John Lee (California politician)

John S. Lee[2] is an American politician, serving as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 12th district. Formerly a Republican, Lee is now an independent and is the only non-Democrat currently on the city council.

For other people named John Lee, see John Lee (disambiguation).
John Lee
Member of the
Los Angeles City Council
from the 12th district
Assumed office
August 30, 2019
Preceded byGreig Smith
Personal details
Born
John S. Lee

(1970-06-29) June 29, 1970
Political partyIndependent (2020–present)
Other political
affiliations		Republican (until 2020)
ResidencePorter Ranch, California[1]
EducationCalifornia State University,
Northridge
OccupationPolitician

Personal life

Born in 1970, Lee is the son of South Korean immigrants.[1] He graduated from Granada Hills High School and attended California State University, Northridge.[3] He lives in Porter Ranch, California with his wife Sheila and their two children.[4]

Political career

Lee was a chief of staff for previous councilman Mitchell Englander. Englander pled guilty to federal changes related to the on-going Los Angeles City Hall corruption probe and began serving a 14-month sentence in federal prison in June, 2021. Lee 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 No Party Preference, and City Council elections are officially non-partisan. He is the sole independent on the City Council. Before January 12, 2020, he was a registered Republican.[5][6][7]

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.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

Electoral history

Election
Special general election for Los Angeles City Council District 12, 2019[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan John Lee 16,724 52.1%
Nonpartisan Loraine Lundquist 15,395 47.9%

References
  1. Elizabeth Chou (20 May 2019). "LA CITY COUNCIL ELECTION: For John Lee, public service starts with an immigrant's story and City Hall experience". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  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?". Los Angeles Times.
  6. "Former L.A. Councilman Mitchell Englander reports to prison - Los Angeles Times".
  7. "Republican John Lee Named LA City Councilman-Elect; First Time Asian Americans To Serve Simultaneously". 14 August 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  8. 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.
  9. "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.
  10. "Q&A: John Lee, LA's newest city councilman, talks about his priorities". Daily News. 4 September 2019.
  11. "John Lee (California)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
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