David Chiu

As a member of the California State Legislature, David Chiu represents a half million constituents in the 17th Assembly District, which encompasses eastern San Francisco. He was first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2016, 2018, and 2020. During David’s first year, he served as Assistant Speaker pro Tempore; since 2016, he has served as Chair of the Assembly Housing & Community Development Committee. He has also served as Chair of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus and Policy Chair of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus. He sits on the following legislative committees: Budget; Business and Professions; Judiciary; Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media.

During his first six years in the Assembly, David has authored 64 bills that were signed into law by the Governor. His bills have addressed a wide spectrum of issues, including housing, homelessness, transportation, civil rights, education, environment, health, and public safety.

Before joining the State Assembly, David Chiu served as President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for six years. With a reputation as a consensus maker, Chiu was the first Board President in San Francisco history elected by fellow Supervisors to three consecutive terms, and the first Asian American to hold the post. Chiu was first elected Supervisor in 2008 and then re-elected in 2012 to represent San Francisco’s northeast neighborhoods of District 3, which includes the city’s major tourism, retail, downtown and wharf areas. As Supervisor, David Chiu authored 110 ordinances across a wide range of policy areas, including affordable housing, job creation, public safety, healthcare, the environment, transportation, civil rights, language access, ethics and technology.

The son of immigrant parents, David Chiu grew up in Boston and received his undergraduate, law and master’s in public policy degrees from Harvard University. In the mid-1990s, Chiu served as Democratic Counsel to the U.S. Senate Constitution Subcommittee. After moving to San Francisco in 1996, David Chiu served as a criminal prosecutor at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and as a civil rights attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. Chiu was also a founder of the public affairs technology company Grassroots Enterprise, where he served as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel.

Before running for office, David Chiu was a hands-on leader in San Francisco. He served as a Small Business Commissioner, president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, board chair of the Youth Leadership Institute, Lower Polk Neighbors and the Chinatown Community Development Center, and board member of Partners Ending Domestic Abuse and Chinese for Affirmative Action. Chiu was elected three times to the leadership of the San Francisco Democratic Party. He has been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, an American Memorial Marshall Fellow, and one of the “Best Attorneys under 40” by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.