After being sworn in as second-in-command of the Arcadia Metropolis Council, Eileen Wang addressed an issue that has taken a again seat within the months because the Eaton fireplace devastated close by Altadena.
“We broke up the fiance relationship,” Wang stated of her former marketing campaign supervisor, Yaoning “Mike” Solar. “We maintain the friendship.”
Wang stated their romantic relationship ended final spring, eight months earlier than federal prosecutors charged Solar with conspiracy and performing as an unlawful agent of a international authorities.
The April 15 assertion from Wang, now mayor professional tem of the San Gabriel Valley metropolis, was one of many few occasions she has publicly addressed the fees towards Solar, who allegedly labored with China to domesticate Wang, in hopes that she would rise in politics and assist promote pro-China insurance policies, together with opposition to Taiwan.
Dealing with requires her resignation, Wang had vowed in January to not step away from the council, emphasizing that she was “not accountable for the motion of others.”
Wang didn’t reply to a number of calls and emails from The Instances. The opposite 4 council members additionally didn’t reply to emails.
“I’ve plenty of questions,” stated former Councilmember Sheng Chang, who ran towards Wang in 2022 and recalled being shocked by the fundraising prowess and plum endorsements of “the brand new child on the block.”
Sheng Chang, who misplaced an Arcadia Metropolis Council race to Eileen Wang in 2022, at his workplace in San Gabriel.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Instances)
Arcadia Metropolis Supervisor Dominic Lazzaretto launched a quick assertion quickly after Solar was charged in December, saying Wang was cooperating with the FBI and that Solar “had no involvement by any means with Metropolis of Arcadia enterprise or decision-making.”
Wang, who immigrated to the U.S. from China three many years in the past, was by no means charged, and it’s unclear whether or not she was conscious of the alleged scheme. In a felony criticism towards Solar, prosecutors recognized her solely as “Particular person 1.”
The criticism offers a uncommon glimpse into the covert affect the Chinese language authorities allegedly seeks to have on politicians and organizations within the San Gabriel Valley, a touchdown spot for a lot of Chinese language and Taiwanese immigrants.
Marketing campaign data examined by The Instances point out that Solar served as Wang’s marketing campaign supervisor, lending cash and serving to usher in donations — a few of which got here from sources with ties to the Chinese language authorities.
James Su, president of EDI Media in West Covina, donated $500 to Wang’s marketing campaign on Oct. 10, 2022. Su’s media firm, which incorporates a number of L.A.-based media teams, together with the Chinese language-language web site iCity Information, needed to register as a international agent in Might 2022 as a result of it previously printed the U.S. model of a newspaper thought of a “international mission” of the Chinese language authorities.
Because the November 2022 election neared, iCity Information revealed a slew of glowing articles on Wang, a political novice and proprietor of an after-school tutoring firm.
“Keep in mind! You could vote for Eileen!” concluded an article, one in every of roughly half a dozen the outlet revealed that yr on Wang, who would obtain an endorsement from Su in addition to the $500 donation.
There have been no tales on Chang, Wang’s opponent, a Taiwanese immigrant who ran a bare-bones marketing campaign with $34,000 he lent himself.
Lina Li, an workplace supervisor for EDI who stated she was responding on Su’s behalf, wrote in an electronic mail that the $500 donation was constructed from Su’s private funds as a result of he believed Wang was a “good candidate.” The corporate has not needed to register as a international agent since 2022, she stated.
The L.A. arm of Sing Tao US, a subsidiary of a Chinese language-owned newspaper that’s registered as a international agent, additionally donated to Wang’s marketing campaign, giving $3,300 on Aug. 9, 2022, in line with marketing campaign finance data.
Wang paid the corporate the identical quantity for print adverts, in line with the data.
The Sing Tao Day by day is among the oldest newspapers in Hong Kong and has lengthy been featured on newsstands in Chinatown and the San Gabriel Valley. Sing Tao US wrote in a authorities submitting it’s “editorially unbiased” from its Chinese language mum or dad firm.
Robin Mui, chief government of Sing Tao US, stated Wang’s marketing campaign made an error on its marketing campaign finance types. Sing Tao by no means contributed to Wang’s marketing campaign and solely obtained cost from it for adverts, Mui stated.
The “L.A. [branch] by no means made any political contribution — until you show to me in any other case,” Mui stated.
The felony criticism towards Solar described in depth interactions between Solar and John Chen, who was sentenced to federal jail final yr for performing as an unlawful Chinese language agent and plotting towards Falun Gong, a religious apply banned in China.
Chen reportedly described a former L.A. County supervisor, recognized solely as M.A., as “pleasant to China.” Chen’s Chinese language handler informed him that he can be given funds to “socialize with” the previous supervisor within the hopes of getting an introduction to M.A.’s successor, recognized as C.B.
Former Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who oversaw a district together with elements of the San Gabriel Valley from 1980 to 2016, stated he first met Chen at a dinner for a Chinese language affiliation and would often run into him at neighborhood occasions. He by no means felt Chen was pushing a political agenda, he stated.
Antonovich stated the one time he felt stress from the Chinese language authorities was earlier than Double Ten Day, a nationwide vacation in Taiwan on Oct. 10. Yearly, the Chinese language consulate would attain out to every supervisor and ask them to not attend native celebrations, Antonovich stated.
Antonovich stated he didn’t heed the steering and spoke at Double Ten celebrations twice.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who succeeded Antonovich, stated she has by no means met with Chen or Solar and has no data of both man reaching out to her workplace, in line with her spokesperson.
A lot of the marketing campaign Solar orchestrated for Wang can be thought of commonplace fare for an up-and-coming San Gabriel Valley politician.
Wang, a longtime resident of Arcadia, employed Santa Maria Group, a outstanding lobbying agency. She nabbed plum endorsements from big-name politicians: L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) and Chu’s husband, former state Assemblymember Michael Eng.
In whole, Wang raised $119,000, largely from donors with addresses within the San Gabriel Valley. One other high fundraiser, Councilmember Michael Cao, introduced roughly $125,000 into his marketing campaign that yr.
Chang, who was looking for a 3rd time period on the Metropolis Council after profitable a seat in 1994 and 2000, stated that for the primary time, his heritage turned a speaking level throughout an election, when a supporter requested him to take away her identify from his record of endorsements as a result of she had heard that he supported Taiwan independence.
Wang’s Instagram account from that point is stuffed with movies of her on the marketing campaign path, set to zippy pop songs. She beforehand informed The Instances that she knocked on each door in her district a number of occasions to ensure she reached each resident.
“I walked about 140 days … I by no means stopped,” she stated over a dim sum lunch final November, earlier than the felony fees towards Solar. “I walked my district 5 occasions.”
