From $50 to the State Senate | Faith & the American Dream ft. Senator Steven Choi | Coffeez

What this episode is about

Senator Steven Choi shares his journey from a modest beginning to serving in the state senate, emphasizing the importance of faith and personal routine in his daily life. He highlights the significance of self-reflection and scripture reading as integral parts of his morning routine, which helps him stay grounded and focused in his political career.

Key takeaways

• From defeat to triumph: Sometimes age and experience ignite a surprising Senate comeback against all odds.
• In politics, prestige doesn't always equate to funding. Miracle senators can emerge from financial underdogs.
• Faith fuels the morning routine, proving that spiritual grounding can sharpen focus in a chaotic political world.
• Historic wins don't always cost big bucks; sometimes, strategic saving can outplay millions spent on campaigns.
• A senator's journey underscores the paradox: younger candidates often get the spotlight, but wisdom may win the election.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Joe Shalaby (Host) · 14 min speaking
• Senator Steven Choi (Guest) · 33 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Assembly, Steven Choice, Senate, God
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Senate, Assembly, Financial Situation, Steven Choice
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Korean Language, Attorney General, UCI, Education
4. 15:00 – 20:00: School Board, Assembly, Political Ladder, Senate
5. 20:00 – 25:00: Senate, Assembly, Korean-American, Role Model
6. 25:00 – 30:00: Korean-American, Role Model
7. 30:00 – 35:00: American Dream, Education, Senate, Housing
8. 35:00 – 40:00: Housing
9. 40:00 – 45:00: God, Assembly, Steven Choice, Senate
10. 45:00 – 46:55: Jesus Christ, Christmas

Notable quotes from "From $50 to the State Senate | Faith & the American Dream ft. Senator Steven Choi | Coffeez"

• He has prepared another door. He gave me chance to run for state senate and experience as a senator. As a senator has a lot more prestige and more comfortable four years rather.

  about Steven Choice · at 0:00

• God bless you and God bless your service. You're you're a man of faith and a man that continues to help so many countless others. So God bless your service.

  about God · at 0:49

• My degree was library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh.

  about Education · at 12:25

• Served as a mayor 2012 to 2016 until I got elected to state assembly in the 68th district. So it was not intended but it turned out to be every step of local government the school board, city council,.

  about Assembly · at 19:23

• [clears throat] you whether you nobody will plan hey I'm going to be a model role model for my Korean-Americans or immigrants but you turn out to be role model for that group…

  about Role Model · at 24:08

• Are all Korean speaking. So that's the reason as I said a while ago that my category is a hyphen the Korean hyphen American. So I go to two churches even the Korean church American church Korean church and then I go to American.

  about Korean-American · at 25:59

• And so still I'm in education committee in the Senate. Your business is in the bedrock of American dream. we make the American dream come alive.

  about American Dream · at 32:46

• Podcast we would need to hit a 50-year mortgage, a portable mortgage, a reduction in housing, a lower interest rate to make housing affordable. I don't know what you know or what tricks, that Sacramento or government has up their.

  about Housing · at 34:55

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Steven Choice — Person · Main guest · 4 mentions · first at 0:00
  He recounts his immigrant journey, faith, and political career from school board to California State Senate, framing his election win as a miracle and discussing housing affordability and education.

Books & papers

• English Bible — Book · Referenced sacred text · 1 mention · first at 1:57
  Choice describes reading the Bible daily (alternating Korean and English) as his morning routine and moral foundation.
  I've been, this is my fourth time reading Korean Bible and then English Bible. Korean Bible, English Bible. Now into English Bible. Right now I'm reading for the fourth time and a minimum of two chapters of a book. Right now we're.
• House of Horrors — Book · Referenced sacred text (language/culture) · 1 mention · first at 1:50
  Choice highlights reading the Korean Bible repeatedly as part of his faith practice and connection to his roots.
  The bed itself I try to open up my day with the Bible verses. I've been, this is my fourth time reading Korean Bible and then English Bible. Korean Bible, English Bible. Now…

Companies & orgs

• UCI — Company · Career and community link · 2 mentions · first at 13:18
  Choice worked at UCI and attempted to start a Korean language program; his local connections in Irvine later encouraged him to run for school board.
  That was after [clears throat] teaching USC for five years. I moved to Orange County and at UCI for about three years.
• Orange County Republican Party — Company · Political endorsement body (referenced) · 1 mention · first at 7:42
  Choice references an endorsement interview connected to the Orange County Republican Party, illustrating intra-party skepticism and campaign dynamics.
  Endorsement for Republican candidate which want to endor by Orange County Republican Party and one of the member guys he was focusing targeting me and not general people will know that kind of details and he attacked me for why did.
• University of Pittsburgh — Company · Educational credential source · 1 mention · first at 12:29
  Choice’s graduate training in library and information science at the University of Pittsburgh is presented as foundational to his academic career.
  My degree was library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh.
• American Library Association — Company · Professional network venue · 1 mention · first at 12:40
  A meeting at an American Library Association convention led to Choice being recruited to teach at USC, a pivotal career transition.
  And so USC dean I met her Dr. Matab was in the American Library Association convention in Chicago and my dean was introducing me as a doctoral student and I don't know why the dean was impressed by me and after several months she.

Concepts & topics

• Senate — Concept · Institutional focus of guest’s role · 10 mentions · first at 0:03
  Choice discusses the prestige and four-year term of the Senate, his election upset, minority-party constraints, and committee work (education).
  He has prepared another door. He gave me chance to run for state senate and experience as a senator. As a senator has a lot more prestige and more comfortable four years rather than every two years running. And so I.
• God — Concept · Core spiritual framework · 3 mentions · first at 0:49
  Both speakers attribute Choice’s political success and life trajectory to God's will; faith is used to interpret setbacks, goals, and moral conduct.
• Housing — Concept · Economic and social issue · 6 mentions · first at 34:58
  Housing costs are discussed as a driver of affordability problems and homelessness, tied to regulation, permitting fees, and mortgage structures.
• American Dream — Concept · Core narrative theme · 3 mentions · first at 32:51
  Choice frames his immigrant success and public service as achieving the American Dream; Joseph ties his business to enabling homeownership as part of that dream.
• Assembly — Concept · State-level step before Senate · 11 mentions · first at 0:23
  Choice describes serving in the state assembly (68th district) and losing a fourth-term assembly race, which led to his Senate run.
• School Board — Concept · Entry point to politics · 7 mentions · first at 14:58
  Choice’s first elected office was the Irvine school board (1998), which he describes as the door opening into a long political career.
  Better than in comparison to other cities was decent enough. But I served in the school board for six years before I started as a school city council which was 2004 for the first time I ran. I served eight years on the city council.
• Education — Concept · Career foundation and policy lens · 4 mentions · first at 12:08
  Choice’s academic path (master’s/PhD) and teaching roles lead into politics; he advocates long-range plans starting with youth education and financial education.
• Korean-American — Concept · Cultural identity focus · 2 mentions · first at 24:15
  Choice discusses Korean-American community dynamics (church language, cultural retention) and his own “Korean-American” hyphenated identity and dual-church participation.
• Role Model — Concept · Identity impact theme · 2 mentions · first at 24:15
  Choice emphasizes becoming an unplanned role model for Korean-Americans, Asians, and immigrants by participating in civic life and winning elections despite barriers.
• Attorney General — Concept · Leadership role in political ladder · 3 mentions · first at 12:15
  Choice served as mayor (2012–2016 per transcript) and references mayoral-era knowledge about permitting costs and development barriers.
  Survived and my education for my master's degree and a PhD and ended up being a professor. From there I was led into politics and here I am.
• Korean Language — Concept · Cultural/teaching specialization · 3 mentions · first at 13:31
  Choice describes Korean language instruction as his initial vocation in the U.S. and a recurring effort (starting schools, proposing university classes).
  Instructor for peace core members who were assigned to go to Korea. So teaching Korean language was a my interest and became evocation where wherever I go I started a Korean language school and so I proposed to UCI.
• Financial Situation — Concept · Campaign and affordability constraint · 2 mentions · first at 6:38
  Choice contrasts his low fundraising with his opponent’s $11M and discusses how money affects campaigns and housing affordability pressures.
  And so moneywise $100,000 versus $11 million is not a game. supposedly I should be you know the long time you know so much percentage I should have been I should have been defeated.
• Political Ladder — Concept · Career-structure theme · 2 mentions · first at 18:01
  Choice explicitly describes moving step-by-step through offices (school board → city council → mayor → assembly → senate) as a ladder-like progression.
  In your financial position and not having to do it. What is it that draws you to climbing the political ladder?
• Jesus Christ — Concept · Religious centerpiece of closing message · 2 mentions · first at 45:23
  Choice frames Christmas as celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and connects Jesus’ coming to salvation and hope for peace.
  Jesus birth. So with the season upon us the people will experience the happiness the meaning of Jesus coming to this world to save us and in the conflict of so many different conflicts that we are witnessing in the world. I hope that.

Places & events

• Christmas — Event · Seasonal framing and religious meaning · 3 mentions · first at 0:59
  The episode opens and closes with Christmas greetings and a theological explanation of Christmas as celebrating Jesus Christ’s birth.
  Not is many religions they celebrate as a holiday but this particular Christmas day is a celebration of Jesus birth. So with the season upon us the people will experience the happiness the meaning of Jesus.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 He has prepared another door. He gave me chance to run for state senate and uh experience as a senator. As you know, a senator has a lot more prestige and more comfortable four years rather than every two years running. And so I wouldn't have had tasted the as a senator experience if I was not defeated the fourth term. I didn't know. Welcome to another episode of Coffees. Please welcome Senator Steven Choice.

0:33 Thank you, Joseph, for your invitation and the nice introduction. Looks like you have done a little bit of study on me.

0:42 We did a little bit of study and got got to meet you a couple times. Yeah. Uh thank you for the nice words.

0:49 God bless you and God bless your service. You're you're a man of faith and a man uh that continues to uh help so many countless others. So God bless your service.

0:59 Thank you. So with the Christmas coming, merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Blessings to everybody, all the listeners.

1:06 Thank you so much. So let's dive into it. Uh I I always like to see like how people start their day. What's your morning routine?

1:15 I try to vacate my morning time as much as possible. I tell my scheduler, don't book me up anything in the morning because I have some my personal stuff I need to take care of. But particularly as soon as I get up um [clears throat] uh my date uh I I try to get up early uh somewhere 5:00 5:30 and uh in the bed on the bed itself I I try to uh open up my day with the uh um Bible verses. Um, I've been, this is my fourth time reading Korean Bible and then English Bible. Korean Bible, English Bible. Now into English Bible. Right now I'm reading for the fourth time and a minimum of uh two uh chapters of a book. Right now we're back to Genesis. It's quite interesting to read. uh especially I uh visited uh Israel right after session this year in September was 14th to 19th uh was eyeopening for me and some geographic area names that I've been reading in the Bible and in reality having seen the location names

2:37 and the whole Samaria and like that is it uh hits me uh in uh real time and reading the Bible. So that's my first uh encounter in the morning. And then I try to [clears throat] make up a little bit of exercise. I don't have much time. I um tried to go to a gym and spend a couple hours a day and I had a slack time between two elections from uh assembly time and when I was uh when I was uh uh announcing my candidacy for the Senate, I had a little bit of a couple months of uh time during the time I spend quite a bit of time on the uh gym in the gym. But now I don't have that time. So uh I live in a very nice neighborhood with the hills. So I uh walk and jog back for my health and do some stretches and tawondo style stretches as well because I have done some tawondo when I was young and I try to maintain my body and then uh take care of some personal stuff and then get to my office and usually

4:00 somewhere depending upon schedule I may have to get up earlier. But I try to get to my office if no particular schedule uh 11:00 12:00 usually I uh come there and uh followed my schedule whatever that I'm scheduled to follow today and then you know my staff members will prepare prepare me and where to go what to do. So that is my routine.

4:28 I mean you're keeping so busy at your age. I don't know how old you are. It seems like you're timeless, but uh

4:34 I'm I'm very old. Speaking of age, [clears throat] I was uh abandoned by my own party because of my age. You are too old. We're going to recruit some young blood. And that's what they did. And even though with my uh political background experience on all local levels up to assembly and uh they um chose somebody else, a younger person and invested that money on him and uh it turned out in the primary election there were 11 people, seven Democrats and four Republicans. ans and he was the near the bottom and eventually I bubbled up to number two against the sitting incumbent Democrat uh senators and I was a uh former assembly member and as you know California election rule is the top two um people will compete in the general general election and they turned out to be a Democratic candidate and the Republican candidate and the Republican candidate happened to be me.

5:56 So they had no choice uh to not to support me because there was a Democratic candidate versus a Republican. So they ended up they supported me a little bit uh for the general election. Uh so I made it and the beating the sitting incumbent uh by the Republican beating sitting incumbent Democrat uh in the Senate took uh for the first time in 44 years.

6:31 Wow. So they called me miracle senator in in in finance uh uh financial situation at all uh in election. That's in in campaign that's what they say money is everything right and it is important you got you got to have a money to campaign but um I was [clears throat] not a not not a near competitor uh to sitting incumbent because personally I raised less than $100,000 and then also $60,000 was saved from um my assembly raise because I So the last uh planned mail campaign which cost about the $40 $50,000 I said don't spend it there's no chance even if I send another flyer it's not going to make it and I saved it and it became the basis for the sen Senate race and uh one of the interviewers uh of the endorsement for Republican candidate which want to endor by Orange County Republican Party and uh one of the member guys he was focusing targeting me and not general people will know that kind of

7:54 details and he attacked me for why did you not spend your $60,000 and uh you didn't get elected. It didn't make any sense. He didn't know you know what was going on. So anyway, that was my basis and uh less than $50,000 I raised a total less than $100,000 against my incumb my opponent, Democratic incumbent who had the total in the middle, not even the last $11 million.

8:28 Wow. And so moneywise $100,000 versus $11 million is not a game. supposedly I should be you know the long time you know so much percentage I should have been I should have been defeated.

8:45 Yeah I should have been wiped out but uh uh I beat him so nobody nobody supported me no organizations [clears throat] no not even my party as I said and no lobbyist etc. So people were surprised, shocked.

9:05 What do you think the catalyst was for you to win that election? If you didn't have the support from your party, you didn't have money to to win. What is it that allowed you to win by a landslide?

9:16 I'm glad you asked that question. Uh as a fellow Christian, as I understand you are also Christian, um God has uh nothing that is uh uh impossible as a person of faith. Uh only tool I had was that uh uh I was praying to your will uh not to be afraid and be brave and then I prayed and he delivered that miracle. To me that was a miracle. One of the you know miracles that people may not believe in. Yeah.

9:59 Now I want to d I want to go back I want to go back to when you came to America. I mean, a lot of people say they came to America with five bucks in their in their pocket. You came to America with 50 bucks in your pocket. Could have been a hundred, but you know, the story goes $50. Now, what do you remember about those early days that really drove you forward when you came to America? What is it that really inspired you as an immigrant? Yeah, my [clears throat] story about $50 I had when went upon arrival here because I uh started out with that story because which was true and in fact I left my country of South Korea right after my military service uh right after college and then I was a artillery officer and they didn't pay us so much so I didn't have much money to save and uh uh leaving for America, I had to just clean up my bank account and that turned out to be hundred $100.

11:02 So I took $100 and then at that time there was no even direct flight from Korea to at that time my destination was Hawaii because that was the place where my uh first job started that the market gave me. Um but there was no direct flight to Hawaii from Korea. So, we had to go to Ku uh to Japan and spend a night and fly uh to Hawaii by Panam and my friends went to a shop uh and everybody's buying camera and he says, "Oh, you got to have a camera to take pictures to to have some memories." And so I invested my $50 to buy a camera.

11:52 That's the reason by the time I arrived in Hawaii, I had only $50 left. That was the the the story, you know, where it began. So from there, my journey began in America. It was remarkable how I survived and my education for my master's degree and a PhD and ended up being a professor. From there I was led into politics and here I am.

12:22 So you were a professor. What did you teach? My degree was library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh.

12:32 Okay. And so uh USC uh dean I met her Dr. Matab was in the American Library Association convention in Chicago and my dean was introducing me as a doctoral student and I don't know why the dean was impressed by me and after several months she called me I come to US and teach for us. So that led my way to Southern California. And when did your career in politics start?

13:12 That was uh after [clears throat] teaching um USC for five years. I moved to uh Orange County and at UCI for about three years. At this time the subject changed because originally my job uh to America was a a Korean language instructor and cultural instructor for peace core members who were assigned to go to Korea. So teaching Korean language was a my interest and became evocation where wherever I go I started a Korean language school and so I proposed to to UCI uh to open up a Korean language class and that idea didn't go anywhere asked me to bring a million dollars to start a program and if you guarantee uh uh my teaching position after I uh set the class up and no we cannot guarantee then why should I try to raise a million dollars anyway I stopped that effort and about 3 years later as the somebody called me come and teach oh there's a Korean language class and uh learned that one professor who

14:32 was a visiting professor from several [clears throat] national university and he returned and they suddenly had no um professor to teach. So they thought about me and called me to teaches. So so I talked there. So because of that the teaching experience at USU uh UCI and USC um including my landlord or people around me kept on asking me uh to run for school board in Irvine and uh that that was about for two years I know I don't know anything about what the school board is about what they do no politics I'm not interested in and I was studying my own business called the Dr. Choice Academy and then I resisted for two years and eventually ended up becoming a candidate because I was misled. Oh, there are two positions nobody's applying. Put your name in and you may get elected without having to, you know, go through any campaign, you know, in a real election.

15:43 And is that what happened? And it it ended up with 10 candidates for two positions, one incumbent going after her own seat uh and one open seat. And uh one open seat, nine of us competing. And I was the only non-Caucasian, only Asian with the accent and different uh [clears throat] I guess a point of views, you know, visual uh minority uh and the language minority with the accent everything as uh adversarial situation. But um surprisingly enough, I didn't know how to campaign or anything, you know, but I got elected. That was a 1998 for the first time. That was my door opening

16:39 into politics. Into politics. You've been in politics for a long time. Ever since 1998.

16:46 Yeah. We're going on almost three decades. Yes. Close. Yeah. Close to it. About 27 years right now. And that is probably one of the records as well. Very few defeats as a continuous election. So I joke and then also plus reality. I'm still treading the water to get up the uh political pond and people keep on pushing me back into the that means people keep on electing me when I run. If you do if you don't win I mean you are forced to retire from the politics right but they keep on reelecting me so still I am you know happily serving my supporters and the constituents

17:38 you know I always wondered you you're in a position financially where you don't need to work and obviously politics probably doesn't pay much um what is it that drew you to politics like why are you putting yourself through all all you know all this hassle at your age at your in your financial position and and not having to do it. What is it that draws you to climbing the political ladder?

18:06 I think you are making good point. uh uh nobody will uh try to become a politician for money because when I started um was it about $300 or $400 for the school board after insurance deduction or whatever deductions sometimes I deposited $4.90

18:30 so it's not big pay you know no uh even uh Irvine city council and mayors are much better off than other places. That [clears throat] was a little bit better than in comparison to other cities was uh decent enough. But I served in the school board for six years before I uh started as a school uh city council which was 2004 for the first time I ran. I served eight years on the city council. uh and then you can serve only two terms consecutively at that time but uh the law the ordinance of the city and then I ran for mayor. Um then I got elected and the re-election I got reelected. So I served uh as a mayor 2012 to 2016 until I got elected to uh state assembly in the 68th district. So um it was uh not intended but it turned out to be every step of local government the school uh school board, city council, mayor, assembly and senate. I think this has been a long uh record for anyone either

20:01 minority or non non-minority even professional politicians who like in Congress with no term limitations they forever serve until you know over 90 years old. I never intended to serve this this long but as you can see my memory is sharp and I'm physically unfit and people still desire me to serve them and keep on electing me. So if this condition continues or why not and your question so why are we serving in that uh the difficult uh process of becoming a politician it is very difficult this year is the only comfortable time uh I'm not campaigning for reelection up to assembly every two years uh you have to run two times primary very end of uh the general election. But the Senate is for four years and right now four years after four years if I have served until 2028 I would have served for 10 years and the state regulation is that I shall serve only up to 12 years. So I will have a two years left to serve in the state

21:32 legislature. Uh but the Senate term is four years. So they would not let me run for to serve for two years because it's uh the less than four years. But anyway, that's a different story. uh having served as a minority and serving my uh uh city and the entire region for assembly was about roughly 50,000 people in the Senate. I have over a million uh people in my district that are double because senators have 40 members and is assembly 80 members and in there [clears throat] all kinds of background people come and u quite a few now minorities I do see that uh now but when I started everything that I did was for the first time you defer first minority got elected to school board to the city etc etc as Asian as a Korean you know background back background looking back uh uh this is uh uh the for the first generation immigrants particularly because the first generation means that uh you are over 18

22:59 years old by the time you arrive that's uh category we term them as a first generation. My children who were born here will be second generation.

23:11 What if you came over when you were five? Uh you you will become 1.5 generation. So if you came when you're five then you become 1.5 uh almost uh native but you have a uh deep uh your parental relationship in the root in the country of parents. So my children will be on uh second generation but uh they tend to I guess saturated and acquainted with the Korean culture what we do

23:46 uh like eating kimchi and the Korean food Korean bugi and well everybody likes boogi and and kimchi now that's those staple foods in many diets. Yeah. 100 uh 100 days of the baby is 100 day survival celebration we call Peggy and so looking back back uh [clears throat] uh you whether you nobody will plan hey I'm going to be a model role model for my Korean-Americans or immigrants but you turn out to be role model for that group uh not only for uh Korean Americans but for uh Asians for the wider spectrum for immigrants. Or look at Stephen Choy who is supposedly first generation American with an even different shape and a different accent. he keeps on you know running and keeps on winning and keeps on serving the community for a long time. So I send the unspoken message to children and immigration population that uh once you have chosen America as your home country become assimilated and contribute.

25:17 Okay? Don't stay outside in the periph periphery and complain and looking up or that's what they are doing and that they should do the be involved become the builder. You can you can become the leader of the community, contributor of the community rather than standing outside and complain about it. Uh and uh living in your own bubble as for example Korean-American bubble Korean-Americans tend to and I understand

25:54 cling to each other. Yeah. Yeah. Among themselves and even churches are all Korean speaking. So that's the reason as I said a while ago uh that uh my category is a hyphen the Korean hyphen American. So I go to two churches even

26:15 the Korean church American church Korean church and then I go to American church. So I I got to understand both world because I cannot abandon my roots and my culture. So I want to I have some relationship build also built and then also they have a certain expectations on me.

26:34 Yes. So I try to maintain and uh um continue my relationship at the same time. Uh I'm an American. I want to learn what Americans believe in, what Americans uh uh talk about. I want to have American uh friends. So uh if you in in in my uh church I go to American church Marian's church in Irvine in the nearby uh Eupport [clears throat] course that's the border line is still in the juris jurisdiction of the Irvine uh uh in in in in the now I see a lot of uh non um [clears throat] Anglo-Saxon white people are coming.

27:23 I've been going there by seven or eight or eight years. So now I see the very rapid change of non uh Caucasian um minorities are starting to to attend there. And if you go there, they have a program called rooted and uh uh they assemble you with the similar background age group whatever and to do Bible study and the introduction to church you believe the discussions and the share the relationship and then after that nine nine months program some when that's over they put you into something called the life group becomes is a lifetime friend and we continue meeting regularly either every week, every two weeks depending upon that group and we keep on uh group doing group studies together and through the group studies we share meals go to restaurants together so maintain our relationship so I have more friends I guess a closer friends you know among so not non Korean non Koreans and I'm in the uh non Korean

28:42 life group. Nice. And my wife only two non Caucasians in there. So I learn and try to assimilate and mingle with non Korean people as well. So uh that's what I try to tell uh Korean-Americans, my friends and also especially young people. um just get involved in your community and you are living in the United States and with a lot of good benefits and a lot of difficulties that you have faced in your home country and this is a much better country and now rather than taking advantage of the established whatever the good benefits that America offers, you need to think about how as an immigrant you can contribute to make your community better, America better and so you naturally become a role model and that's advice I try to tell my second generation and then among uh people who may have some ambition in politics because typically that's what they how did you get into politics you know why did you get into politics So uh

30:05 I guess that's the reason I kept on running uh because I gave a good vision and hope to non Koreans all the immigrants.

30:17 I love that. I love that. And being an immigrant myself, I totally relate. I guess I always considered myself a first generation immigrant. I just learned I'm a first generation and a half immigrant.

30:28 So 1.5 generations. Yeah. Cuz I was born there and I came when I was five. That's why I asked you specifically. like so what am I considered you know it's still imperative you know Warren Buffett says the most important real estate you can invest in is the real estate in between your two ears so it's it's this is the most important real estate to invest in my mother uh was a super uh hero to me uh she emphas kept on emphasizing my village where where I grew up was a small farming village but in that village alone uh we are wealthy uh family with lots of land.

31:06 What she said was that uh I don't plan to inherit my land to you. I would rather sell them and put the knowledge to your brain which nobody can steal.

31:20 Yeah. But if you don't have a knowledge wisdom in your head, then somebody smarter than you are could steal your land. That is a very true

31:32 still true to this day. It's true. Still true. So that's uh invest in your my politics uh uh was uh based upon my education background. If I didn't have a PhD, USC wouldn't have uh invited me to teach at the graduate school. That was a graduate school. uh and if I didn't have any teaching experience uh uh nobody around me including my landlord where I started my uh Dr. choice academy. uh he became a good friend Walke Ray I don't know wy you are listening to me why not but uh uh he was one of the uh uh visionaries and believing in me kept on encouraging me run for school board I will support you and he turned out to be democrat [clears throat] but he did support me too

32:24 I don't know if he's still a democrat but you know so so um and all of this my uh educational background, teaching background impress some other people encouraging me to run into politics. We need a person like you with the educational background for our school and so still I'm in education committee in the Senate. Your business is uh in the bedrock of American dream. Uh

32:54 we make the American dream come alive. Exactly. supporting you know home ownership home ownership affordable home all kinds of problems that we are facing

33:05 I mean you got to make it [clears throat] happen uh the mortgages uh available for firsttime home buyers

33:16 low credit income I mean yeah and building uh good credit which is very important for lenders like you so um that is uh some message you can tell to have a good uh uh to build a good credit that means you got to become a good person.

33:35 Yeah. You know to become good person you got to respect the god. That's right. God the Bible teaches you you how to become a good good person. So I think your business can be

33:49 a vessel for God's truth telling uh such a you know basis for human being to be nice respecting the god and providing the means for them how to become how to build a good credit and uh I can trust you I can loan my money which will be you know always a basis for home loans.

34:11 Yeah. Right. and uh they can buy starting home. My uh district director he uh started uh his first home and I don't know whether he got the mortgage you know from you or somebody else with a good rate or not. I think that you are doing wonderful doing wonderful work for achieving America American dreams for the home buyers.

34:38 We're doing we're doing God's work. That's our that's our number one pillar. Serve and do God's work first and foremost. The money always follows.

34:46 I mean, if you know of anything, I know we're there's a lot of discussion about the portable mortgages from Trump. There's a discussion about the 50-year mortgages from Trump. We were just having discussion before we got on the podcast like, you know, we would need to hit a 50-year mortgage, a portable mortgage, a reduction in housing, a lower interest rate to make housing affordable. I don't know what you know or what tricks, you know, that Sacramento or government has up their sleeve to to make housing affordable again, but it seems like a very daunting task, quite scary, and candidly almost borderline impossible.

35:21 I I I know uh everybody uh looks uh looks at the legislators in Sacramento. Um, unfortunately I'm a Republican and what I'm saying is that unfortunately means we are in the super minority group.

35:40 Uh, that in California in California and that means um uh we have no power. We are only 25% of uh uh 40 people. Um and um uh everything on the on the bill when we vote uh is uh based upon the majority vote. The thing is uh they keep on talking about affordable housing uh meaning that uh low cost housing uh to build a low cost housing you got to encourage builders. The builders are there out there not as a charity project. They are out there to make money.

36:22 Yeah. [clears throat] But um uh they need to know the the basics of uh economy and uh business world to uh encourage them and make money to make them easier to develop homes. is that the less regulations more regulation is every step but they they they try to get the permission that cost money under the name of fees they charge.

36:50 Yeah. You know the the fees and the fees to build are crazy and the regulations are ver borderline impossible for a lot of these builders to build within affordable housing. It's impossible because it's so expensive.

37:04 Uh years ago, not my data is not up updated, but when I was a mayor, I was told to get a permit for one one side, it'll cost $54,000 per minute alone. And when that is already almost like

37:22 that's like a house, you know, affordable means to me $100,000 $200,000 will be in affordable means right now. But right now that's not the reality. You know, cost of living goes up. inflation goes up is uh what the Southern California average house is what the 98,000

37:43 980 980,000 dollars that is not affordable even average. Yeah. Yeah. That's about $6,500 payment

37:53 to to buy. Yeah. Yeah. Which means you need to make a couple hundred,000 to break even.

37:58 Yeah. who can make uh that kind of a monthly payment for housing alone and the leftover tax that should be uh by your standard I understand should be uh less than one/ird right should be less than one one/3 because you have all the thing all the expenses you got to live on

38:16 so uh the lessening the regulations and and I love to hear that lessen regulations people you heard it first we're going to lessen them especially to build.

38:29 Yeah. And give the incentives. If you build more homes will give you some incentives, tax deduction, tax tax credits for certain things. So if you develop more than 50% of your all entire building project you are doing will will give you 50% of your expenses tax credit such as some for developers to be incentivized to to build more homes rather than charging them more tax after more tax like what what they call millionaires tax. If you become richer, they will have to pay more tax. That's what what they are planning to do. And the developing rare um more tax, more regulations after regulations that is not the approach. I mean you have heard about the 26 billion something dollars was spent last five seven years under the name of helping reducing reduction of homeless people. But uh after that huge amount of uh uh tax tax money is the homeless people getting reduced or increasing?

39:56 It's it's increasing. There are increasing every day in in Southern California.

40:00 It's going to increase more because housing is so expensive. Everything's so expensive.

40:04 So this is a very complicated issue. That's a very simplified comment I'm making. But uh if I were the governor, I would start the long range plan. Start from the young ages and the financial education, you know, how to manage your money and and uh many ways they can become independent and focusing upon education for them to study and stay in schools, become a good person.

40:35 I love that. I have a couple last questions before we wrap up here. Um I this one's about goals. What's a personal goal that you have for yourself a and a family goal that you have for the family as well as a goal that you have while you're state senator?

40:50 Well, that's a broad question. Uh as far [clears throat] as my American dream is concerned, I think I have already achieved. I'm so happy. Every moment uh I open my eyes, I'm grateful to my lord who has led me to this u uh level achieving American dream and the personal satisfaction and uh I'm happy that uh looking back it was not my goal to become uh wealthy or famous become a politician turned out to be it was uh I didn't know where I go was going. I was not aiming to become a senator. It turned out to be a senator when I ran for um fourthterm assembly and then I got defeated by um cop beggar Democratic person who came mo moved to my district because that was the better chance for win and that was the time when I was very despared.

42:04 Well, that may be very sad ending as a losing record, but uh I didn't know what that meant to me was sad for that time. But uh now that God had a different reason. He has prepared another door. He gave me chance to run for state senate and uh experience as a senator. And as you know the senator has a lot more prestige and more comfortable four years rather than every two years running. And so I wouldn't have had tasted the as a senator experience if I was not defeated the fourth term. I didn't know at that time you know why I I lost.

42:56 Yeah. But uh now God had different purpose and that created the like I said in the beginning a small miracle but to me that's a very very you know I I think the majority people who know about my story that was a big big big miracle with that kind of a small campaign money and less than $100,000 raised. How did you win the $11 million you know candidate? So uh teaching uh the young uh people and uh u people who uh aim for American dreams and be even become a politician. Whoever whatever the vision you may have is that uh uh um follow uh the will of God what the good opportunities uh he has prepared he will lead you to that goal and that's what the looking back that has happened to my life.

44:00 I love that. Last question. Sure. When you're in front of the pearly gates what do you think God's going to tell you? [snorts] Job well done. And I will say thank you, sir.

44:14 God bless you, Senator Joy. God bless your service. I look forward to seeing what you're going to do as state senator. I can I wish you much prosperity and uh you know, may the Lord always protect and shine over every decision you make.

44:28 Oh, thank you for that uh opportunity uh to share my experience a little bit. uh uh as a fellow Christians uh uh I'm happy to share my experience how good God led me uh to this point with the abundant uh blessings which I never um begged for. uh but uh looking back that was what exactly he had his uh uh purpose in me and the doors and the destination already decide decided. So um I will uh close uh by saying that uh um all the people uh with the Christmas coming and we need to understand what the Christmas is this is uh celebration of uh our savior lord Jesus Christ birthday uh and uh not is not uh is uh many religions uh they celebrate as a holiday but this particular Christmas day is a celebration of uh Jesus birth. So with the season upon us um the people will experience the happiness the meaning of uh uh Jesus coming uh to this world to save us and uh in the conflict of uh uh so many different conflicts that we are

46:07 witnessing in the world. I hope that peace can be achieved. I'm sure he has uh uh his goal someday that peace will be achieved uh on earth. You know that's what our ultim ultimate desire. So

46:25 ultimate goal peace on earth is what I would like to wish everybody. God bless you. Thank you so much for coming on today's show.

46:32 Thank you so much Joseph.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "From $50 to the State Senate | Faith & the American Dream ft. Senator Steven Choi | Coffeez"?

Joe Shalaby (Host), Senator Steven Choi (Guest).

What is "From $50 to the State Senate | Faith & the American Dream ft. Senator Steven Choi | Coffeez" about?

Senator Steven Choi shares his journey from a modest beginning to serving in the state senate, emphasizing the importance of faith and personal routine in his daily life. He highlights the significance of self-reflection and scripture reading as integral parts of his morning routine, which helps him stay grounded and focused in his political career.

What is mentioned in this Coffeez for Closers with Joe Shalaby episode?

22 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Steven Choice, Senate, God, Housing, American Dream, Assembly. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "From $50 to the State Senate | Faith & the American Dream ft. Senator Steven Choi | Coffeez"?

The episode runs 47 min; the transcript is about 6,273 words in 81 timestamped sections.

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