Dr. Steven Choi was elected to the Irvine City Council for the first time on November 2, 2004. Previously, he was elected as a Trustee of the Irvine Unified School District in 1998 and was re-elected in 2002.
Dr. Choi earned his Ph.D. in Library and Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh, his Master's degree in Library Science from Louisiana State University, and his BA degree from Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea.
Dr. Choi came to the United States from Korea as a Peace Corps language instructor for the State Department in August 1968. He then continued his post-graduate education and resumed his teaching career, primarily in higher education. Dr. Choi has taught at several universities and colleges including USC, UCI, California State University, Los Angeles, Henderson State University in Arkansas, Saddleback College and most recently, Coastline Community College. He founded and serves as Director of Dr. Choi's Academy.
Dr. Choi's vision for the City is to maintain and improve the quality of life for its citizens by assuring responsible growth, effectively managing traffic, keeping Irvine one of America's safest cities, and providing quality education for our children, while ensuring the City's fiscal stability and economic growth. He is committed to supporting programs for children and senior citizens.
Dr. Choi values Irvine's cultural and ethnic diversity and harmony as much as he values its other wonderful assets, such as its aesthetic beauty, high standard of living, and high intellectual standards. He is eager to hear the voices of Irvine's residents and has sends out the highlights of City news via his eNewsletter on a monthly basis.
Dr. Choi serves as a Member of the Concordia University President's Advisory Council and is Irvine’s representative to Growth Management Areas 4 & 9 and the Newport Bay Watershed Executive Committee, Coastal Greenbelt Authority, Orange County Housing Authority Advisory Committee, and the Santa Ana River Flood Protection Agency Commission. Dr. Choi is also a member of the Orange County Public Library Advisory Board, and is Chairman of the Irvine Library Advisory Committee. He attends Bethel Church in Irvine.
Dr. Choi has lived in Irvine since 1993 with his wife, Janie, and two children, Daniel and Michelle, who attended Eastshore Elementary, Lakeside Middle, Rancho Middle and University High Schools. Daniel, a graduate of Stanford University, is currently a medical student at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. Michelle is an undergraduate majoring in Sociology at UC San Diego.
