Judy May Chu, Ph.D. (born July 7, 1953) is the
U.S. RepresentativeThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the
Democratic PartyThe Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Chu was previously Chair of the
California Board of EqualizationThe State Board of Equalization is a public agency charged with tax administration and fee collection in the state of California in the United States. The areas of authority of the Board fall into four broad areas: sales and use taxes, property taxes, special taxes, and acting as an appellate body...
, representing the 4th District. She had also served on the
Garvey Unified School DistrictGarvey School District is a pre-K-8 school district with headquarters located in the city of Rosemead, California. It operates nine pre-K-6 elementary schools, one pre-K-8 elementary school and two intermediate schools...
Board of Education, the
Monterey ParkMonterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future"...
City Council (with terms as mayor) and the
California State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
.
Chu ran in the
32nd congressional district special electionCalifornia's 32nd congressional district special election, 2009 occurred on July 14, 2009, to fill the vacancy in California's 32nd congressional district...
for the seat that was vacated by
Hilda SolisHilda Lucia Solis is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include...
after she was confirmed as Barack Obama's U.S. Secretary of Labor in 2009. She defeated Republican candidate Betty Tom Chu and Libertarian candidate Christopher Agrella in a runoff election on July 14, 2009. She is the first
Chinese AmericanChinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
woman ever elected to the
U.S. CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. Chu was reelected in the 2010 United States midterm elections, defeating Republican challenger Edward "Ed" Schmerling.
Early life, education, and academic career
Judy Chu is the second of four children of Judson and May Chu, who were married in 1948 in their ancestral home of Xinhui,
JiangmenJiangmen , is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong province in southern China with a population of about 4.48 million in 2010. The 3 urban districts are now part of Guangzhou - Shenzhen built up area.-Names:...
,
GuangdongGuangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
. After getting married they moved to
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, near 62nd Street and Normandie Avenue, where Chu was born and grew up until her early teen years, when the family moved to the Bay Area.
Chu graduated with a
B.A.A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in mathematics from the
University of California, Los AngelesThe University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. She then earned a
Ph.D.Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in psychology from the
California School of Professional PsychologyThe California School of Professional Psychology , was founded by the California Psychological Association in 1969. It is part of Alliant International University.The school has trained approximately half of the licensed psychologists in California...
.
She taught as a psychology professor at the
Los Angeles Community College DistrictThe Los Angeles Community College District is the community college district serving Los Angeles, California and some of its neighboring cities. In addition to typical college aged students, the LACCD also serves adults of all ages. Indeed, over half of all LACCD students are older than 25 years...
for 20 years, including 13 years at
East Los Angeles CollegeEast Los Angeles College is a community college of the Los Angeles Community College District in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park. Fourteen communities comprise its primary service area...
.
Local politics
Chu's first elected position was Board Member for the
Garvey School DistrictGarvey School District is a pre-K-8 school district with headquarters located in the city of Rosemead, California. It operates nine pre-K-6 elementary schools, one pre-K-8 elementary school and two intermediate schools...
in
Rosemead, CaliforniaRosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 53,764. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a growing Asian...
in 1985. In 1988 she was elected to the city council of
Monterey ParkMonterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future"...
, where she served as mayor for three terms. She ran for the
California State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
in 1994, but lost the Democratic primary to
Diane MartinezDiane Janet Martinez is an American politician who served in the California State Assembly from 1992 until 1998. She was "reviled as just about the worst legislator in Sacramento by the insider magazine California Journal." Her outbursts and other strange behavior led many to believe she was...
; in 1998, she lost the primary to Gloria Romero.
Chu was elected to the State Assembly in a May 15, 2001, special election after Romero was elected to the
State SenateThe California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
. She was elected to a full term in 2002 and was reelected in 2004. The district includes
AlhambraAlhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2010 census, the population was 83,089, down from 85,804 at the 2000 census. The city's...
,
El MonteEl Monte is a residential, industrial, and commercial city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte," and historically is known as "The End of the Santa Fe Trail." As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 113,475,...
,
DuarteDuarte is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 21,321, down from 21,486 at the 2000 census....
,
Monterey ParkMonterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future"...
,
RosemeadRosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 53,764. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a growing Asian...
,
San GabrielSan Gabriel is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is named after the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, founded by Junipero Serra. The city grew outward from the mission and in 1852 became the original township of Los Angeles County. San Gabriel was incorporated in 1913...
,
San MarinoSan Marino is a small, affluent city in Los Angeles County, California. Incorporated in 1913, the City founders designed the community to be uniquely residential, with expansive properties surrounded by beautiful gardens, wide streets, and well maintained parkways...
and
South El MonteSouth El Monte is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,116, down from 21,144 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, within
Los Angeles CountyLos Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
.
Barred by term limits from running for a third full term in 2006, Chu was elected to the State Board of Equalization from the 4th District, representing most of Los Angeles County.
2010 elections
Chu entered the special election for the 32nd District after Congresswoman
Hilda SolisHilda Lucia Solis is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include...
was appointed as Labor Secretary. She led the field in the May 19 special election. However, due to the crowded nature of the primary (eight Democrats and four Republicans filed) she only garnered 31.9 percent of the vote — well short of the 50% + 1 vote needed to win outright. She easily defeated
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Betty Tom Chu (her cousin-in-law and a Monterey Park city councilwoman) and
LibertarianThe Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
businessman Christopher Agrella in the July 14 runoff. She had been heavily favored due to the district's heavy Democratic tilt; with a
Cook Partisan Voting IndexThe Cook Partisan Voting Index , sometimes referred to as simply the Partisan Voting Index , is a measurement of how strongly an American congressional district or state leans toward one political party compared to the nation as a whole...
of D+15, it is one of the safest Democratic districts in the nation.
Tenure
Chu was sworn in to office on July 16, 2009.
Judy Chu’s number one priority as a new member of Congress is to work along side the Obama administration. She wants to quickly bring in money to help the economy, protect public services from dramatic cuts, and bring funding into communities to help with the economy. Chu believes that by making sure schools are strong, society is helping prepare students to live in the real world later on.
Judy Chu is focused on bringing
“green collar” jobsA green-collar worker is a worker who is employed in the environmental sectors of the economy. Environmental green-collar workers satisfy the demand for green development. Generally, they implement environmentally conscious design, policy, and technology to improve conservation and sustainability...
to the
San Gabriel ValleyThe San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, United States. It lies to the east of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire. It derives its name from the San Gabriel River that flows...
. This includes jobs in public transit, alternative energy, and conservation. She believes that the San Gabriel Valley should be the nation’s solar capital with its climate, work force, and research facilities.
Abortion
Chu cosponsored the Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2010 which authorizes the President of the United States to support measures providing abortions and other reproduction assistance to women in developing countries. In 2010, Chu voting against measures proposed by the U.S. House of Representatives to strip government funding to
Planned ParenthoodPlanned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
, and opposed restricting federal funding of abortions. Chu has received ratings of 100 from all Pro-Choice affiliates including Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. She has also received ratings of 100 from the NARAL pro-choice California in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 while receiving very low ratings given by Pro-Life organizations in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.
Budget
In 2010, Chu voted to increase the debt ceiling to $14.294 trillion. In 2009, Chu voted to increase the debt ceiling to $12.394 trillion. In January of 2011, she voted against a bill to reduce spending on non-security items to fiscal year 2008 levels. In 2011, Chu voted against the Budget Control Act of 2011, which incrementally raised the debt ceiling.
Terrorism
Chu opposed the "See Something, Say Something Act of 2011," which provides "immunity for reports of suspected terrorist activity or suspicious behavior and response." Chu supported measures to strip legal protections from citizens filling complaints. She said, "if a person contacts law enforcement about something based solely on someone's race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin, they would not receive immunity from civil lawsuits."
Committee assignments
- Committee on Education and Labor
- Committee on the Judiciary
The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies and Federal law enforcement...
- Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
The Subcommittee on the Constitution is one of five subcommittees of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary.-Jurisdiction:According to the official website:...
- Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
The Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law is a former subcommittees of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary. It was incorporated into the Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law during the 112th Congress....
- Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
Personal life
Chu married
Mike EngMichael "Mike" F. Eng was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2006 and represents the 49th District. He is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party...
in 1978. (Eng took Chu's seat on the Monterey Park City Council in 2001, when Chu left the council after getting elected to the
AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
, and in 2006 he took Chu's seat on the Assembly, when Chu left the Assembly.)
Chu's nephew, Lance Corporal Harry Lew, a
US MarineThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, committed suicide while serving in
AfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
on April 3, 2011, allegedly as a result of
hazingHazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....
from fellow Marines after Lew repeatedly fell asleep during his watch. Chu described her nephew as a patriotic American and said that those responsible must be brought to justice.
External links