IndiaPost.com - Joseph Cho supports Little India sign on Freeway

India Post News Service

LOS ANGELES: This March a number of So Cal cities are holding elections for their respective City Councils. Contesting for a seat in the Cerritos City Council is Dr Joseph Cho. Dr Cho has a PHD in history and has lived in Cerritos for the past 31 years with his wife Lucy and their two sons and daughter. Cho is no stranger to Indians and is a staunch ally and supporter of the Indian community. He is yet another story of the great American dream.

Cho came to the United States in 1974. Starting his career doing odd jobs, he went on to be a journalist starting two Korean papers. He also taught at a high school before launching a printing company. In many ways Cho can relate to the Indian community…the initial struggle, getting the papers right, learning an entirely new language.

The immigrant story is the same irrespective of the country of origin. Going back to school after his retirement in 2002, Dr Cho got his PHD in history after he published his thesis on the North Korean nuclear program in 2006. A Democrat, Dr Cho has been endorsed by US Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, State Controller John Chiang, State Assemblyman Tony Mendoza, Jagriti, and a host of other organizations. California Lt Gov John Garimendi and State Controller John Chiang have also endorsed him, as has State Senator Alan Lowenthal, father-in-law of Long Beach Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal.

The Cho family has a tradition of philanthropy. Along with the charities the extended Cho family supports in South Korea, Joseph Cho is also deeply involved in educational charities here in the US. The Joseph Cho foundation was started in 2004 and provides scholarships to high school and college students.

This year they plan to give out 20 scholarships in addition to grants to non-profits working in the areas of education and learning. In an exclusive interview with India Post, Dr Cho spelt out his agenda. "Cerritos is a very diverse (70 percent Asian American) city but the city council does not have any Indian, Korean, or Filipino members. We need proper representation." He said. He also expressed his commitment to supporting an Indian candidate for the School Board election scheduled this November.

Cho also called for a Human Relations Committee to address problems caused by diversity. "We need such a committee so that we can understand each other's cultures better," he said. Dr Cho also has an agenda for improving the city's services.

He wants to focus on issues like seniors and youth services and also wants to address the language barrier by introducing bi/multilingual stuff. Education is his top priority- "Cerritos does not have a multicultural education center." He believes that though the Cerritos library is a cultural hub, it's not enough.

"We want people-to-people contacts, an exchange of culture within the ethnic groups that live in Cerritos." Cerritos has a low crime rate but Dr Cho believes that more can be done to decrease crime, particularly residential property crimes. He does advocate increased police presence because at times gang activity and other criminal activity spill over into Cerritos from neighboring cities.

"We need more patrols and effective neighborhood watch programs. We also need to know our neighbors" he says. As for the Freeway sign indicating "Little India" Cho has always supported the issue. Above all he relates to it in a somewhat personal manner. "I can understand where you are coming from and please be assured of my wholehearted support to this issue." Cho is committed to actively garner Korean support for the Little India sign.

He also spoke of the Korean community's struggle in getting the Korea town signs. "It took us ten years to get the signs installed and we could not have done it without the support of other communities," he said. He advises the same strategy for the Little India sign. "Once I am elected I will work to get other communities to rally support for the Little India sign," he declared. In fact it this deep sense of commitment to the issue that made him reject appeals by groups against the sign to join them.

It is imperative that those of us with voting rights, who live in Cerritos, make it a point to vote on Election Day March 6, and rally behind Dr Cho and make him win. For us Indians, we must get out of our ghetto mentality and participate in the mainstream.

Typically, we tend to vote only if there is an Indian contender running, but we forget, the question is not that of nationality, but how good each individual candidate is, irrespective of his race of nationality. So folks mark your calendars. The D-day is March 6, and you know who to vote for…Joseph Cho, of course.