Banker’s Appointment to City Post Signals Change for Asian-Americans

San Gabriel banker John Hou discovered his city’s Planning Commission four years ago when he stood before the panel with an armful of plans for his Asian Pacific Bancorp on West Valley Boulevard.

Now, after years of community service and Chamber of Commerce mixers, Hou is sitting on the other side of the dais as the board’s first Asian-American appointee, selected to serve by Mayor Jim Castaneda and approved by the San Gabriel City Council earlier this month.

As Hou, 41, studies zoning ordinances, the General Plan and pending redevelopment projects, Chinese community leaders throughout the San Gabriel Valley are heralding his appointment as a coming of age.

The city of San Gabriel, which the 1990 U. S. Census shows is 32% Asian, has had no Asian-American representatives on its governing boards. Hou’s appointment spotlights the city’s recognition of the Asian community’s growing importance and a willingness on the part of Chinese-Americans to become involved, Chinese community leaders say.

“I think it’s very encouraging because it shows that Chinese-Americans are entering the mainstream of their community organizations and that they really want to have a voice. And I think it sends a signal to other Chinese-Americans to get involved,” said Monterey Park City Councilwoman Judy Chu, who recently announced her plans to run next year for the 49th state Assembly seat now held by Democrat Diane Martinez.

“I certainly have to hand it to the City Council for recognizing that Asian-Americans are part of the community there, and especially part of the business community,” Chu added.

Castaneda stressed that he expects Hou--a banker with master’s degrees from Stanford and Harvard universities--will serve the interests of the entire city in making planning decisions.

“He’s qualified for the position. He’s a resident of the community and also a business person, which gives him a double-edged position,” Castaneda said.

Castaneda, who regularly meets with Asian business owners to inform them about city government and encourage involvement, said he anticipates Hou will facilitate dialogue between the Asian community and the city.

“There’s no question that it’s going to help, but that wasn’t the primary reason why we chose him,” he said.

Hou, the father of 8- and 10-year-old boys, moved to San Gabriel a decade ago and helped set up and manage three San Gabriel Valley bank branches before opening his bank in 1990.

Over the years, he watched as more Chinese-owned businesses moved to the city, first from Taiwan and Hong Kong and more recently from China.

The economic contributions of Asian-owned businesses, which Castaneda estimates make up 40% of the city’s businesses, are not lost on city officials, Hou said.

San Gabriel Square, a regal complex of stores and restaurants on Del Mar Avenue and East Valley Boulevard that opened early last year, may be the largest Chinese development in the country, according to Hou.

“The people in Southern California, they all come to this shopping center,” Hou said. “Tour buses full of people from Hong Kong and Taiwan, they have lunch there and shop there. It generates a lot of sales tax dollars.”

Discussing the city’s recent Chinese immigrants, Hou said: “It takes time for them to settle down here and then feel it’s important to participate in public affairs. I have been here 10 years. Over the years I felt more strongly that I should do something because we want to be a member of the community. We like to be good corporate citizens.”

His efforts have included being host of the San Gabriel Chamber of Commerce yearly mixer to attract new members and “help communication between Asian and other city businesses, and city officials,” he said. Hou has also served on numerous chamber committees and his bank has donated money to Latino social service agencies in San Gabriel.

San Gabriel business leaders praised Hou’s appointment.

“From the chamber’s point of view, it’s a wonderful appointment,” said Judy Brown, executive vice president of the San Gabriel Chamber of Commerce.

David Ma, a Chinese community activist who lives in Arcadia and works in Monterey Park, said the appointment indicates the willingness of San Gabriel’s government to be inclusive. But fair representation depends in part on the community’s willingness to participate, he added.

“(John) took initiative to be involved, to be present whenever needed. He was right there at the right time,” he said.

While Hou insists he’s no politician--just a businessman eager to help his community--Chinese-American activists see the appointment as part of a gradual process of empowerment for the Chinese community.

“You need people to push. Basically, it’s a gradual process,” said Eugene Chang, a Hacienda Heights resident and president of the Chinese American Assn. of Southern California. “Five, 10 years ago, you could hardly find any Asian-Americans running for office.”

In Tuesday’s election, Chang said, 13 Chinese-Americans ran for office in the San Gabriel Valley--two City Council candidates and 11 school board candidates.

Five of the school board candidates scored sound victories. In the Hacienda La Puente Unifed School District race, Joseph Chang was the top vote-getter, as was Melody Yu in the neighboring Rowland Unified School District.

In South Pasadena, school board president Alice Hwang also topped the district’s polls. And in the San Marino Unified School District, Rosa Tao Zee became the first Asian elected to public office in that city, unseating incumbent Bruce Rutherford. In the Garvey School District, which encompasses portions of Monterey Park, Rosemead and San Gabriel, David T. Lau also won a seat on the board.

For the generation of immigrants who came to the San Gabriel Valley from Taiwan over the last 20 years, politics was tainted with connotations of danger, Eugene Chang said.

“When I was growing up, my parents always said, ‘Don’t say anything. Don’t get involved.’ Because it was an authoritarian regime. You’ll get killed,” Chang said. “So this generation is totally outside of politics. They came here and realized it’s different here, but they’re still not used to expressing their opinions.”