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Attorney Paul Cheng Announces City Council Candidacy
Arcadia Weekly Dec 17, 2009
Beloved Mare to Revisit Sight of Her Celebrated Breeders' Cup Victory
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In a media event held on Saturday, December 12, Arcadia resident and attorney Paul Cheng announced his bid to run for the upcoming Arcadia City Council elections in April. Cheng, a resident of Arcadia for more than six years, says he is concerned about rising crime in Arcadia, and a lack of strict monitoring of child molesters living in town boundaries.
At 33 years old, Cheng would be the “youngest council member for the seat of Arcadia,” which supporters stress as a strong point for Cheng. Cheng was introduced at his event by several council members from nearby cities such as Monterey Park, Rosemead, Walnut, South Pasadena and a representative from Sheriff Lee Baca’s office who came to support his council bid.
In Cheng’s statement, he stressed the distance between the current Arcadia Council representatives and Arcadia residents, asking the audience, “Do you even know your council members’ names?” Cheng then stressed the importance of accessibility to public officials, the need for everyone to work closely to solve problems. He also said there needed to be a more thorough crackdown on businesses that are not paying local taxes and that the city needs to be more efficient and responsible with its spending.
Some residents have voiced concerns with what they view as Cheng’s focus on the Asian portion of the community and his recent legal defense of an Arcadia massage parlor. Last year, Paul Cheng’s Law Firm was involved in the case of Ladi He and Yuhai Song v. Wonderful Beauty Spa, in which the jury decided that the owner of Wonderful Beauty Spa, Jack Chen, violated the rights of the plaintiffs by failing to provide meal breaks, rest breaks, paid overtime, and the balance of pay upon termination. They awarded the plaintiffs $80,000. Cheng was one of the attorneys for the plaintiff and cheered the jury’s decision as being socially conscious. “They have said that this country will not tolerate any form of abuse in any social and cultural group…We are all Americans.”
Cheng continues to stress this message, and states that he wants to bring all races of the community together in this campaign. He intends to continue campaigning, highlighting these vital issues and hopefully gaining support in Arcadia. City Council elections are held in April, 2010.
