Interview with Monterey Park City Council Candidate: Jason Dhing

Interview+with+Monterey+Park+City+Council+Candidate%3A+Jason+Dhing

Kristine Sy, Staff Writer
November 2, 2022

For the past 20 years, Jason Dhing has served the Monterey Park community. He is a former board member of Mark Keppel’s own PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association), a trustee for the city library, and the president of the Monterey Park Lions Club. Now, Dhing plans to expand the scope of his community involvement by running for the Monterey Park City Council. Earlier this month, I had the great opportunity of interviewing Dhing on his current and future involvement in public service. 

Running for city council has certainly not been on Dhing’s agenda for very long. In fact, he states that he happened upon his roles in public service by chance. Aware of his contributions to the city, former city council member Mitchell Ing and former city mayor Yvonne Yiu both encouraged Dhing to campaign. He remarks, “These two big community leaders were a really big influence for me.”

 Now, what exactly has Dhing contributed to the city? As a member of the board of trustees for the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library, he has worked to make technology more accessible for those who may not have access to resources at home. In doing so, he has secured funding for library laptops, hotspots, and a 3D printer with TinkerCAD software. In addition,  Dhing’s years as a board member of Mark Keppel’s  PTSA have granted him opportunities to improve this very school. He states, “One thing mentioned in the PTSA bylaws is that if we need to fund something, it needs to benefit all of the students.” And so, Dhing has worked with his fellow members of the board to fund college nights, scientific lab equipment, and books for English classes. All of these improvements still affect students at Keppel to this very day. 

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Mark Keppel students have been and are currently involved in volunteer work for both of these institutions, and Dhing shows a great deal of gratitude and pride towards them.

As for his future in public service, Dhing has many initiatives he plans to enact if elected to city council. To start with, Dhing plans to extend the Bruggemeyer library hours, which have been cut down as a result of the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. In this way, he hopes to make it easier for people to access technological resources without worrying about the shortened library hours. Furthermore, Dhing plans to expand the Monterey Park City Police Force for the safety of city residents. He has observed “many people taking evening walks and jogs,” and asserts that “we want to make sure that they are safe.” Dhing also hopes to encourage student involvement within the community. He cites that the city library and the Parks and Recreation department as spaces in the city that are in need of assistance from students. Mark Keppel students have been and are currently involved in volunteer work for both of these institutions, and Dhing shows a great deal of gratitude and pride towards them.

 Dhing’s dedication to the city of Monterey Park represents a greater desire to benefit the community as a whole. His contributions to Mark Keppel and Bruggemeyer Library have had a large effect on the students as well as many residents of the surrounding area. Moreover, the offices he has occupied in the past show that he has a firm knowledge of the city’s inner workings. These past actions he has taken will serve him well in his campaign to impact the city’s future.