The Arcadia City Council on Tuesday appointed Councilman Paul Cheng to the vacated mayor position following the resignation of Mayor Eileen Wang after federal authorities charged her with secretly acting as an agent of the People’s Republic of China.
Wang represented Council District 3, and officials are now accepting applications from prospective appointees to serve the remainder of the ex-mayor’s term that was up for election in November.
Cheng will serve the remainder of Wang’s unexpired term until December. Cheng represents District 4 and was the mayor pro tem when Wang resigned May 11. He has been on the City Council since 2020.
After his appointment, Cheng spoke about the need for civic unity during difficult times.
“To every resident listening tonight, do not let fear consume you, do not let negativity divide you, and do not let anyone convince you that Arcadia is broken,” Cheng said. “This city is filled with good people, hardworking people, patriotic people, and compassionate people.”
District 1 Councilman David Fu was appointed mayor pro tem, which continued the established rotation among the council members. The mayoral positions usually change every nine months.
The council also started the process of filling the District 3 vacancy until the November election. They voted 4-0 to seek candidates using an application and interview process.
Applications are available on the internet at ArcadiaCA.gov and must be submitted via email to CityClerk@ArcadiaCA.gov by Friday, May 29 at 11:59 p.m. Interviews will take place at 5 p.m. on June 2 before the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting.
Candidates must live in Arcadia’s 3rd District, be a registered voter, a United States citizen and at least 18 years old. City officials said more than 5,300 registered voters live in District 3.
The ex-councilwoman faces up to 10 years in federal prison following her guilty plea that she was a clandestine agent of the Chinese government. She also admitted that she worked with her former fiance, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, to publish PRC propaganda via a website that the two operated.
Sun received a four-year prison sentence earlier this year on similar federal charges. Sun was arrested in December 2024, when his ties to Wang and PRC intelligence operations first came to light, and pleaded guilty in October.
Following Wang’s resignation, community members and news reporters have asked lots of questions that officials have compiled on the city’s website.
“At no time could the city council have removed Eileen Wang from office,” City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto said at Tuesday’s meeting. “The city charter only allows the City Council to remove another member if the person is convicted of a serious crime.”
He said no city officials were aware of an investigation into Wang’s propaganda work.
Many residents attended the meeting and voiced concerns about how the council handled the controversy. Several residents questioned why no council members called for Wang to step down.
Former Councilman and Mayor Tom Beck was among those who spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting Tuesday.
“Your pre-planned speeches for the most part missed the issues your residents raised last night and are concerned about,” Beck said in a follow-up email to the council and others, obtained by HeySoCal.com. “This is NOT about our country or about how great Arcadia is or how great the residents are. It’s about YOU! The three of you and Dominic and (City Attorney Michael Maurer) basically said or inferred there was nothing you could do to prevent Eileen from becoming Mayor when she did. It was said that the Charter and new rules regarding Mayor succession gave you no options to prevent her from becoming Mayor.”
Beck then asked:
“1) Why were you all so effusive about Eileen when you knew all the facts I recited last night and you may have known a lot more disturbing facts.
“2) Why didn’t one or all of you take Eileen aside and suggest that now was not the right time for her to be Mayor under these circumstances?
“3) If the City Council had no authority to stop someone from being Mayor why was David Fu allowed to have a hearing on whether (Councilwoman Sharon Kwan) should continue to be Mayor and / or be censored?”
Beck’s email continued with a litany of grievances against the council majority — Cheng, Cao and Fu — ranging from questions of eligible residency in council districts and egomania to the Fu-led censure against Kwan in August and allegations that the majority “ignored” the Wang controversy.
Cheng, Cao and Fu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.