Michael Woo
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Michael K. Woo (born October 8, 1951), also known as Mike Woo, is an American politician and academic who was the dean of the College of Environmental Design at
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona, CPP, or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo. See the ''California State Polytechnic University, Pomo ...
. As a member of the
Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California. The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tem ...
representing
District 13 ''District 13'' (French title ''Banlieue 13'' or ''B13''), is a 2004 French action film directed by Pierre Morel and written and produced by Luc Besson. It depicts parkour in several stunt sequences completed without wires or computer-generated ...
from 1985 to 1993, he was that body's first Asian American member and its youngest member upon his election, at 33.


Early life

Woo was born October 8, 1951, in Los Angeles County, California, the son of Wilbur and Beth Woo, native Chinese. Wilbur left the family's ancestral village in the city of
Kaiping Kaiping (), alternately romanized in Cantonese as Hoiping, is a county-level city in Guangdong Province, China. It is located ín the western section of the Pearl River Delta and administered as part of the prefecture-level city of Jiangmen. ...
, China in 1940 to study at
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
and had to stay in the United States during World War II, while Beth remained in China under Japanese occupation with two young daughters, Pat (later Wong) and Janice (later Chin). The family was reunited after the war, in 1946, and settled in a five-bedroom Monterey Park hillside home. Younger daughter Janice had contracted
polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
and needed seven operations before she could walk without help. The Woos had three more children born in the United States—Michael, Elaine, a journalist on the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'',Elaine Wo
"Asian identity crisis fades to worries of everyday life"
''Los Angeles Times'', 28 April 2012
and Pamela, who had
Down's syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disa ...
. Woo went to Alhambra High School, and at the age of sixteen he attended summer classes at California State College at Los Angeles under a special program for gifted students. When he was a senior, his invitation on behalf of a student group to the editor of the UCLA Daily Bruin to talk at Alhambra High was vetoed by a department chairman who feared the editor "might speak on a controversial subject" that could be misunderstood outside the campus. Young Woo chose to attend the
University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge of ...
, he said, to get away from his family and into an unstructured environment. He graduated with honors in 1973 and earned his master's degree in
city planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
two years later from the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, with a thesis on the origins of regional government in the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
.Judith Michaelson, "Stevenson Ignores Foe but He's Hardly 'in a Corner,' " ''Los Angeles Times,'' April 5, 1981, page C-1
/ref>


Chinese name

Michael Woo's Chinese name is , which is rendered ''Hú Shàojī'' in the
Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...
orthography and ''Wu4 Siu6 Gei1'' in the
Jyutping Jyutping is a romanisation system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK), an academic group, in 1993. Its formal name is the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme. The LSHK advocates fo ...
romanization.


Career


Early career

Wilbur and his father, David Kitman Woo, began a produce business in a spot at the Ninth Street Market vacated by a Japanese man who was interned during the Second World War. After arriving in the United States, Beth Woo became the bookkeeper for the family business. In the 1960s, Wilbur Woo and friends chartered Cathay Bank, the first bank in Chinatown. He studied
banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becau ...
and later became a vice-president of the organization.Gary Libman, "Woo Family's Road to Success Long and Not Always Smooth," ''Los Angeles Times,'' August 5, 1985, page E-1
/ref>


Volunteering

As the only son in his family, Michael Woo said he was brought up "with the expectation that I would have a leadership role of my own"; he worked in summer 1970 as a volunteer in the office of Assemblyman David Roberti and later for Democratic Senator
William Proxmire Edward William Proxmire (November 11, 1915 – December 15, 2005) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1957 to 1989. He holds the record for being the longest-serv ...
of Wisconsin and in the presidential primary campaign of New York Mayor John V. Lindsay.


Senate staffer

Woo joined the staff of David Roberti after the latter was elected to the California State Senate in 1973. He took a leave in December 1980 to run for the City Council the next year, and he moved from Alhambra to
Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
to do so.


Academia

Woo previously taught at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
and
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
. He was dean of the College of Environmental Design at
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona, CPP, or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo. See the ''California State Polytechnic University, Pomo ...
, retiring in 2019.


Los Angeles City Council


Elections


1981

Woo first ran for
District 13 ''District 13'' (French title ''Banlieue 13'' or ''B13''), is a 2004 French action film directed by Pierre Morel and written and produced by Luc Besson. It depicts parkour in several stunt sequences completed without wires or computer-generated ...
on the council in 1981, against incumbent Peggy Stevenson. The aggressive race was controversial for the supposedly racialized rhetoric used by Stevenson against Woo. Her primary campaign sent out fliers which asked Republican voters if they wanted the candidate supported by the
Mexican American Political Association The Mexican American Political Association (MAPA) is an organization based in California that promotes the interests of Mexican-Americans, Mexicans, Latinos, Chicanos, Hispanics, and Latino economic refugees in the United States. Founded in 1960, ...
and the Asian Democratic Caucus "or Councilwoman Peggy Stevenson". She denied they were meant to raise racial questions but simply to point up Woo's "ultraliberal" support. Stevenson was also endorsed by controversial police chief
Daryl Gates Daryl Gates (born Darrel Francis Gates; August 30, 1926 – April 16, 2010) was the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) from 1978 to 1992. His length of tenure in this position was second only to that of William H. Parker. As Chief ...
, which has been debated as being either an asset or a liability. Stevenson won the election with 20,162 votes to Woo's 13,018.


1985

The 1985 race in District 13, again between Councilwoman Peggy Stevenson and Woo, was notoriously expensive and cost a reported one million dollars. Stevenson was supported by "some of the city's most prominent political fund-raisers" and the "
real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...
industry," while Woo's Republican banker father provided about half of the $437,000 raised for his campaign.
Zev Yaroslavsky Zev Yaroslavsky (born December 21, 1948) is a politician from Los Angeles County, California. He was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from District 3, which includes the San Fernando Valley, the Westside of Los Angeles and ...
and
Marvin Braude Marvin Braude (11 August 1920 – 7 December 2005) was a member of the Los Angeles City Council for 32 years, between 1965 and 1997—the third-longest-serving council member in the history of the city. He was “a champion of bike paths,” advoc ...
, Los Angeles City Councilmembers expected to endorse Stevenson, endorsed Woo. Woo was victorious in the race, with 16,417 votes to Stevenson's 12,052. The Los Angeles times credited the win to "family wealth, ethnic pride, younger voters and festering discontent with an incumbent officeholder". Stevenson blamed a "Westside political organization" headed by U.S. Representatives
Henry Waxman Henry Arnold Waxman (born September 12, 1939) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1975 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district included much of the western part of the city of ...
and
Howard Berman Howard Lawrence Berman (born April 15, 1941) is an American attorney and retired politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1983 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented the state's 26th congressional ...
for her loss.


Tenure

* Film, 1985. Woo publicly censured the MGM-UA film '' Year of the Dragon,'' a graphic movie about a crime war and violent youth gangs in New York's Chinatown. He was reported to be negotiating a public disclaimer that would be issued by the studio concerning the picture. * Sanctuary, 1986. In his first major triumph, he succeeded in maneuvering the City Council into declaring that Los Angeles would be considered a " city of sanctuary" for political refugees, but the resulting public outcry forced the council to reverse itself and repeal the entire resolution. * Light rail, 1988. Woo and Mayor Tom Bradley wrote the June referendum ballot arguments in favor of establishing a light-rail line into the San Fernando Valley. Councilman
Ernani Bernardi Ernani Bernardi — also known as Noni Bernardi and Nani Bernardi — (October 29, 1911 – January 4, 2006) was a big band musician and politician. Bernardi served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1961 to 1993, representing 7th district and ...
of the Valley was opposed. * Rodney King, 1991. He was the City Council leader in a fight to oust Police Chief
Daryl Gates Daryl Gates (born Darrel Francis Gates; August 30, 1926 – April 16, 2010) was the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) from 1978 to 1992. His length of tenure in this position was second only to that of William H. Parker. As Chief ...
in the wake of the beating of Rodney G. King by police officers.


Later campaigns


1993 Los Angeles mayoral campaign

Woo left his council seat in 1993 to run for mayor that year against
Richard Riordan Richard Joseph Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is an American investment banker, businessman, lawyer, and former Republican politician who was the 39th Mayor of Los Angeles, from 1993 to 2001. Born in New York City and raised in New Rochelle, New Y ...
. Woo was endorsed by
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
, who was running for president at the time. Riordan garnered 54 percent of votes to Woo's 46 percent.


1994 California Secretary of State campaign

Woo ran for California Secretary of State in 1994. He lost to Tony Miller.


2001 Los Angeles City Council campaign

Woo attempted a comeback to his old City Council seat in 2001, but was defeated by
Eric Garcetti Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles from 2013 until 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in the 2013 election, and reelected in 2017. A fo ...
by 1,000 votes, as Woo garnered 48% of the vote.Patrick McGreevey and Sue Fox, "Garcetti Defeats Woo," ''Los Angeles Times,'' June 6, 2001
/ref>


References


External links


Archinect interview with Michael Woo

Peggy Stevenson mailers from her 1981 campaign

Woo's survey of his eight years on the City Council, ''Los Angeles Times,'' May 30, 1993
*
Anti-Woo election flier by Riordan for Mayor Committee

Second anti-Woo election flier by Riordan for Mayor Committee

Streetsblog interview, May 21, 2009
With photo
Interview with Michael Woo
about the
Chinese massacre of 1871 The Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871 was a racial massacre targeting Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles, California, United States that occurred on October 24, 1871. Approximately 500 white and Hispanic Americans attacked, harassed, robbe ...
, KPFA, Oct 27, 2021 ---- {{DEFAULTSORT:Woo, Michael 1951 births American politicians of Chinese descent California Democrats California politicians of Chinese descent Harvard University faculty Living people Los Angeles City Council members University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of Southern California faculty California State Polytechnic University, Pomona faculty UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design alumni Candidates in the 1993 United States elections