A split Arcadia City Council on Tuesday postponed voting on applicants to appoint to the District 3 seat vacated by ex-Mayor Eileen Wang, who resigned last month after admitting she acted illegally as a secret agent of the People’s Republic of China.
Mayor Pro Tem David Fu and Councilman Michael Cao said after interviewing applicants at Tuesday’s meeting that lasted well over five hours, they needed more time to weigh the decision on filling the vacancy.
Mayor Paul Cheng and Councilwoman Sharon Kwan favored choosing the appointee Tuesday, as had been publicized and as the council members had agreed following Wang’s resignation, but the stalemate prevented a vote on the matter.
Cheng, Fu and Cao said they wanted to reestablish representation as soon as possible for residents of District 3, which is the smallest geographical council territory primarily between Huntington Drive and Duarte Road to the north and south respectively stretching from the city’s western border eastward to Park Avenue between Campus Drive and Duarte Road.
Focusing on the need for public transparency, Kwan said if the appointment vote did not occur Tuesday, she favored waiting until November to let voters decide.
Detailed information is on the city’s website about the candidates for appointment to fill the vacancy. They are:
- Walter Besocke, a 49-year resident, a Ford Motor Co. manager;
- Ruby Chang, eight-year resident, freelance apparel technical designer;
- John Han, 10-year resident, self-employed investment manager;
- Gail Littlejohn, two-year resident, assistant property manager;
- Eduardo Magallanes, four-year resident, junior project engineer with Sound Crete Contractors;
- Cynthia Ng Monje, over 20 years in Arcadia, retired senior executive administrator at Jet Propulsion Laboratory;
- Beth Szymkowski, three-year resident, self-employed and Alhambra Unified School District educator, screenwriter, rental property owner;
- Paul Van Fleet, 27-plus years residency, senior claims adjuster for State Fund;
- Lisa Walton, 47-year resident, Bank of America sales vice president;
- William Wu, three-month resident, police chief with the Compton Unified School District and an attorney; and
- Peter Yoo, 36-year resident, NBC Universal senior multimedia manager.
Applicants addressed the council and responded to questions from members during the public meeting Tuesday at the City Hall Council Chambers. Video is available on the city’s website.
In an email blast Monday, former Councilwoman April Verlato noted applicant Wu’s ties to Cheng, Fu and Cao.
“With 10 other qualified applicants, many of whom have a long history of living in District 3 and Arcadia, why would the 3 men on council be looking to appoint William Wu?” Verlato wrote.
- “He is a good friend of Paul Cheng’s
- “He will go along with what the 3 men want
- “He’s a police chief and will support more raises for the police union
- “In his application, Wu emphasizes contract negotiations with the unions
“City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto has informed Council Member Kwan that the police and fire unions want to start discussing raises this month even though the current contract does not expire until next year,” according to Verlato.
In written remarks submitted with his application, Wu said government “services all come from hard working people. That brings in labor relations as a key focus on keeping the best employees around to serve the residents.”
Wu said he has lived in the San Gabriel Valley for most of his adult life.
“In the past few years, in my interactions with the greater SGV community, it has been brought to up to me that I should consider serving the public in capacities other than as a law enforcement officer, such as on a city council,” Wu wrote, also noting his “many friends and close family who live in Arcadia.”
Current council members and city officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Wang’s sentencing is scheduled for October, when she could receive a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison for not informing authorities she was a propagandist for Chinese military intelligence, who propelled her successful Arcadia City Council campaign in 2022.