Kwong to Give SM City Council a Second Go

Armed with the experience of a campaign two years ago, business owner Scott Kwong has returned for another try at one of the City Council seats up for grabs in November.
In the 2015 election, Kwong finished last out of a pool of five candidates, but he said he had gained enthusiasm and perspective from the ability to have connected with more residents in the city he calls home and wants to fight for their concerns even more now.
“Even though I lost last time, I still consider it a win for me,” he said. “People say I really made a noise last time.”
The 28-year-old Monterey Park native moved to San Marino with his family when he was in 8th grade and entered the school system as a San Marino High School freshman. He still lives here with his family and has a younger brother in the school system.
He has long owned an auto repair shop in Montebello and in January opened a smog inspection garage in Azusa. The SMHS class of ’08 graduate earned his bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego in 2013, double majoring in history and management science and minoring in business administration. (“I would have majored in business administration if they had the major,” he added.)
When he isn’t working, Kwong spends his time being a member of Rotary Club of San Marino, San Marino City Club, Chinese Club of San Marino, board member of East Meets West Parent Education Club, adviser of the SMHS Internet Club and trustee representing San Marino on the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District.
“Even before I graduated college, I was part of a service organization and on its executive board,” Kwong said. “I’ve always been consistent with volunteerism and I’ve always loved it.”
If elected, Kwong said he has eyes on public safety, government transparency and civic engagement as a platform.
“There can never be enough transparency in City Hall,” he said, linking that advocacy directly with civic engagement. “There’s a small group who are able to attend [City Council] meetings, so I want to find a way to get the information from those meetings out to residents sooner.”
Kwong added he frequently speaks with law enforcement officers and officials about crime trends and issues that departments face, leading him to be in favor of providing continuing support to San Marino’s Police Department.
“Not just in San Marino, but the whole San Gabriel Valley, police officers say there is a rise in crime as a result of Proposition 47,” he said, referring to the 2014 statewide proposition that reduced penalties for some crimes.