David Ryu
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David E. Ryu (
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
: 유은석; born 1975) is an American politician, who served as 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 ...
man for
District 4 District 4 can refer to: * District 4, Düsseldorf, in Germany * District 4, Grand Bassa County, in Liberia * District 4 (Ho Chi Minh City), in Vietnam * District 4 (New York City Council), in the United States *IV District, Turku The IV Distr ...
from 2015 to 2020.Daily News: "David Ryu's City Council District 4 win a victory for Korean Americans"
05/20/2015.
He is the first Korean-American to hold a council seat in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, California, and the first Asian-American to serve on Los Angeles City Council Leadership.Larchmont Buzz: "Councilmember David Ryu Named Assistant Council President Pro Tempore"
01/15/2020.
Ryu was defeated by
Nithya Raman Nithya V. Raman is an American urban planner, activist, and politician serving as the Los Angeles City Councilmember for the 4th District since 2020. Raman, a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated incum ...
in the November 3rd, 2020 general election.


Early life

Ryu was born Ryu Eun-seok in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
,
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
, in 1975, the eldest of three children.Los Feliz Ledger: "Council member's father dies of heart attack"
10/17/2016.
His father, Eul Chul Ryu, and mother, Michelle Won Chung Ryu, moved the family to Los Angeles, California in 1980. Ryu's father was the editor in chief of the ''Korean Street Journal'' — a
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
based in Los Angeles, and his mother worked as a nurse. Ryu has said he grew up in a low-income household and described his childhood as one where his parents struggled, working multiple jobs to support Ryu, his grandmother and his two siblings. Ryu's parents opened a toy store in the
Koreatown A Koreatown ( Korean: 코리아타운), also known as a Little Korea or Little Seoul, is a Korean-dominated ethnic enclave within a city or metropolitan area outside the Korean Peninsula. History Koreatowns as an East Asian ethnic enclave have ...
neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Ryu worked his first job at 10 years old, translating for his parents at the cash register. After graduating from
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 ...
with a degree in
economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
, Ryu earned a master's degree in
Public Policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...
and Administration at
Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
.


Career

After graduating from UCLA, Ryu became a Deputy to
Los Angeles County Supervisor The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States. History On April 1, 1850 the citizens of Los Angeles elected a three-man Court of Sessions as their first ...
Yvonne Burke. He later worked as a special investigator for Los Angeles County's Auditor-Controller. Ryu became a trained crisis intervention mediator with the County of Los Angeles and went into South LA and East LA with Nate Redfern, a member of the
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...
Insane Crips gang, to broker peaceful resolutions between black customers and immigrant store owners. Ryu served as Senior Deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke where worked on issues and policy for
mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...
, alcohol & drug abuse,
HIV-AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...
, and
public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
, and later worked as a special investigator for Los Angeles County's Auditor-Controller. Ryu worked at the Kedren Acute
Psychiatric Hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...
and
Community Health Center A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...
in South Los Angeles.


2002 attempted rape charge

In August 2002, Ryu faced a charge of attempted rape, to which he pleaded not guilty. The case was dismissed before reaching a preliminary hearing when the district attorney's office said it was unable to proceed within the required time.


Los Angeles City Council


Elections

Ryu was one of over a dozen candidates to replace Councilmember
Tom LaBonge Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...
, who was
term-limited A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...
. Ryu and Carolyn Ramsay advanced past the March 2015 primary. Ryu defeated Ramsay in the general election, on May 19, 2015. He was ceremonially sworn in June 29, 2015, and took office on July 1. In January 2020, Ryu was appointed Assistant City Council President Pro Tempore, becoming the first Asian American to serve on Los Angeles
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
leadership. In the March 3, 2020 primary, Ryu faced
urban planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, town ...
Nithya Raman Nithya V. Raman is an American urban planner, activist, and politician serving as the Los Angeles City Councilmember for the 4th District since 2020. Raman, a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated incum ...
and screenwriter Sarah Kate Levy. Ryu received 32,298 votes (44.4%), Raman received 31,502 votes (40.8%), and Sarah Kate Levy received 10,860 votes (14.1%). Because no candidate received over fifty percent of the vote, Raman and Ryu advanced to the runoff election, scheduled for November 3, 2020. In the November 2020 runoff election, Raman defeated Ryu by a 52.87% to 47.13% margin.


Developer campaign contributions

In November 2019, 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 ...
'' reported that despite a campaign pledge not to take money from
real estate developers Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...
, Ryu's campaign accepted campaign contributions from multiple developers. His campaign later said that it would return some of the donations.


''Los Feliz Ledger'' ethics complaint

In August 2020, the ''Los Feliz Ledger'' filed an
ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...
complaint with the
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
City Ethics Commission after Ryu's campaign office sent an email to 30,000 voters with an allegedly misleading "From:" field. The complaint indicated that the email's "from" field implied that the email was sent by the ''Ledger'' itself. The campaign declined to issue a correction.


Tenure

In 2016, Ryu, in partnership with the County of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District, supported the development of a children's
savings account A savings account is a bank account at a retail bank. Common features include a limited number of withdrawals, a lack of cheque and linked debit card facilities, limited transfer options and the inability to be overdrawn. Traditionally, transa ...
program for Los Angeles called "Opportunity LA." In January 2017, Ryu, along with Councilmembers
Joe Buscaino Giuseppe "Joe" Buscaino (born ) is an American politician and former police officer, who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 15th district from 2012 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Buscaino served as President ...
and
Paul Krekorian Paul Krekorian (born March 24, 1960) is an American politician, currently serving as the 26th president of the Los Angeles City Council since October 18, 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he has represented the second district on the L ...
, introduced a motion to ban contributions to city elected officials and candidates for city office from developers and their principals with development projects currently or recently before the city, as well as increase matching funds to 6:1 in primary and general elections. In December 2019, the law passed with a unanimous vote from the city council. Critics of the measure argued that the final language contained
loophole A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system. Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow ver ...
s, with groups such as the California Clean Money Campaign and California Common Cause arguing that passing it would be "worse than not passing anything at all." Ryu has also introduced legislation to establish an independent Inspector General's office over City Hall, similar to the City of
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. In 2018, Ryu pushed the
Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
to make annual hate crime data open to the public, and for more proactive
legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...
to protect marginalized communities in Los Angeles. During Ryu's tenure and with his support, a 100-bed Bridge Housing shelter opened in Los Feliz in July 2020 as part of Mayor Eric Garcetti's "A Bridge Home" program. In 2015, David Ryu joined wildlife activists to preserve a 17-acre wildlife corridor in
Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon is a mountainous neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains, within the Hollywood Hills West district of Los Angeles, California. The main thoroughfare of Laurel Canyon Boulevard connects the neighb ...
, pledging to match dollar-for-dollar the money raised by
activists Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
with city funds earmarked for parks and green space. The $1.6 million purchase was finalized in 2017 and is now managed by the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority. In 2019, Ryu helped to secure full funding for the Los Angeles LGBT Center's senior center. Following a protest on May 30, 2020 in the Fairfax district just outside of Council District Four, where Los Angeles police officers were filmed clashing violently with
protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooper ...
ors, Ryu and council member Curren Price introduced
legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...
requesting a "thorough review" of police tactics used by LAPD as well as all complaints filed against LAPD for their use of force during the protest. Ryu also co-introduced legislation to establish an Office of Violence Prevention in Los Angeles to dispatch public health workers to certain situations rather than uniformed police officers.


COVID-19 pandemic

In the early days of the 2020
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, Ryu negotiated a $1.25 million international deal to bring
COVID-19 tests COVID-19 testing involves analyzing samples to assess the current or past presence of SARS-CoV-2. The two main types of tests detect either the presence of the virus or antibodies produced in response to infection. Molecular tests for viral p ...
to Los Angeles from South Korean company Seegene, when the United States faced a national testing shortage. Ryu authored a ban on storage unit evictions during the pandemic, which was passed into law with an urgency clause in June 2020. The law protects storage unit leasees from losing their belongings even if they can't make monthly payments during the pandemic. In April 2020, Ryu and other councilmembers proposed a rent increase freeze on LA's rent-stabilized units. The freeze was passed into law, but a broader rent freeze on all LA apartments was narrowly voted down.


References


External links


Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryu, David Los Angeles City Council members California Democrats California politicians of Korean descent 1976 births Living people 21st-century American politicians Rutgers University alumni Rutgers University people University of California, Los Angeles alumni