March 14, 2023
By Brian Hews
Los Cerritos Community Newspaper has learned that ABCUSD Board Member Soo Yoo interviewed with the right-wing misinformation, anti-China, pro-Trump media empire of Falun Gong on the NTD channel – which also publishes the Epoch Times newspaper – spouting racist right-wing talking points in her effort to be elected as the Vice-President of the California Republican Party.
It is yet another set of rants by the acerbic trustee, which includes bashing Latinos for having Quinceaneras and telling African Americans “to get over the slavery thing.”
The video interview started off slowly but then built to a crescendo of racist memes often used by the right-wing to drive a wedge between school parents, teachers and staff.
The Epoch Times and its affiliates have a considerable presence in right-wing media, with tens of millions of social media followers and an online audience that rivals those of The Daily Caller and Breitbart News, with a similar mission to feed the online misinformation swamps of the far right.
The organization became popular when it began supporting Donald Trump in 2014, treating him as an ally in Falun Gong’s fight against China’s ruling Communist Party. Its coverage of U.S. politics became more partisan, with more articles explicitly supporting Mr. Trump and criticizing his opponents.
An investigation by The New York Times found that the organization grew by relying on questionable social media tactics and pushing dangerous conspiracy theories, creating a global-scale misinformation machine that has repeatedly pushed fringe narratives into the mainstream including Spygate and QAnon theories.
But apparently, the right-wing slanted misinformation did not matter to Yoo, or how her colleagues and constituents might react, interviewing with Falun Gong’s TV affiliate NTD on March 10, the piece entitled “Asian-American GOP Candidate Wants to Stop California’s ‘Lawlessness and Chaos.'”
Interviewer Steve Lance immediately showed he knows little about California politics stating at the beginning, “Ms. Yoo, you have your finger on the pulse of conservative Republican politics in California, what is the state of Republican politics in California.”
The closest Yoo has come to state politics was her run for the newly drawn 67th Assembly District in 2022, losing to Sharon Quirk-Silva by 7%.
Yoo answered, “California currently has 46% Democrat and 23% Republican with 23% no party preference…but I feel…. as far as California politics goes, we really don’t have a plan.
“It’s a crime to do nothing when we know what’s happening to our next generation: indoctrination, consensual sex, and public safety falling. We all know that drug dealers are coming over the border. We are allowing all the drugs and chaos into our own home.”
Lance then asked, “If you want to become the dominant party, you’re going have to get a lot of Democrats to vote for you. How are you going to do that?
Yoo picked up a brochure to illustrate her point, clumsily turning the pages while saying, “I was able to overcome the 17% difference (between her and her winning opponent Quirk-Silva) with a message about the truth and what’s happening in our schools because of the liberal policy, allowing pornography, pedophilia, and sex education in our schools.”
“Academic levels are in decline due to common core; the math level is sharply declining, and there’s no incentive to work hard, especially if you are Asian. It’s inconvenient racism; even if you get a perfect score, you can’t get into higher colleges if you’re Asian. True patriots have to step up and fight this culture war.”
Lance then cited the crime rate in Chicago and how it affected the mayor’s race and asked, is that what’s happening here?
“45% of California is Latino 15% is Asian, that’s 60%. They are actually more conservative than they think; they don’t know that they’re actually Republican.”
Yoo proceeded to go on a rant about progressive liberals and how they have “taken the party way left and left its people behind.”
“I talk to Democrats all the time, I explain to them that they are homeless. The party left you guys; look at the result, all of a sudden, they wake up and their 16-year-old wants to change. You are God do whatever you want with your body, the liberals say, you want to be a male, be a male. Parents will panic over this, and it will drive change.”
Indicating she could be leaving the school board seat she recently won in 2022, Yoo said, “State party leadership needs me, I will be their asset, be that compass to redirect the party, people need direction. ‘Hundreds’ of grassroots people are coming out, when we the people rise up, I think we can beat them.
“California Democrats are using union money, using our tax dollars, and corporate America is colluding with government, this has to stop.”
And in a homage to the 3 percenters and other right-wing groups, Yoo finished, “We (the Republican party) don’t have the money [to win], but when we the people rise up, they are going to take out this government and install a new government that will serve the people.”
Ray Gaer, President of the ABC Federation of Teachers, told Los Cerritos Community News, “The ABC Federation of Teachers finds it increasingly disturbing Mrs. Yoo continues to portray hardworking educators in a negative light. The employees of ABC work in a collective effort to provide the best educational opportunities for our students and their parents. The mischaracterization of our efforts by Mrs. Yoo is disheartening but as professionals, we cannot let the misinformation detract from our mission to help our students achieve and thrive. We are opposed to the type of divisive language that misrepresents the contribution and dedication of thousands of ABC employees.”
