"I'm proud of my long track record of public service. Serving as an Irvine School Board Trustee, Irvine City Councilmember, Mayor of Irvine, and now as a Member of the Assembly, I'm committed to working for you. We need to create more living-wage jobs, build affordable housing, improve our schools, and make public safety, a top priority. With nearly a three decades of government experience, I know what it takes to find solutions, navigate complicated governmental agencies, and get things done."
YOUR PRIORITIES ARE MY PRIORITIES
FIGHTING COVID-19
• Advocated for OC Medical Supplies. Dr. Choi personally advocated for medical supplies for OC hospitals and medical teams. Because of a bipartisan effort from OC legislators, over 33,000 masks subsequently delivered to Orange County Medical Providers and first responders. Source: April 2 communication with the Dept. of Public Health for Orange County
• Adding Nurses to the System. Assemblyman Choi pushed the Department of Consumer Affairs and to help get more nurses onto the frontlines to help fight the pandemic. Source: April 2 communication
• Delivered Masks to Save the Elderly. After learning that hundreds of residents and workers in Orange County nursing homes had tested positive for COVID-19, Dr. Choi secured thousands of masks and distributed them to residents and staff to help them survive.
• Improved Mental Health Services Schools and Students. Dr. Choi supported efforts to improve mental health services for children and school staff. Source: bipartisan communication on April 16th.
• Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 through Prioritizing aid to the Homeless. Assemblyman Choi advocated that the Office of Emergency Services help Orange County medical teams deal with COVID-19 in the homeless population, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to even more people. Source: April 2 communication
IMPROVING HEALTHCARE
Helping People Save for Medical Emergencies. Assemblyman Choi co-authored AB 251 to provide an income tax credit for family caregivers to help with their costs of equipment needed to assist a family member, hiring a home care aid, transportation, and retrofitting of homes.
• Fighting Breast Cancer. By supporting AB 2342, Dr. Choi fought to require health plans, health insurers, and the Dept. of Health Care Services to cover breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility screening.
REBUILDING OUR ECONOMY
Dr. Choi is a small business owner who earned the “Guardian of Small Business Award” from the California National Federation of Independent Business – because he is actively helping Orange County’s small businesses.
• Helping Small Businesses Stay Afloat. Assemblyman Choi and his staff helped small business owners apply for loans and get the support needed to keep their doors open.
• Making the US Less Dependent on China & Creating Jobs by Encouraging Medical Innovations. Dr. Choi authored AB 2493 to provide research and development tax incentives for California businesses to develop medicines and medical procedures that will both create jobs and save lives. Dr. Choi is also working to make the U.S. less dependent on China for pharmaceuticals and other essential products.
• Retraining Unemployed Workers. The COVID-19 economic shutdown will impact the economy for years. Employers and workers will need to adjust to the new reality.
To help people get back to work, Assemblyman Choi supports efforts to provide retraining for jobs that are remain in demand.
• Make Telecommuting More Viable. Telecommuting helped thousands of workers keep their jobs and helped business service their customers during the COVID 19 shutdown.
To make telecommuting a more attractive option to some employers we need to adjust workplace rules so workers can remain productive and better protect themselves from COVID-19.
• Saving Thousands of Jobs. Dr. Choi co-authored measures to remove a regulation that killed tens of thousands of jobs and is one of the biggest obstacles for unemployed Californians seeking what work is available. Sources: AB 2457, AB 2458, AB 2793, AB 2794, AB 2979, AB 3136, AB 3185, AB 2489
By working to fix AB 5, Dr. Choi will help create new jobs, protect existing ones, promote economic freedom and give millions of Californians the flexibility to create their own schedules, work when and where they want to as well as determine what they work on and how much they earn.
• Creating Better-Paying Jobs to Orange County. As Mayor, Dr. Choi worked hard to create a positive business environment and good jobs by initiating the Mayor’s Business Advisory Council and the iTAC – Irvine Tech Advisory Council.
By advancing the Irvine Tech Valley Initiative, Steven Choi also helped attract and startup companies in the IT and Bio/medical fields to Orange County.
• Improving Career Placement. New graduates will have a tough time finding jobs in this economy. To help them land on their feet, Dr. Choi authored AB 1803 to require public colleges and universities to provide career placement and job search services for five years after graduation.
By advancing the Irvine Tech Valley Initiative, Steven Choi also helped attract and startup companies in the IT and Bio/medical fields to Orange County.
OVERCOMING COVID-19 FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS
• Fighting Price Gouging. Steven co-authored SB 1196 to fight price gouging for essential cleaning, medical supplies and food during the COVID-19 crisis. He also asked Congress to investigate national cases of price gouging and pushed Amazon, E-Bay CEO, Craigslist, and Walmart to improve efforts to fight price gouging.
• Delay Property Taxes. Steven advocated that the Governor permit counties to delay property tax collection. The Governor has since moved to allow counties to not penalize those who are late paying property taxes.
• Helping Families Cope. Assemblyman Choi co-authored legislation authorizing Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefits to help parents are not available to all parents who needed to stay home to care for a child whose school has closed due to COVID-19. SB 943 would expand Paid Family Leave to parents impacted by school closures and fill gaps in coverage left by the temporary federal programs.
• Keeping Workers Safe. Assemblyman Choi authored AB 2496 to provide tax credits for businesses who provided personal protective equipment (PPE) and take safety measures to protect employees from COVID-19.
• Ensuring Families Don’t Go Hungry. By pushing to release emergency food bank funding, Dr. Choi worked to prevent Orange County families from going hungry during the COVID 19 shelter in place order.
• Helping the Unemployed. By helping the unemployed get the support they need, Dr. Choi and his staff helped prevent families from suffering even more from the COVID-19 shutdown.
• Fighting for Renters. Assemblyman Choi co-authored SB 248 to increase the renters tax credit and help renters survive the economic storm.
• Providing Essential Information. Assemblyman Choi maintained and updated an info-packed website and Facebook Page with links and resources to keep people informed on where to find resources to get meals delivered, expand the number of health care providers, improve hygiene, fight the spread of COVID 19, inform people about tax law changes, get essential medical supplies to our hospitals and provide information for constituents to track the county’s status with the crisis and reopening measures.
IMPROVING HEALTHCARE
• A Tax Credit for Helping Sick Family Members. Assemblyman Choi co-authored AB 251 to provide an income tax credit for family caregivers to help with their costs of equipment needed to assist a family member, hiring a home care aid, transportation and retrofitting of homes.
• Fighting Breast Cancer. By supporting AB 2342, Dr. Choi fought to require health plans, health insurers, and the Dept. of Health Care Services to cover breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility screening.
COMMUNICATING CRITICAL INFORMATION
• Provided Essential Information. Assemblyman Choi maintained and updated an info-packed website and Facebook Page with links and resources to keep people informed on where to find resources to get meals delivered, expand the number of health care providers, improve hygiene, fight the spread of COVID 19, inform people about tax law changes, get essential medical supplies to our hospitals and provide information for constituents to track the county’s status with the crisis and reopening measures.
PROTECTING TAXPAYERS
• “A” Rated by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Earned lifetime “A” ratings from the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
• Opposed the $52 Billion Gas Tax Hike. Knowing raising taxes on families just makes tough times even tougher, Steven opposed SB 1 which was a $52 billion gas tax hike on California families.
• Protecting the Tax Savings of Prop 13. Assemblyman Choi is committed to protecting Prop 13 and the tax savings it provides homeowners.
KEEPING NEIGHBORHOODS SAFE
During his tenure on the city council and mayor, Steven Choi maintained the City of Irvine’s standing as the safest big city in America.
• 100% Rated by the California Police Chiefs Association.
• Protecting Domestic Violence Victims. Authored AB 446 to help protect victims of domestic violence.
• Cracking Down on Sexual Predators. Co-authored AB 444 to close a loophole that allowed molesters of underage children to get off with light sentences.
AN EDUCATOR TO DEMAND EXCELLENCE FROM OUR SCHOOLS
Having taught at UCI and USC as well as local community colleges, Dr. Choi knows what it takes to get the best out of our students and faculty.
• Tutoring Hundreds of Students. Through Dr. Choi’s Academy, Dr. Choi has helped hundreds/thousands of students improve their academic skills and attend the college of their dreams.
• Leading Some of the Nation’s Top Public Schools. As an Irvine Unified School District Trustee, Steven Choi oversaw some of America’s top performing public schools.
• Founding Mayor’s Educational Forum. Dr. Steven Choi instituted the Mayor’s Educational Forum to help get parents more involved in the education process. He also held several conferences on helping students with autism.
• Tax Breaks for Teachers Who Use their Own Money for Classroom Supplies. Teachers often spend $1000 a year on supplies. That’s why Dr. Choi co-authored AB 348 to give teachers a tax credit for supplies personally bought by the teacher for the classroom.
• Making College More Affordable. Committed to helping make college more affordable, Dr. Choi authored AB 350 to reduce the cost of higher education by making 529 plan contributions tax deductible.
Dr. Choi co-authored a bipartisan effort to pass tax deductions for college savings in AB 211.
He also authored AB 2495 to help families plan ahead for college and locking in rates for the entire duration of their higher education at an institution.
PROTECTING VICTIMS OF SEXUAL HARRASSMENT
• Demanding Full Disclosure. Assemblyman Choi backed AB 2713 to require the state to compile and release information on sexual harassment complaints involving state employees, including information on any settlements.
• Holding Sexual Harassers Accountable. Steven supported SB 224 to provide that investors, elected officials, lobbyists, directors, and producers can be subject to liability if they engage in sexual harassment. Dr. Choi also authored AB 1094 to prohibit either house of the Legislature from paying any compromise or settlement of sexual harassment.
USING AUDITS TO FIGHT WASTE AND CORRUPTION
Demanding Transparency on Billions in Government Spending. Assemblyman Choi requested an audit of the billion dollars contract for PPE purchases signed by the Governor. Dr. Choi supported the purchases of masks to help protect doctors, nurses and grocery store workers, yet he also believes taxpayers have a right to know how their funds were spent.
Source Submitted letter through the oversight committee to audit the PPE purchases of Governor Newsom through the crisis. (May 8th)
• Using Audits to Expose Corruption. As mayor, Dr. Choi took on the political establishment and demanded a forensic financial audit of the OC Great Park’s expenditures to investigate the wasteful and suspicious spending of over $251 million. The audit exposed millions in no-bid contracts, political insider dealings, and a political consultant collecting $100,000/month from taxpayers.
• Saved $142 Million Tax Dollars. Steven helped save taxpayers $142 million by developing a plan to pay off pension liabilities incurred by a previous city council.
OPPOSING RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION
• Standing Against Racism. Dr. Choi came to the U.S. with $50 in his pocket and is grateful for the opportunity provided to him by America.
He believes all Americans deserve the opportunity to live the American dream as he did.
• Fighting to Address the Rise in Hate Crimes. On April 29, submitted a bipartisan letter to Attorney General asking that his office better address hate crimes.
• Enacting Police Reforms. Dr. Choi condemned the actions that led to the horrific death of George Floyd. Count on him to support reforms like a ban on chokeholds and weeding out bad cops before they are hired to prevent more tragedies.
FIGHTING FOR OUR VETERANS
• Providing Good Jobs for Veterans. Assemblyman Choi co-authored AB 160 to encourage the hiring of more veterans in the private sector.
• Helping Disabled Veterans. Steven co-authored SB 500 to help disabled veterans obtain graduate degrees.
• Expanding Educational Opportunities. Authored AB 2494 to help Veterans obtain prior learning credit for their military training and experience at CSU and UC’s across the state. That will save veterans both time and money.