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PREVIOUSLY: Eureka Business Owner Thavisak “Lucky” Syphanthong Announces Bid for City Council Ward 4 Seat

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Thavisak “Lucky” Syphanthong kicked off his campaign for Eureka City Council last weekend with a big party at Sequoia Park featuring barbecue and performances by traditional Hmong and Laotian dancers. A few brave souls, including the first-time candidate, even got up the courage to sing karaoke. His go-to song? “We Are the Champions” by Queen.

“I chose that song because it was already playing in my head,” Syphanthong said during a sit-down interview with the Outpost this week. “You know, everybody together. We’re not excluding anybody. We, my friends, we are the champions. I think it’s fitting for my campaign.”

Syphanthong, owner of Lucky Star Realty, well-known foodie and local go-getter, announced his campaign for Eureka’s Ward 4 City Council seat at the beginning of last month. The city council seat is currently held by Scott Bauer, who is seeking his second term.

Asked what motivated him to run for city council, Syphanthong said he was inspired by his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Laos in the early 1980s.

“Since a very young age I’ve had this drive to, you know, set a goal and just go for it,” he said. “I think that drive was instilled in me by my parents, who were willing to come to America for a better life after the Vietnam War. They sold everything they owned and snuck out in the middle of the night to get on a raft to cross the Mekong River to get into Thailand. And when they got to the middle of the river, soldiers started shooting at them.”

Syphanthong’s family survived the harrowing journey, and the next morning they were put into a refugee camp. Fortunately, because his parents were married, his family wasn’t separated and assigned to different camps. 

“We were stuck in that refugee camp for, like, three or four years before somebody sponsored us,” he recalled. “My parents had a friend in Ohio that belonged to this church. They bought our plane tickets for us … and eventually we decided to move to California. We had a few relatives in Eureka, so we took the bus – I was a little kid and I think by brother was three months old – four days and four nights in the same clothes to get here. My parents barely spoke any English. It was rough.”

After a few months in Eureka, his mother found a job at a local sewing company. His father had a difficult time finding employment, but eventually secured a position at Yakima. 

Around that time, Syphanthong started at Lafayette Elementary and transferred to South Bay Elementary and Middle School when his parents bought their first home on Humboldt Hill. By the time he was in third grade, he was fluent in English. “I learned to speak English by watching Paddington Bear and Sesame Street,” he laughed. “Of course, I learned by being immersed in class as well.”

After graduating from high school, Syphanthong went through the engineering program at then-Humboldt State University and decided to pursue a second major in English with the ambition of writing a book about his family’s journey to the United States. Shortly after graduation, he took an abrupt turn and went into real estate.

“When my parents started investing in property, I was translating between them and the agent,” Syphanthong explained. “So, I’m like, ‘I can do this. Why not?’ I studied and got my broker’s license and started Lucky Star Realty in 2006.”

His family bought up some property in Crescent City. That’s when he met his wife, Bao. “I closed two deals that year,” he joked, adding that he and Bao now have four children – two girls and two boys – each 2.5 years apart. 

As Syphanthong described his upbringing and the sacrifices his parents made to ensure he and his brother had a good life, his eyes welled up with tears. “My parents didn’t really have time for me when I was growing up because they were working 12-hour days,” he said. “That’s why we’re so involved in our school system, because we want what’s best for them and we want to be there.”

Syphanthong has held numerous board positions with the Ridgewood-Cutten Student Foundation and has served on several other boards, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Redwoods and the NorCal Laos Foundation. He was elected president of the Rotary Club of Eureka just a few months ago. 

After moving from Cutten to a house in the Fourth Ward that he had previously managed, Syphanthong learned the city council seat would be up for grabs during the November election.

“For the last 20 years or so I’ve wanted to run for a public office,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in local government and politics. You know, one of the mottos of Rotary is ‘service above self,’ and I’ve been living that model ever since I got involved.”

Syphanthong’s campaign focuses on two keywords: safety and family.

“‘Safety’ means taking care of our firefighters, our police department, you know, making sure they’re well funded and that they have the equipment and everything they need,” he explained. “And ‘family’ means making sure local families have well-paying jobs and [access to] family recreation activities, like sports for kids. … Anything in that sense that helps the family unit, including affordable housing.”

While on the topic of housing, I asked Syphanthong about his stance on Measure F, the so-called “Housing for All and Downtown Vitality” initiative, which, if passed, would halt several planned or in-progress affordable housing developments on four city-owned parking lots downtown. 

Syphanthong hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

“I’ve studied the measure and looked at both arguments for and against. I’ve also looked at what the Eureka city attorney has predicted as the outcome of the measure and the letter from the California Housing Defense Fund, but I’m still doing my research,” he said. “I have friends in both camps, you know? I think [the proponents] have good intentions for the measure because they’re looking out for small businesses … but the other dilemma is that Eureka needs to build affordable housing and the only way is infill.”

He waffled on it a bit, acknowledging both sides of the issue, but ultimately said, “At this point, I think it’s going to be a no [on Measure F] for me.”

While discussing housing, Syphanthong brought up the city’s Vacant Building Ordinance, which was narrowly passed by Eureka City Council earlier this month. He expressed the same concerns that Councilmember Bauer, his opponent, had mentioned during the council’s discussion on the ordinance, including the need for more data.

“It feels like the city is just pushing [this ordinance] through to fine property owners,” Syphanthong said, adding that he would have voted against it if he was on the city council. “I mean, if a building owner is maintaining the property and landscaping, not making a nuisance, why are you going to force them to rent it out? Look at the economy. You can’t force one building owner to bring businesses to Eureka and fill that spot. … I think [the ordinance] encroaches on their rights.”

There are exceptions written into the ordinance. For example, building owners looking to rent, sell or lease their property “in good faith” are exempt from the fine, as well as those with a permit to renovate or demolish the building. Even so, Syphanthong felt staff should have done more research before bringing the item to the city council.

Asked about issues specific to Eureka’s Fourth Ward, Syphanthong said he had talked to several people in his neighborhood who expressed safety concerns about the city’s Bay to Zoo Trail.

“I know that the city is really gung-ho on pushing the trails to connect our city and turn it into a more bike-friendly city. I support it, but I think we need to consider how our neighborhoods and businesses will be affected,” he explained. “If we put a trail behind a neighborhood, maybe we should have some kind of unofficial person that would patrol the trail. I just know people are concerned for their safety.”

All told, Syphanthong said he’s excited about representing the entire community, not just the Fourth Ward.

“I love Eureka,” he said. “I might live in the Fourth Ward, but it just happened that way. I love Eureka as a whole city. And if I’m elected to represent the Fourth Ward, I’d be really grateful for that.”

Syphanthong’s still working on his campaign website but, in the meantime, you can learn more on his Facebook page, Lucky for Ward 4. Election Day is Nov. 5.