Michael Woo

Michael Woo
Born	October 8, 1951(1951-10-08)
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of California, Santa Cruz University of California, Berkeley
Occupation	Educator
Known for	Los Angeles Councilman

Michael Woo, also known as Mike Woo, (born 1951) is an educator who was a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1985 to 1993. He is now dean of the College of Environmental Design at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Career

He served as the first Asian American on the Los Angeles City Council from 1985 to 1993. Woo chaired the Citywide Planning commission, until 1993 when he became the first Asian American to run for the mayor of a major city (among those else in consideration would be Chicago, New York, San Francisco, etc.), against Richard Riordan. In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Woo and Bill Clinton, who was running for president, endorsed one another's candidacies. Riordan, the much wealthier and more prominent candidate, defeated Woo garnering 54 percent of votes to Woo's 46 percent. He also ran unsuccessfully for California Secretary of State. Clinton later appointed him Western States Director of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Woo previously taught at Harvard University and University of California, Los Angeles.^[1]

Michael Woo currently serves as a member of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission, where his main focus has been incentivizing to transit use. He also teaches a course in Urban Planning and Development at the University of Southern California. His primary interest is transportation issues, particularly in China, where he started a Smart Growth China program.

Personal

When he was living with his parents in Monterey Park, California, Woo attended Alhambra High School.

Woo was educated at the University of California, Santa Cruz in politics and urban studies, and then at the University of California, Berkeley for his master's degree in city planning.

References

1. ^ "Merging Identity," New York Times, May 30, 1996, screen 6

External links

• Archinect interview with Michael Woo
• LA Political History

Preceded by Peggy Stevenson

Los Angeles City Council 13th district 1985—1993

Succeeded by Jackie Goldberg

Persondata
Name	Woo, Michael
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	October 8, 1951
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death