Unified School District.

53rd Assembly District — Kevin Hee Young Jang (D) vs. incumbent Miguel Santiago (D). Jang is principal attorney at Kevin H. Jang, A Law Corporation, and a Democratic State Central Committee delegate.

55th Assembly District — Incumbent Phillip Chen (R) vs. Gregg Fritchle (D). First elected in 2016, Chen previously served as a school board member for the Walnut Valley Unified School District and ran for Assembly in 2014.