A small slice of San Francisco’s Democrats will vote this June for 24 open seats in “Donkey Central”: the liberal-leaning San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. Fifty-four unofficial candidates — including at least 10 APAs — are running. …
OUT WEST: The 12th Assembly District, including APA abodes like Sunset and Richmond, has APA incumbents like Mayor Gavin Newsom’s campaign manager Tom A. Hsieh, Deputy Sheriff Association president David Wong, tech entrepreneur Jason Wong and Asian Pacific Democratic Club’s Mary Jung, along with challengers like Human Rights Commissioner Doug Chan, School Board member and former county committee member Eric Mar and community leader Mae C. Woo. …
BACK EAST: The 13th District, with APA areas such as SoMa, Chinatown/North Beach, Japantown, Visitacion Valley and Tenderloin, has incumbents such as businessman David Chiu and Filipino American Democratic Club president Joe Julian, and challengers including ex-committee member and Academy of Art Vice President Rebecca Delgado Rottman. …
MAYOR VS. THE BOARD: Supervisors Jake McGoldrick, Chris Daly and Aaron Peskin — opposing the mayor and representing some of the city’s largest APA neighborhoods — are also running to control the committee’s clout to make the official S.F. Democratic Party endorsement. That could help or hurt the growing number of APA candidates running for supervisor this November. Stakes were so high that the mayor and Public Defender Jeff Adachi’s name were bandied as candidates. …
MODS VS. LIBS: If moderates Hsieh and Jung control the committee, that could help Newsom swing supervisor endorsements for his November slate, in favor of his appointee Carmen Chu, for example. If progressives Julian and Wong dominate the committee, that would help retain control of a liberal-leaning Board of Supervisors, where the mayor has been reluctant to push a more moderate agenda. …
PARTY OVERRATED?: In 2006, the county committee rebuffed the mayor’s endorsed candidate, former Police Commissioner and centrist Doug Chan, and supported legislative aide Jaynry Mak for District 4 supervisor, which was won by former Republican and businessman Ed Jew. Mak’s endorsement — a liberal hope of electing an anti-Newsom ally — did not help in a Sunset neighborhood where many Chinese American voters are Independents. Further, her ethical lapses triggered talk that the committee might reconsider her endorsement. …
INS AND OUTS: Democratic Supervisor Tom Ammiano, a clinch to suceed Mark Leno as 13th District assemblyman, will likely face Republican Indian American attorney Harmeet Dhillon this November. … Superior Court judges Julie Tang (on the bench since 1990) and Garrett Wong (appointed in 2005) are unopposed and will not shed their robes. … Daisy Chu, wife of San Jose Councilman Kansen Chu, has taken herself out of the race for Santa Clara County supervisor, leaving former Sunnyvale Mayor Otto Lee and Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves, the only Asian Americans still in the race. …
PARTY ON MA: Assembly speaker-to-be, Majority Whip Fiona Ma with gal pal Heddie Chu celebrated her birthday last Friday at Horizon on the border of Chinatown and North Beach (although her 42 years wasn’t mentioned on any invites). Picking over shucked oysters and cake were Chinatown’s former county committee member Richard Ow and Cathay Post veteran Ron Lee and his wife Suzie. District 3 candidates Joseph Alioto, Tony Gantner, Wilma Pang and Claudine Cheng also wished Ma happy b-day. Ma tossed last Sunday’s bash at Yoshi’s to raise some moola and pay for the freebies…
MOK HEADS CIA: Labor Secretary Elaine Chao’s former Chief Financial Officer Sam Mok, one of the nation’s highest Asian American appointees, was punching his parking ticket out of Chinatown’s Portsmouth Square on his way back to Washington a couple Fridays ago. He’s now managing director of Condor Investment Advisers…
TRIVIAL THROWBACKS: Who is running this year for the county committee that last ran together? Back in 1984, former roommates Alicia Wang and Doug Chan ran: Wang won, and Chan’s back to win for the first time…
Reach Samson Wong at (415) 321-5886 or swong@asianweek.com. Get more potstickers — including which Asian American federal appointee was spotted around Chinatown — at asianweek.com.