Remote Surveillance Trailer in Arcadia, CA

Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang’s former fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, was sentenced last week to four years in prison after being convicted of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, producing pro-Communist Chinese media, as well as executing orders from the Chinese government.

Wang has taken to denying her connection to Sun since his legal troubles emerged, but she has publicly referred to him as her fiancé in the past. Wang is not currently being investigated for any wrongdoing in connection with the case. She did not immediately respond to National Review‘s request for comment.

In October 2025, Sun pleaded guilty to one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.

“For years, Sun received and executed taskings from Chinese government officials, distorted our public discourse by disseminating Chinese propaganda, and surveilled groups in the United States that China viewed as threatening its interests as part of a campaign of intimidation,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said in a statement.

From at least 2022 to 2024, Sun acted as an agent of the People’s Republic of China and failed to notify the attorney general, which is required by law in the United States.

Throughout this time, Sun worked to help elect a person referred to as “Individual 1” to a city council seat in an undisclosed location. Sun and “Individual 1” also worked together, at the direction of the Chinese government, to create a post and disperse pro-PRC propaganda in the United States.

In December of 2022, Wang made a public statement about Sun during a city council meeting.

“To my fiancé, Mike Sun, who walked streets with me every single day, who is a real leader of me,” Wang said at the time, according to CBS News.

Following the charges brought against Sun, Wang changed the characterization of her relationship with Sun.

“No. 1, he’s not my fiancé,” Wang said in September 2025. “Whoever wants to say he’s my former fiancé, please prove it.”

Sun also surveilled the president of Taiwan when she visited Southern California in April 2023, and then shared the information he collected with the PRC, according to the Department of Justice.

Sun’s work for the Chinese government continued, including a request for $80,000 to plan a pro-PRC demonstration in Washington, D.C., on the Fourth of July. He expressed concern over Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang independence and continued to communicate with the PRC through an official at the consulate general in Los Angeles regarding Taiwanese activity in Southern California.

“His conduct represents a brazen violation of our national sovereignty,” Eisenburg said. “This sentence reflects our commitment to prosecuting those who would extend the authoritarian reach of the Chinese government on U.S. soil.”

For Designers Submitting a Plan for Pre-Approval

Having your detached ADU plans pre-approved by the City can help your future clients move through the permitting process quickly and smoothly. All preapproved ADU plans will be featured on the City’s website, along with your contact information, to help connect you with homeowners who are interested in adding a detached ADU to their property. You will still retain your copyright, so any homeowner who wishes to use the design must contract with you to do so.

Once the City pre-approves your detached ADU plan, the pre-approval will remain valid until the City adopts new building or zoning codes that apply to your ADU plan. The City will notify you when such changes take place and let you know how to submit updated plans.

• Only plans previously approved by the City after January 1, 2023 and under the existing objective design standards will be eligible to apply for the preapproval process.

*Please note that the program does not apply to detached ADUs proposed in conjunction with a new house.

**Each designer is limited to submitting a maximum of two plans for consideration on the Pre-Approved ADU Plan list.

1. Submit a Pre-Approved Detached ADU Request Form to Arcadia EDGE along with the previously approved plans and a completed PAADU Submittal Checklist.

2. The Planning Division will notify you if your request for pre-approval has been approved, or if more information is needed to process your request.

3. If your request is approved, your plans, along with your contact information will be posted below under “Pre-Approved Plans.”

For Homeowners Seeking to Utilize a Pre-Approved Plan

Working with an architect/designer who has a pre-approved ADU plan is a quick way for homeowners to add a new detached ADU to their property in Arcadia.

In order to use a pre-approved ADU plan, you must contract with the designer responsible for the plan set. All pre-approved plans still require a site plan. A list of submittal requirements is found on the City’s Submittal Checklist for Using a PAADU Plan.

Your ADU Building permit application, including supporting plans and documents, are accepted online via Arcadia EDGE at the link below or scan the QR code below. *Please note that pre-approved plans may not be used for sites located in the Very High Fire Severity Zone (VHFSZ), unless the plan was specifically designed with alternative details for the VHFSZ.

When you are ready to submit, Building Division Staff will invoice the appropriate fee based on the ADU square footage, and the impact fee for ADU’s 750 square feet and larger in size.

The following plans have been pre-approved by the City of Arcadia. To use a pre-approved ADU plan, homeowners must contract with the designer responsible for the plan set. Contact information for designers with pre-approved plans and sample floor plans and elevations of their ADU units are available below.

*Please note that pre-approved plans cannot be modified. Any changes will require a new set of revised plans, subject to review by the City.

A Southern California mayor refused to comment on her former fiancé and campaign staffer, who was sentenced to four years in federal prison for "acting as an illegal agent of the People's Republic of China."

Last week, Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang's former fiancé, Yaoning "Mike" Sun, was sentenced to four years in federal prison for acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.

Wang has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the case and refused to comment on it during Arcadia's first City Council meeting since the sentencing.

Sun pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government from at least 2022 to January 2024, when he "knowingly acted within the United States as an agent" of China, without notifying the attorney general, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

Sun, 55, worked with a person referred to as "Individual 1" from 2020 through 2023 to "operate a purported news website for the local Chinese American community," while receiving and executing directives from the PRC government to "post pro-PRC content," the release said. He also worked as a campaign advisor for Individual 1, who was running for a city council seat in an undisclosed city. The person was elected to the city council in November 2022.

Wang commented on her relationship with Sun during a council meeting in December 2022.

"To my fiancé, Mike Sun, who walked streets with me every single day, who is a real leader of me," Wang said.

After Sun was charged, Wang tried to distance herself from him.

"No. 1, he's not my fiancé," Wang said in September 2025. "Whoever wants to say he's my former fiancé, please prove it."