The blog of the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment disagrees with observers, I guess most notably DA Steve Cooley and the Daily News, who say that whether or not he is guilty of last week's criminal charges, Leland Wong is a symptom of something ill about politics here. Excerpt:

The first point to note is that Leland Wong had a remarkable career, growing up in Chinatown, and rising from a mere city council staffer to become one of the most powerful political brokers in LA. He was not afraid to take tough stances and he was perceived by many to be a loyal team player. As today’s article in the LA Times indicates, he had the style and the smarts to serve for nearly 14 continuous years on the biggest city commissions....

The first point to note is that Leland Wong had a remarkable career, growing up in Chinatown, and rising from a mere city council staffer to become one of the most powerful political brokers in LA. He was not afraid to take tough stances and he was perceived by many to be a loyal team player. As today’s article in the LA Times indicates, he had the style and the smarts to serve for nearly 14 continuous years on the biggest city commissions....

The third thing that can be said for Mr. Wong is that he has never been shy about using his company’s charitable foundation monies to help Asian American non-profit organizations. Many community service organizations are stronger today because of his generous contributions. No matter how Mr. Wong ends up being judged, his role as a strong advocate for our community should not be minimized.

Previously:
Wong charged with 20 counts