Faithless
06-22-2007, 12:09 AM
Is the following scandal about a San Fran supervisor named Ed Jew more than just California news?
He's this guy that can't definitively prove residency in the district he supposedly represents. It should be simple, no? Just produce a damn utility bill and whatever else.
He also has another issue, regarding favorable treatment.
Chinese divided by scandal in S.F. -- As the county board's only Asian faces two probes, some blame racism and others say the issue is corruption. (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-edjew21jun21,1,6596443.story?coll=la-news-politics-california)
By John M. Glionna, Times Staff Writer | June 21, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO — Perusing the Chinese leeks and bitter melons outside his neighborhood market, Dave Pon said he'd heard enough embarrassing talk of political scandal involving one of his own.
He was proud when fellow Chinese American Ed Jew was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. But now he thinks Jew should step down — even though, in a city where a third of residents are of Chinese descent, he is the board's only Asian American.
Jew, 47, a political conservative who took office in January, faces questions about whether he actually lives in the heavily Chinese 4th District, where he campaigned last year.
The residency issue arose during a federal inquiry into whether Jew accepted $40,000 from a group of businessmen seeking a city permit. The dual criminal investigations generated by those questions have caused divisions in the usually tight-knit Chinese community here.
Some say the charges are the result of racial discrimination. Others say race has nothing to do with political corruption. Either way, Pon, 56, a third-generation Chinese American who used to run a chain of delis, believes that Jew has become a liability for hardworking Chinese immigrants.
"Ed Jew doesn't just represent one section of San Francisco," he said of the supervisor, a local flower shop owner. "He represents the Chinese people in a way. And he's becoming an embarrassment. What he's doing looks bad for all of us."
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He's this guy that can't definitively prove residency in the district he supposedly represents. It should be simple, no? Just produce a damn utility bill and whatever else.
He also has another issue, regarding favorable treatment.
Chinese divided by scandal in S.F. -- As the county board's only Asian faces two probes, some blame racism and others say the issue is corruption. (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-edjew21jun21,1,6596443.story?coll=la-news-politics-california)
By John M. Glionna, Times Staff Writer | June 21, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO — Perusing the Chinese leeks and bitter melons outside his neighborhood market, Dave Pon said he'd heard enough embarrassing talk of political scandal involving one of his own.
He was proud when fellow Chinese American Ed Jew was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. But now he thinks Jew should step down — even though, in a city where a third of residents are of Chinese descent, he is the board's only Asian American.
Jew, 47, a political conservative who took office in January, faces questions about whether he actually lives in the heavily Chinese 4th District, where he campaigned last year.
The residency issue arose during a federal inquiry into whether Jew accepted $40,000 from a group of businessmen seeking a city permit. The dual criminal investigations generated by those questions have caused divisions in the usually tight-knit Chinese community here.
Some say the charges are the result of racial discrimination. Others say race has nothing to do with political corruption. Either way, Pon, 56, a third-generation Chinese American who used to run a chain of delis, believes that Jew has become a liability for hardworking Chinese immigrants.
"Ed Jew doesn't just represent one section of San Francisco," he said of the supervisor, a local flower shop owner. "He represents the Chinese people in a way. And he's becoming an embarrassment. What he's doing looks bad for all of us."
...