First published in the June 24 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
With a solidified lead of more than 500 votes and by more than 5% on Tuesday’s update, South Pasadena resident Kristine Kwong claimed victory in her election bid for the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees.
As of that update from the Los Angeles County Registrar, Kwong had amassed 6,061 votes to unseat incumbent Linda Wah for the Board’s Trustee Area 5, giving her 52.76% of the votes tallied. Wah, a San Marino resident who has served since 2010, had 5,427 votes.
“I’m really quite pleased. I’m quite humbled. It takes a village,” Kwong said in an interview Wednesday. “I had an amazing amount of community support that believed in the campaign and shared the desire to provide the highest level of education in the community.”
The PCC Trustee Area 5 encompasses South Pasadena, San Marino and Temple City.
Kwong, a South Pasadena High School alumna and an education lawyer, is currently chair of South Pasadena’s Parks and Recreation Commission, and previously served on the former Transportation Commission. She is also a member of the diversity board at the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law.
South Pasadena is presently consolidating numerous boards and commissions, including the Parks and Recreation Commission. Kwong indicated she hoped to continue serving on the commission that emerges from that change.
For her first-ever political campaign, Kwong said it was refreshing to have received the support she did from her hometown, as reflected in the well-wishes from residents and campaign signs throughout town.
“The degree of support I received from my hometown was more than I could ever imagine or expect,” she said. “I think I understand the community, what our values are and what’s important for our community and know these are values we would like to preserve.
“Campaigning is a great journey and I encourage everyone that is ever interested in it to pursue it,” Kwong continued. “It really illustrates that you can make a difference. You’re just one person, but if you work together, you can make great positive change. If you don’t run, someone else will.”
