As the dates approach closer to the 2024 General Municipal Elections on November 5, both appointed city councilwoman Heather Hutt and candidate Grace Yoo are expanding their campaigns further throughout the 10th district of Los Angeles.
“I am quite literally knocking on doors in every single neighborhood. I can confidently say that I have walked up and down every single street in District 10 trying to introduce myself to our voters, and I think that sets me apart.” As District 10 encompasses all or parts of Arlington Heights, Koreatown, Mid-City, Palms, South Robertson, West Adams, and Wilshire Center, Yoo emphasizes the concerns for public safety, affordable housing, and increasing the communication between the city council and the voices of the people. “Public safety is seriously an issue, and I think that the current city council is not doing an effective job. There are at least hundreds of emails that go unreplied to, and here I am, trying to make a difference just by going door to door. I would like these people to know that their voice matters, and I am willing to personally talk to individuals who struggle to communicate and try to understand where they are coming from. No community should have to struggle with communicating with their own city council.”
With extensive experience in non-profit organizations that focused on helping the senior AAPI demographic, Yoo embodies the spirit of helping and giving back to her community. “I have worked with and become favorable to these people, because they trust that I can make a difference with my presence in the city council. I promise to treat this entire district with the same intimacy that I would with smaller groups of people. I hope to maintain a sense of personal intimacy that the city council lacks. These communities deserve to feel at home in their space, and that touches on another goal of my campaign: affordable housing. This is certainly an achievable goal to me. We can spend less on the actual materials and infrastructure and prioritize putting people in homes all around District 10. I hope to make this city a cleaner and safer place for people to live.”
As the interview comes to an end, Grace Yoo leaves a final message to her audience, “Every single vote matters, I mean, I hope to be the candidate that motivates more people to register to vote. I think people get caught up with this idea that elections are not largely democratic or that their voice is not heard. I want to show a change in that attitude starting with this upcoming election in November. Your voice will be heard, vote Grace Yoo.”
<Heather(Seoyoung) Yang Student reporter>hseoyoungy@gmail.com
Seoyoung Yang is a Sophomore Student in Immaculate Heart High School. She is interested in Koreatown, its gentrification phenomenon, and Korean American culture.
