John Lee (California politician)
John S. Lee is an American politician, serving as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 12th district. Formerly a Republican, Lee is now an independent and is the only non-Democrat currently on the city council. Early life, education, and personal life. Born in 1970, Lee is the son of South Korean immigrants. He graduated from Granada Hills High School and attended California State University, Northridge. A former City staff member accidentally misrepresented his level of education until the 2020 campaign, when it was revealed that Lee did not graduate from college . Lee lives in Porter Ranch, California with his wife Sheila and their two children. Career. 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. Lee was a chief of staff for previous councilman Mitchell Englander. 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. Policies. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Controversies. 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. Huizar and Esparza were both later charged with racketeering stemming from a related FBI investigation, to which Esparza plead guilty. 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. Englander sent antedated checks for himself and the unnamed staffer to the businessmen who provided the perks after he was contacted by the FBI. 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. Multiple  groups have called for John Lee's resignation on the assumption that he is the unnamed staffer. Sexual harassment lawsuit. Lee was accused of sexual harassment and discrimination by a former aide in a 2013 lawsuit. He denied the allegations. Lee was dismissed as a defendant and the lawsuit was settled by the city for $75,000. Electoral history. 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. 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. 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.