John Lee (California politician)

John S. Lee[2] is the District 12 member of the Los Angeles City Council in Los Angeles, California.

John Lee
Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 12th district
Incumbent
Assumed office August 30, 2019
Preceded by	Greig Smith
Personal details
Born	John S. Lee 1969/1970 (age 49–51)
Political party	Independent (2020–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican (until 2020)
Residence	Porter Ranch, California[1]
Education	California State University, Northridge
Occupation	Politician

Personal life

Lee is the son of South Korean immigrants, he was born in either 1969 or 1970.[1] He graduated from Granada Hills High School and attended California State University, Northridge.[3] He lives in Porter Ranch, California.[4]

Political career

Lee was a chief of staff for previous councilman Mitchell Englander. He joined David Ryu as the second Asian American on the council, being sworn in on August 30, 2019.[4]

Policies

John Lee is registered as non-partisan. He is the sole Independent on the LA City Council, before January 12, 2020 Lee was a registered Republican.[5][6]

Homelessness

Lee has advocated for Neighborhood Safety Teams, that would increase the number of police patrols in business corridors, specifically dedicated to stopping crime stemming from homeless encampments. Lee has also advocated for the creation of a Housing Task Force to build housing that focuses on job training programs.[7]

Environment

Lee has committed to supporting the California Clean Energy Commission's proposal to close down the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility. In 2019, Lee proposed a resolution urging Governor Gavin Newsom to make good on the promise of shutting the facility down. [8]

Transportation

Lee supports allowing companies like Uber and Bird to provide e-scooters in his district; however, he stated that it should be limited and not encompass the entire district. He referenced California State University, Northridge as an example of an appropriate location for the scooters.[9]

Electoral history

Election

Special general election for Los Angeles City Council District 12, 2019[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	nonpartisan	John Lee	16,724	52.1%
	nonpartisan	Loraine Lundquist	15,395	47.9%

References

1. https://www.dailynews.com/2019/05/20/la-city-council-election-for-john-lee-public-service-starts-with-an-immigrants-story-and-city-hall-experience/. Retrieved 26 November 2019. Missing or empty |title= (help)
2. "Mitch Englander scandal spurs calls for John Lee to resign". Daily News. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
3. "JOHN LEE". Council District 12. 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
4. "Northwest Valley's John Lee is sworn in on the LA City Council". Daily News. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
5. Reyes, Emily. "Same candidates, new race. Could turnout change the results of this L.A. council rematch?". latimes.com.
6. "Republican John Lee Named LA City Councilman-Elect; First Time Asian Americans To Serve Simultaneously". 14 August 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
7. Newsource, City (23 October 2019). "4 years later still no Aliso Canyon shutdown. But activists, residents are still demanding it". dailynew.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
8. "Q&A: 4 years later still no Aliso Canyon shutdown. But activists, residents are still demanding it". Daily News. 2019-10-23. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
9. "Q&A: John Lee, LA's newest city councilman, talks about his priorities". Daily News. 4 September 2019.
10. "John Lee (California)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 25 November 2019.

External links

• Official listing at the City of Los Angeles directory

Political offices
Preceded by Greig Smith	Los Angeles City Council 12th District August 30, 2019 - present	Succeeded by Incumbent