The Foothills Sentry, with a reach of some 42,000 households, ran my Letter-to-the-Editor concerning the new CA-40th Congressional District.

Dear Editor,

Thank you for running the map for the open seat in the newly drawn CA-40th Congressional District representing our area (February 2022, page 6). There was an error stating the “new District 40 is home to Yorba Linda’s Young Kim.” She does not reside in Yorba Linda, nor does she reside in the new CA-40th. She resides in La Habra.

According to her own published biographies and Ballotpedia profile, Young Kim, incumbent Congresswoman, CA-39, resides in and has been a long-time resident of LaHabra, which is now in CA-38. The new CA-38 goes north into LA, which is 47-percent Democrat and 22-percent Republican. Congresswoman Kim’s previous CA-39 was 37% Democrat and 33% Republican, which might explain some of her votes.

Unadvisedly, the Republican Party of Orange County early endorsed her for CA-39, knowing full well that decennial redistricting was upon us. Now, Young Kim is disingenuously misleading voters by claiming she is running as “an incumbent” without clarifying that she is an incumbent for the 39th District, not “the incumbent” for CA-40. The entrenched party apparatus is complicit in this misrepresentation.

While it is perfectly legal for her to run outside of her district because Congress has exempted itself from jurisdictional residency requirements, voters should reject carpetbagging candidates who “district-shop” based, not on ties to our community, but on the likelihood of winning election based on party affiliation. The CA-40 is 39-percent Republican and 32-percent Democrat.

Voters deserve better.