Out of 11 Korean American candidates running in the Orange County city council and school board elections held on the 3rd, four have had their victories officially confirmed. Among them, three triumphed in the school board races, while one secured a win in the city council race.
School Board Election Results
According to unofficial vote counts released by the Orange County Registrar of Voters as of 4 p.m. on the 4th, Jeff Kim, incumbent for District 4 of the Irvine Unified School District, secured re-election with 4,920 votes (59%), defeating Jane Wood, who received 3,414 votes (41%). Although uncounted ballots remain, the 18% point margin makes an upset virtually impossible. Amy Choi-Won also claimed victory in District 3 of the Fullerton School District, taking 65% (3,886 votes) to comfortably lead Jordan Abushawish at 35% (2,106 votes). In the Orange Unified School District District 7, Jack Chang faced an uphill battle against incumbent Steven Glass, trailing with 20,606 votes (44.9%) compared to Glass’s 25,520 votes (55.1%). Meanwhile, Jason Jung secured a third term for Buena Park School District District 2 by running unopposed. In total, Korean American candidates won three out of four school board contests.
City Council Election Updates
In the city council races featuring six Korean American candidates, Joyce Ahn secured re-election to the Buena Park District 1 seat through an uncontested victory. In Irvine District 1 and La Palma District 2, John Park and Andrew Kim surged into first place, respectively. Park initially trailed incumbent Councilmember Melinda Liu by 198 votes after the initial count on the 3rd, but rose to the top spot on the 4th with 39.7% of the vote, narrowly ahead of Liu’s 38.4%. With a mere 120 votes separating the two, the final outcome will depend on the continued tallying over the next few days. Candidate Sukhee Kang lagged in third place with 22% of the vote. In La Palma, political newcomer Andrew Kim maintained a first-place lead against Mayor Nitesh Patel, holding 52.7% to Patel’s 47.3%, though a tight margin of 49 votes leaves the race too close to call.
Tight Races and Remaining Ballots
Helen Reh is engaged in a fierce battle with Councilmember Bonnie Peat for the Cypress District 2 seat, trailing by just 15 votes with 824 votes (49.55%) to Peat’s 839 votes (50.45%). A victory for Reh would mark the election of the first Korean American city councilmember in the city’s history. Conversely, Yongduk Choi faces steep odds against incumbent Carlos Franco in Buena Park District 2, currently tracking at 43.1% to Franco’s 56.9%. The ultimate fate of John Park, Andrew Kim, and Helen Reh hinges on the remaining uncounted ballots. The Orange County Registrar of Voters reported 246,570 uncounted ballots, a number expected to grow as mail-in ballots postmarked by election day arrive. As countywide turnout stands at 54.5% including current pending ballots, final turnout is projected to surpass the 54.7% recorded four years ago.
