James Su is far from a household name in Southern California, but in parts of the San Gabriel Valley, he was a true media mogul.He founded EDI Media in the early 1990s, riding a wave of Asian immigration to create one of the largest Chinese media platforms in the U.S. with radio programs, a magazine and a digital news site. The company says the empire broadcasts more than 2,000 hours of programming annually, reaching more than 35 million people worldwide.Su’s bio on the EDI Media website boasts that in 2012 then-state Assemblyman Curt Hagman put forth a resolution giving Su his own day in California. However, The Times was not able to confirm legislation by any author relating to the declaration of a James Su Day during Hagman’s terms in the Assembly. Now, both Hagman and Su have been served search warrants as part of a widening FBI investigation into foreign influence in local politics.Agents last week raided Hagman and Su’s offices and homes, along with other locations in the Inland Empire and Beverly Hills. While authorities have declined to comment on the case, it comes amid a federal probe into the ways the Chinese government has made inroads into local governments and elected officials.Su has long been a major figure in San Gabriel Valley as a political donor, philanthropist and a promoter of cultural exchanges between China and the United States. Photos posted on social media show him smiling and posing with politicians and artists at film premieres and community events in West Covina, where he’s lived since the late 1980s. Su’s attorney, Andrew Cowan, said his client is an American citizen who made legal campaign donations across the political spectrum and does not have any idea why he was served with search warrants by the FBI. Cowan said that of the people connected with the properties searched, Su is only familiar with Hagman.One of the company’s most well-known events is the Chinese American Film Festival, a multi-day cultural function held annually in November, that EDI bills as the only Chinese American film and television event officially recognized by both U.S. and Chinese government officials. In 2022, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared the month of November as Chinese American Film Festival and Chinese American Television Festival Month in honor of the event. In a video in 2022, Su and his wife, Slina, stood next to Supervisor Kathryn Barger, as she presented them with scrolls commemorating their work on the festival, which she said “brings us together as a community and bridges the barriers of language and culture with a common love of film and television.”“We believe the charm of film can bring the peace and harmony to our communities,” Su said. Su has long promoted the film festival in interviews as a way to foster understanding and community between China and the U.S. Su’s business ventures have faced scrutiny in the past for distributing content generated by the Chinese government. In November 2015, the Federal Communications Commission launched an investigation into a firm owned by Su after a Reuters report revealed that its radio broadcasts across chunks of U.S. were financially backed by the People’s Republic of China. The Reuters investigation revealed Su’s company, G&E Studio Inc., is 60% owned by a subsidiary of Chinese state-run radio broadcaster China Radio International.The outlet reported at the time that G&E leased the majority of broadcast time on two stations in Washington and Philadelphia to air China-friendly programming.After the investigation, Su’s company was required to register as a foreign agent. In a 2015 interview, Su told Reuters that China Radio International subsidiary Guoguang Century Media holds a majority stake in his company, G&E, but declined to offer specifics citing a nondisclosure agreement. Su told the outlet that he is not an agent for China, but a businessman. “Our U.S. audience and our U.S. public has the choice,” Su said at the time. “They can choose to listen or not listen. I think this is an American value.”West Covina Councilman Tony Wu said in an interview with The Times on Thursday that he was “shocked” when he was told that Su’s house and business were being searched by the FBI. Wu said he first met Su in 2015 when he was door knocking in his campaign for City Council. He rang the gate on Su’s property and the businessman came out to greet him. Su was polite and the two had a brief conversation before the then-candidate went on his way.After he was elected, Wu and other council members were invited to participate in an interview at Su’s studio on San Bernardino Road in West Covina, the same building that was raided by the FBI last week. “He interviewed congressmen, congresswomen, senators,” Wu said. “We are just small potatoes compared to them.” Su, his company and his family have also given to campaigns from across the political spectrum. According to the Federal Election Commission, Su has donated $35,500 to both Democrat and Republican campaigns at the federal level dating back to 2003. The majority of the funds — $25,800 — were donated to Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park). Su’s wife, Slina, gave $40,100 to federal election campaigns, with roughly $23,000 going to Chu since 2009, according to campaign records. Su has donated $6,000 to Hagman’s supervisor races since 2021. EDI Media donated $4,000 to his campaign from October 2017 to February 2022, records show. Those donations are a fraction of the funds typically raised in the countywide races. For his 2026 reelection campaign, Hagman raised more than $270,000 in contributions, county records show. Hagman did not respond to requests for comment from The Times. In West Covina, Su and his family are known to be generous with their time and money, Wu said. They were quick to step up with personal protective equipment donations to local firefighters during the pandemic. When officials were trying to get an after-school program for local students up and running in 2017, Su and his wife offered to donate $5,000 each to the West Covina Unified School District and Covina-Valley Unified School District, Wu said.Su also served as the first president of the Chinese American Assn. of West Covina. In addition to Su, the FBI served search warrants last week for Hagman, now a San Bernardino County supervisor, Ontario Councilmember Alan Wapner and attorney Frank Lizarraga. None returned calls seeking comment.Authorities would not identify the target of the investigation or whether more raids were coming. Federal authorities have been investigating secret Chinese efforts to influence local elected officials for several years.In May, the former mayor of Arcadia pleaded guilty to accusations that she was directed by the Chinese government to promote propaganda in the United States. Authorities alleged she helped run a website called U.S. News Center that branded itself as a news source for Chinese Americans and “executed directives” from the Chinese government.On the national level, U.S. intelligence officials have been warning about Chinese efforts to influence local governments since at least 2019.“They look to cultivate talent early — often state and local officials — to ensure that politicians at all levels of government will be ready to take a call and advocate on behalf of Beijing’s agenda,” then-FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said during a speech at the Reagan Presidential Library in 2022.Federal authorities have also charged a woman who had served as a senior deputy to two New York governors with being a Chinese agent working to push that government’s agenda. Her case ended in a hung jury, and she is expected to be retried next year.People who know Su were surprised about the FBI raid and said they won’t pass judgment until more information comes to light.“He seems to care about his community,” Wu said. “We shouldn’t be labeling people. In my mind, he is innocent until proven guilty.” Times librarian Cary Schneider contributed to this report.
