John Lee (California politician)

Born in 1970, Lee is the son of South Korean immigrants.^[3] He graduated from Granada Hills High School and attended California State University, Northridge but did not graduate.^[4]

Lee lives in Porter Ranch, California with his wife Sheila and their two children.^[5]

Prior to being elected as the Councilmember, Lee worked for City of Los Angeles for two decades, serving in various capacities. In his tenure he has worked for Councilmember Joel Wachs, Greig Smith, and [Mitch Englander].^[6] Lee was a chief of staff for previous councilman Mitchell Englander. [Mitch Englander] pled guilty to federal charges related to the on-going Los Angeles City Hall corruption probe and began serving a 14-month sentence in federal prison in June, 2021. Lee joined David Ryu as the second Asian American on the council, being sworn in on August 30, 2019.^[5]

Public safety

Lee has been one of the biggest supporters of the Los Angeles Police Department on the council. Lee has stated his opposition for defunding the LAPD, citing the department's many reformations throughout the last decade including de-escalation and implicit bias training. He officially rejected calls to defund the LAPD when he cast one of two votes in opposition of the City Council's decision to slash the department's budget.^[7]

Homelessness

Lee has advocated for Neighborhood Safety Teams that would increase the number of police patrols in business corridors, specifically dedicated to stopping crime stemming from homeless encampments. Lee has also advocated for the creation of a Housing Task Force to build housing that focuses on job training programs.^[8]

Environment

Lee has committed to supporting the California Clean Energy Commission's proposal to close down the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility. In 2019, Lee proposed a resolution urging Governor Gavin Newsom to make good on the promise of shutting the facility down.^[8]

Lee has also worked with LADWP and Electric Power Research Institute on a pilot program focused on sustainable farming located entirely within shipping containers. The container's initial yield will serve as a model for successful and sustainable farming in an urban environment.^[9]

Transportation

Lee supports allowing companies like Uber and Bird to provide e-scooters in his district; however, he stated that it should be limited and not encompass the entire district. He referenced California State University, Northridge as an example of an appropriate location for the scooters.^[10]

Corruption allegations

Lee accompanied Englander as his Chief of Staff along with José Huizar staffer George Esparza on the June 2017 Las Vegas trip that led to Englander's corruption charges and guilty plea.^[11] Huizar and Esparza were both later charged with racketeering stemming from a related FBI investigation, to which Esparza pleaded guilty.^[12][13] According to the indictment in the Englander case, a top Englander staffer referred to as "City Staffer B" was given some of the same perks as Englander.^[12] Englander sent antedated checks for himself and the unnamed staffer to the businessmen who provided the perks after he was contacted by the FBI.^[12] Lee has declined to state whether he is "City Staffer B" repeatedly and claimed that he did everything possible to reimburse expenses for the trip.^[12] Multiple groups have called for John Lee's resignation on the assumption that he is the unnamed staffer.^[11][14][15]

On October 2, 2023, Lee was charged with 10 counts by the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission on October 2, 2023 for conduct related to his 2017 Vegas trip with his predecessor Mitch Englander.^[16] Lee filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission in response to the charges against him.^[17]

Sexual harassment lawsuit

Lee was accused of sexual harassment and discrimination by a former aide in a 2013 lawsuit.^[18] He denied the allegations.^[19] Lee was dismissed as a defendant and the lawsuit was settled by the city for $75,000.^[20]

Election

Lee declared his candidacy for the 2019 special election following the departure of the previous Councilmember. Lee's campaign immediately gained front runner status in a crowded field with 15 total candidates, bolstered by the support from over 100 community leaders and local officials.^[21][22] Lee came in second place after the primary election and moved into the general election versus Loraine Lundquist. After a contentious campaign cycle, Lee won the seat and served out the remainder of the term.^[23]

Lee ran again in the primary election the following year to serve for a full 4-year term. In a rematch of the previous election, Lee once again won the seat, earning more votes than any candidate in Council District 12's history, as did his opponent, with only 801 votes separating them. As Lee won more than 50% of the vote, he was elected in the first round.

• Official listing at the City of Los Angeles directory