Renowned Chinese-American lawyer Long “David” Liu in Southern California made his debut in 2024 by running for the California 49th District State Assembly and received enthusiastic support from numerous voters. Recently, he has once again sounded the battle cry to continue his quest for the 49th District State Assembly seat, hoping to bring about change in the face of California’s crises such as high crime rates, high cost of living, high taxes, and government waste.
On March 6th (Friday), several California Assembly members gathered for a luncheon to show their support for Long Liu’s candidacy, including Republican Leader of the State Assembly Heath Flora, Assembly members Phillip Chen, Diane Dixon, Jeff Gonzalez, Kate Sanchez, Leticia Castillo, and Laurie Davies.
Flora expressed that serving California in the State Assembly and representing the state is the honor of his life. He believes that California Republicans need to take action collectively, collaborate with the entire community, and work together. He looks forward to “welcoming back partners in the next election cycle, reclaiming seats, and continuing to achieve milestones for California Republicans.”
Republican candidates present to support the event included Michael Gates, running for State Attorney General, Chuong Vo, former mayor of Hilo Choi running for Congress, Eric Ching, Walnut City Council Member and former mayor, and Elizabeth Wong Ahlers, Chinese-American Council Member from Cresenta Valley Town running for State Senator.
In addition, many community leaders and Republican Party leaders were also present to show their support, with over a hundred guests in attendance.
On that day, Long Liu warmly shook hands with the guests. Unlike his 2024 campaign announcement, this time his wife and elementary school-aged son made their first public appearance. This reflects his emphasis on the campaign promise of valuing family and education.
Long Liu pointed out that since President Trump took office, the tide in California is changing, and California’s Chinese community hopes for fair education, economic development, and safer communities. He said, “We migrated to California because California is the Golden State. We need a safe, stable, and prosperous life here, not to turn California into Africa.”
Long Liu, a graduate from law school, established his law firm in 2004. As a seasoned lawyer, he emphasizes that the urgent task in California is new legislation and fair elections.
He promised that if elected, he would introduce a California version of the “SAVE America Act” jointly introduced by two U.S. Senators, requiring citizens to provide ID when registering to vote and show a photo ID when voting.
“Only legal voting can bring a fair and just environment to California,” he said. “If rules are not followed, elections have no meaning.”
Regarding the social security issues that California’s Chinese voters have always been concerned about, Long Liu stated that he will team up with his friend Michael Gates to combat crime.
Long Liu’s first candidacy in 2024 achieved admirable results. He urged Chinese voters to vote actively and voice their opinions. He said that more and more Chinese voters have realized that only by personally participating in voting can Chinese people transition from being “audience members” to “players” in policy-making.
Eric Ching, who is running for Congress in the 31st District of California, has served the local community for many years. He was deeply moved recently by the many unfamiliar residents in his district who actively donated support or volunteered to help.
Ching stated that the government should only do two things – serve and protect the people; however, in recent years, all levels of government, especially in California, have not done many things well, making people feel unsafe.
“I believe schools should teach useful subjects, such as math, science, or life skills, rather than indoctrinating children with things like gender identity, sexual education. This will not help children in the future,” he said. In terms of education, the state government should respect parents’ rights.
Ching also hopes to reduce the tax burden, and the state government’s deficit cannot simply be resolved by raising taxes. He said, “We see that California may have a lot of corruption, wasteful behavior that needs to be addressed.”
Elizabeth Wong Ahlers, running for State Senator in California’s 25th District, attended the event with her husband. She expressed thanks to the state legislators who came to support.
In addition to hoping to bring about changes in energy, water resources, crime prevention, etc., Ahlers also hopes to reduce tax burdens (including gasoline taxes), reform laws to lower housing costs, allowing people and businesses to stay in California comfortably. In terms of education policy, she stressed enhancing elementary and middle school students’ reading and writing skills so they receive a successful education rather than being indoctrinated with ideology.
Attendee Peter Amundsen, who has lived in Arcadia for decades, hopes that the state government will cut regulations, reduce business taxes, support families, and bring California back to its former glory. He expressed support for the several candidates at the event: “They are all great candidates. We need courage to join California’s campaign, and I greatly appreciate their efforts. I believe they will bring change to California.” ◇