A nonpartisan candidate for city council in Southern
California has been accused of dropping off his elderly, wheelchair-bound mother to panhandle for the last decade, even though they're not homeless.
David Chey has been caught on camera leaving Soon Chey, 86, in her wheelchair in the downtown district of Laguna Beach with a sign that reads, 'please, help me.'
'They have a brand new car, live in a condo in Irvine, yet beg for our help,' local business owner Heidi Miller told DailyMail.com.
'And Adult Protective Services have gone out there and can't do anything, because she says she enjoys begging. He's pretty much brainwashed her.'
'We have a tremendous homeless problem in Laguna Beach, as every place does,' Miller said.
'And what the Cheys have been doing for 12 years is taking money from Laguna residents and tourists and going back to a cozy apartment in Irvine in a brand new car and taking money away from homeless people.'
Chey's 2018 candidate statement for City of Irivine council member describes him as a self-employed entrepreneur.
He added that he's running 'to help residents achieve the American Dream. To be better than your parents. And to have high education. To be able to contribute positively to society,' during a public forum, according to Hansen's piece published by the Los Angeles Times.