David Chiu

David Chiu is the first Asian American to serve as San Francisco’s City Attorney. His City Attorney’s Office protects the rights of San Franciscans and has been a national model for public law offices. The office gives legal advice to City agencies and represents San Francisco in court.

Chiu is the son of immigrant parents and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned his undergraduate, master’s in public policy, and law degrees from Harvard.

After law school, Chiu gained a wide range of legal experience. He worked for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and as a law clerk for a federal appellate judge. Chiu was a civil rights attorney for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. He was a criminal prosecutor for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. He also worked as general counsel for a technology company.

After moving to San Francisco in 1996, Chiu became an active community leader. He served as a Small Business Commissioner and president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area. He served on the boards of several neighborhood and community groups. He worked with organizations to promote civil rights and end domestic abuse.

In 2008 and 2012, voters elected Chiu to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He represented San Francisco’s northeast neighborhoods. On his first day in office, his fellow Supervisors voted for him to serve as Board President. He was the first Asian American Board President in San Francisco. He was also the first Board President elected to serve three consecutive terms. Chiu wrote 110 local laws on issues like housing, jobs, public safety, health care, the environment, and civil rights.

Chiu later represented eastern San Francisco in the California State Assembly. Voters elected him in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020. He served in several leadership roles in the Assembly. He chaired the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee for 6 years. He authored 75 state laws. His work focused on housing, homelessness, tenant protections, transportation, health care, education, and the environment. His Tenant Protection Act of 2019 expanded renters’ rights across California.

Over the years, many organizations have honored Chiu for his leadership and legal work.

Chiu lives with his wife, Candace Chen, and his son, Lucas, in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. Candace is a public interest lawyer who manages a refugee foster youth program.