In the 1930s, when Tom Hom was only 12 years old, his Chinese immigrant father brought him to San Diego’s City Hall. There, according to ABC10, his father told the future lawmaker something that would change his life.
“He said to me, ‘Tom in America, the laws that come out of here [are] dependent on the kind of people they put in there,’” Hom recalled to ABC10.
Hom took that advice to heart thirty years later, as he decided to enter politics to better his local community. Against all odds, he became the first person of color elected to the San Diego City Council in 1963.
Hom’s political career was resoundingly successful. According to NBC San Diego, he was reelected with an overwhelming 87% of the vote, before being unanimously chosen to be San Diego’s deputy mayor in 1965. Later, he would then go on to become the second Asian American to serve on the 79th State Assembly.
Now, decades after Hom’s groundbreaking achievements, San Diego’s city government has recognized him with a street and day named in his honor. The renamed road is located in the heart of the Chinese Historical District in downtown San Diego. A street sign reading “Honorary Tom Hom Avenue” has been erected at Third Avenue and Market Street.
Per the San Diego Tribune, hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the new street on Saturday, February 12th. Crowds enjoyed traditional Chinese music, dance, and outfits in honor of Hom’s cultural background. According to CBS8, they also sang happy birthday to Hom, who will turn 95 on February 15th—a date that has been declared “Tom Hom Day.”
Most significantly, with Hom looking on, government officials and community members, and Hom himself spoke about the extensive impact Hom had on the local community.
San Diego mayor Todd Gloria, who lead the ceremony, praised Hom’s extensive contributions to the city as a whole.
”It’s an honor to recognize such a pioneer in this city,” Gloria said, according to NBC San Diego. ”Mr. Hom’s contributions as an elected official and businessman have indeed been instrumental in shaping San Diego into the place that it is today. Showing him our gratitude and appreciation for his life’s work just days before his 95th birthday is truly a gift to us.”
In particular, Garcia highlighted the leading role Hom played in revitalizing downtown San Diego. For instance, ABC10 reported he served as the founding president of the Gaslamp Quarter Association, which supports over 400 small businesses in the area today.
”Mr. Hom’s contributions as an elected official and businessman have indeed been instrumental in shaping San Diego into the place that it is today,” Garcia said, according to NBC San Diego. “Showing him our gratitude and appreciation for his life’s work just days before his 95th birthday is truly a gift to us.”
Beyond his contribution to San Diego’s economic and business landscape, Hom had a particular impact in opening civil engagement to Asian Americans, who had often been shut out of those spaces. His achievements inspired community leaders such as Natasha Wong, the president of Balboa Park’s House of China, and Lilly Cheng, the director of San Diego University’s Chinese Cultural Center.
“This is an important day for all of us. For Asians to see Tom Hom’s name up there means we belong,” Wong said to the San Diego Tribune.
Cheng emphasized the importance Hom had to San Diego’s development.
“He is an example and role model of a servant leader,” she said.
It has been decades since Hom served in public office. Still, he has not lost sight of the original reason why he became involved in politics: supporting the community he belonged to.
“When I first ran for public office, I wasn’t trying to prove anything, just improve something … such as where minorities are able to buy a house. So the momentum moved throughout, not just myself, but people with that kind of thinking.”
However, as Garcia notes, Hom’s actions has left a long lasting and deeply impactful legacy in San Diego’s landscape.
“Think about how much further behind we’d be if Tom wasn’t brave enough to raise his hand and step forward in the early 1960s and say, ‘I insist on having a seat at this table.’” Garcia said.
“That bravery, that trailblazing, that courage is why we’re here today.”
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