Elizabeth Wong Ahlers

Welcome back elizabeth. Can you remind our listeners what your connection to the San Gabriel Valley is?

There are a lot of connections with people and the community. Some of the cities have an Asian population of 66%, and being Asian, it feels like home to me.

 

Your family has been here for generations, and you’ve raised and homeschooled six children and are now entering public service. What was the catalyst for that?

Raising a family is all service. I have been very involved in community, volunteer, and church work. My son Johnny just graduated from high school. And I realized that there are so many issues and needs in our state now that affect families, and this is the first time in California’s history that our population has been decreasing. 

California is a great place to live, but a lot of families, families with children, and businesses are leaving. They’re concerned about schools and affordability.

I want my kids to stay with us in California. Both my parents and Ron’s parents are still in the houses that we grew up in, so we’re not leaving, but we need to do what we can to keep California a place where families can thrive.

You entered public service first in the city of La Crescenta correct?

Yes, I ran for council there.

 

What was it like being on the city council in La Crescenta?

It was fun. It was interesting because it was during 2021, and people were still staying home. But I went door-knocking anyway, and people would open the door, smile, and they came out to vote for me. I won by historic margins because I want to serve. And I told them we’re going through a really hard time in our community, our state, and our country right now, but we can be out there serving and doing good.

 

As a city councilperson in La Crescenta, did you feel really close to your community and constituents?

I did. It was fun to knock on doors, talk to people, and ask them about their concerns. Our first open public meeting was a packed house because the residents were concerned about what was happening in their backyard. And I listened, and they were glad that I looked at it in person. 

 

How does the process of going door-to-door and campaigning start?

It was a natural, intuitive sense for me. If I wanted people to vote for me and they’re my neighbors, they need to know me. And if I go to them, then I am making an effort to be interested in them rather than just putting out an advertisement and saying, come to me if you’re interested. Usually, you get a very small percentage of people coming when you throw out a general advertisement and sit there and wait. But if you go to them, they see that you’re interested in them, and they’ll share, talk, and remember you and show up.

 

You’re running in a democratic district. You’re really up against the odds.

Yeah. Looking at the data and past patterns can seem challenging, but I love people and care about their welfare, families, and the future of the next generation. And that resonates with everyone. Everybody cares about their children, schools, finances, gas prices, property values, and safety. The smash-and-grab phenomenon that is going on with crime affects everybody, and there are reasons why we have this phenomenon going on now. It’s a leadership problem.

 

How did you know what it would be like serving the people?

I’m a fast learner; I’m interested in everything. I ask questions, and we’ve been in the community all our lives, so I know what’s going on. I keep up, and no one can be an expert in every area. But you listen. You listen, and you learn. 

And the idea of representative government is that you represent the people. You are a voice for the people. If you’re willing to listen, you’re willing to consider the concerns, and then you listen to experts on this issue, that issue. Every decision has consequences, and you have to keep that in mind. 

 

What is the process of getting elected like? Are there a lot of activities you have to do?

Right now, it’s full-time, day and night. You need to contact as many people as possible at the local, grassroots level daily because they’re the voters. But you also need to leverage relationships in a way that, because I can’t really reach a million people individually. So you meet people and ask for their endorsements. If a community leader endorses me, the people who know that community leader will trust and vote for me. So it’s relationship-building on lots of levels. 

And then there’s the fundraiser part because, as a candidate, I can only put so much of my own money into the campaign.

 

Do you have a large staff working for you?

Well, having a family of eight is already very helpful. They’re the ones who know me the best, and they already know how to work with me.

 

Do you find that people were hesitant to engage with you because of preconceived notions of what you may believe? Were you able to bridge that gap?

So far, I have found that if there’s anybody hostile or unpleasant, it’s usually on social media, and they’ve never actually talked to me. When I’m in person with somebody, they’re usually polite and kind. And if they look away, I can tell they don’t want to talk. I say, ‘Nice to meet you,’ and then move on.

 

Are you well received by the Chinese community here? Are they surprised that you’re 6th generation Chinese in America?

That’s been really fun. Yeah, I usually mention that, and it’s been a great welcome and so much fun. We had an international business meeting in Arcadia, and it was mostly Taiwan and Chinese. It was the first in-person meeting they’d had in years. And they had 600 people show up. They had to have two lunch sessions. I needed a translator because I’m not fluent in Chinese, but it was fun just going table to table, shaking hands, and meeting them.

 

You’re in a democratic district; do you get a chance to speak to Democrats while you’re campaigning?

Oh, yeah. I visit real estate groups, Chinese clubs, and Chambers of Commerce. And so anybody I talk to, they’re interested. And for this primary election in March, the ballots are mailed out in February; it doesn’t matter what party you’re in to vote for me.

It will be the top two vote-getters that will have their names on the ballot in November. So, it could be any of the candidates regardless of party.

 

What are your thoughts about being pigeonholed into one party and people voting across party lines?

My genuine passionate concern right now is the transgendering of the children. And I think that crosses both parties of registered voters that this is very dangerous for children. It doesn’t matter what party you’re in. How can you encourage an elementary school child to have hormone therapy or surgery when their bodies and their brains are still in development, and they will not grow up to be a healthy adult with this kind of agenda that’s being pushed on them?

 

What is the main issue that you’re running on?

I’m running on every issue that has to do with families and being able to afford to live in California. But that’s one that I cannot understand why anyone could be encouraging this. Children cannot make these decisions for themselves. When you’re twelve, you cannot choose a course that will permanently damage your body and your mentality. 

You need to have parental input on that, and laws are being passed right now and are on the governor’s desk right now that will criminalize a parent for interfering with a school that is encouraging their child to do irreparable damage to their future physical and mental well-being.

 

A lot of people don’t seem to care about voting, public service, or being involved in the community. That has to be a source of frustration for you. How do you find people responding to what you’re saying?

Well, the Armenian parents in the Glendale school district have been very vocal about the transgender exposure and agenda that’s being pushed on their children in the school district. Those parents have had a very hard time being listened to, and they are frustrated and don’t know what to do for their children. Even though that’s not my responsibility as a council member, they have been coming to me privately. So, that has been a major issue pushing me to run for a state office because these laws are coming down from the state. And even on the school district level, schools are having difficulty dealing with it because it’s coming down from the state.

 

Sometimes, politicians seem like they change their viewpoint on an issue whenever the wind blows. But you wouldn’t let the wind blow you one way or another.

No, because I would represent the constituents and give them a voice. And so some of these parents, this is part of representing them. But ultimately, I will stand before God with my conscience on what I did and said to protect the children. 

This is the next generation and will be the future of California and the United States. If the next generation has such mental health issues and suicidal tendencies, how is that going to help push our country ahead? And then physically, how will our health care system take care of them with the lifelong consequences of destroying the bodies that they were born with? 

So these are long-term issues. And for me, it’s a spiritual issue because I will stand before God with accountability on how I protect other children. So I can’t blow with this one. There are other decisions that, okay, there’s this, or there’s that, and you have to choose just the best of two evils or the best over the good.

But not with this one.

 

Do you feel able to share openly with people about your faith? Do people still receive it now as a strength?

Yeah, it’s a positive thing because God is love. And when people talk to me, they feel God’s love because that’s what I want to communicate to them, and God is real. And so if I naturally present an aspect of God in my life, that people accept that that’s part of my life, that’s who I am.

Thank you so much for coming back to the show and sharing your journey. How can people get in touch with you?

People can contact me at the website elizabeth4senate24.com.