Kansen Chu
Kansen Chu was an at-large member of the Berryessa Union School District school board in California. He assumed office in 2021. He left office on December 9, 2022.
Chu ran for election to the San Jose City Council to represent District 4 in California. He lost in the primary on March 5, 2024.
Biography
Kansen Chu was born in Taiwan and moved to the United States in 1976 as a graduate student. He obtained a master's degree in electrical engineering from Cal State Northridge and worked as a microdiagnostics microprogrammer at IBM for 18 years. He also owned and operated Ocean Harbor Chinese Restaurant for 16 years.[1][1]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Chu was assigned to the following committees:
- Arts Committee, Vice Chair
- Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committee, Chair
- Insurance Committee
- Revenue and Taxation Committee
- Transportation Committee
- Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| California committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media, Chair |
| • Insurance |
| • Transportation |
| • Water, Parks and Wildlife |
| • Arts, Vice chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Chu served on the following committees:
| California committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media |
| • Health |
| • Human Services, Chair |
| • Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy |
| • Labor and Employment |
| • Transportation |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: City elections in San Jose, California (2024)
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for San Jose City Council District 4
Incumbent David Cohen won election outright against Kansen Chu in the primary for San Jose City Council District 4 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Cohen (Nonpartisan) | 58.6 | 8,391 |
 | Kansen Chu (Nonpartisan) | 41.4 | 5,931 | |
| Total votes: 14,322 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2022
See also: California State Assembly elections, 2022
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 24
Incumbent Alex Lee defeated Bob Brunton in the general election for California State Assembly District 24 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Alex Lee (D) | 69.1 | 75,232 |
 | Bob Brunton (R) | 30.9 | 33,662 | |
| Total votes: 108,894 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 24
Incumbent Alex Lee and Bob Brunton defeated Kansen Chu, Teresa Keng, and Lan Diep in the primary for California State Assembly District 24 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Alex Lee (D) | 38.5 | 26,531 |
| ✔ | | Bob Brunton (R) | 21.4 | 14,730 |
| Kansen Chu (D) | 18.4 | 12,683 | |
 | Teresa Keng (D) | 14.1 | 9,721 | |
 | Lan Diep (D) | 7.7 | 5,308 | |
| Total votes: 68,973 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign finance
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Santa Clara County, California (2020)
General election
General election for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 3
Otto Lee defeated Kansen Chu in the general election for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 3 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Otto Lee (Nonpartisan) | 60.5 | 85,663 |
| Kansen Chu (Nonpartisan) | 39.5 | 55,946 | |
| Total votes: 141,609 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 3
Kansen Chu and Otto Lee defeated Magdalena Carrasco and John Leyba in the primary for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 3 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kansen Chu (Nonpartisan) | 31.5 | 24,557 |
| ✔ | | Otto Lee (Nonpartisan) | 29.0 | 22,560 |
 | Magdalena Carrasco (Nonpartisan) | 26.0 | 20,227 | |
 | John Leyba (Nonpartisan) | 13.5 | 10,548 | |
| Total votes: 77,892 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Chu's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2018
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 25
Incumbent Kansen Chu defeated Bob Brunton in the general election for California State Assembly District 25 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kansen Chu (D) | 74.3 | 98,612 |
| Bob Brunton (R) | 25.7 | 34,193 | |
| Total votes: 132,805 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 25
Incumbent Kansen Chu and Bob Brunton defeated Carmen Montano and Robert Imhoff in the primary for California State Assembly District 25 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kansen Chu (D) | 51.8 | 36,417 |
| ✔ | | Bob Brunton (R) | 23.3 | 16,391 |
| Carmen Montano (D) | 21.8 | 15,345 | |
 | Robert Imhoff (L) | 3.0 | 2,127 | |
| Total votes: 70,280 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the California State Assembly took place in 2016. The primary election was held on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 25, 2016, for candidates filing with signatures. The deadline for candidates using a filing fee to qualify was March 11, 2016.[2]
Incumbent Kansen Chu defeated Bob Brunton in the California State Assembly District 25 general election.[3][4]
| California State Assembly, District 25 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Kansen Chu Incumbent |
72.80% | 107,821 | |
| Republican | Bob Brunton | 27.20% | 40,280 | |
| Total Votes | 148,101 | |||
| Source: California Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Kansen Chu and Bob Brunton were unopposed in the California State Assembly District 25 Blanket primary.[5][6]
| California State Assembly, District 25 Blanket Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Kansen Chu Incumbent | |
| Republican | Bob Brunton | |
2014
Elections for the California State Assembly took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. Kansen Chu (D) and Bob Brunton (R) defeated Teresa Cox (D), Armando Gomez (D) and Craig T. Steckler (D) in the blanket primary. Chu defeated Brunton in the general election.[7][8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kansen Chu |
69.4% | 57,718 | |
| Republican | Bob Brunton | 30.6% | 25,441 | |
| Total Votes | 83,159 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |
Kansen Chu |
30.6% | 16,672 | |
| Republican | Bob Brunton |
23.3% | 12,699 | |
| Democratic | Armando Gomez | 16.9% | 9,218 | |
| Democratic | Teresa Cox | 16.7% | 9,104 | |
| Democratic | Craig T. Steckler | 12.5% | 6,835 | |
| Total Votes | 54,528 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kansen Chu did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Kansen Chu did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Kansen Chu completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chu's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I was first elected to the State Assembly representing residents from Berryessa, Alviso, North San José, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Newark and south half of Fremont in 2014. I have served as the Chair of the Assembly Human Service Committee and Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media. In 2017, I started and chaired the Assembly Select Committee on Hate Crime to respond to spikes in incidents. During my tenure in office, I served 6 years on Transportation and Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committees. I have also served on Assembly Revenue and Tax, Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committees. My work has always been focused on public health, mental health, income inequality, public safety, regional transportation and environmental protection. It was an honor to receive many accolades and I am most honored by the San Andreas Regional Center Legislator of the Year Award in 2019!
I served on the San Jose City Council from 2007 to November 2014 where I initiated landmark legislation to require citywide green building standards, ban the single use plastic bags, and mandate the installation of automatic heart defibrillators across San Jose. In addition, as Councilmember, I worked with stakeholders to create the North San José Neighborhood Plan, established the Berryessa Business Association to help grow and support local businesses, and helped to start the Berryessa Farmers Market. In 2002, I was elected to the Berryessa Union School Board.
- Income inequality is the biggest cause of many social issues and and I will work to ensure that everyone have access to the opportunities they deserve.
- Bold and creative solutions are needed to address the housing crisis and homelessness. Everyone deserve to live in a safe and stable home.
- Investment in our youth and education needs to be top priority.
1. Make housing more affordable and help unhoused neighbors get to safe and permanent housing.
2. Invest in our next generation through increasing funding for education, provide school-based mental health support, and make college affordable for all. I have supported free community college for all and will continue to work toward making higher education affordable for all.
3. Reduce local congestions, continue to expand and improve access to mass transit, and ensure residents have easy access affordable transportation options. I have been part of successful efforts to secure federal, state and local funding for local transportation projects to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide better transportation options to my constituents.
4. Eliminate disparity in access to services that underserved communities often face such as quality healthcare, culturally and language appropriate services, digital divide, childcare, and educational programs. As Vice Chair of a local Health and Racial Equity Taskforce, I have been working to ensure that no communities are left behind.
5. Improve mental health services, especially in youth, to promote better outcomes. I have been working for the past few years to advocate for school-based mental health services. I have also secured funding to recruit and train mental health professionals to address workforce shortage.
County Supervisors make decisions on a lot of programs and services for the rest of the region. Their work can mean better access and outreach for underserved communities and eliminating disparity. The County also ensures that the region is prepared for disasters and emergencies such as COVID-19 and the wildfires that are ravaging through California. County Supervisors need to be able to understand the laws and funding structures in order to ensure that their communities get their fair shares of funding and resources.
I believe an elected official needs to be transparent, honest, and committed to serving his people through good times and bad times. During this pandemic, the County needs bold leaders who are experienced, open to creative solutions, and not afraid to face challenges head on. Leading a region out of recovery is not new to me. In 2008, during the last recession, I was a San Jose City Councilmember and I was part of the effort to help get the City out of budget shortfalls. I run my campaign on principles, my own accomplishments, and with great transparency. My experience and integrity make me the best choice for Santa Clara County Supervisor District 3.
My first job was a Production Line Supervisor at Timex, the watch company. I was there for a little bit over a year before immigrating to the U.S. to pursue my graduate degree in Engineering. It was my first time supervising people and it taught me a great deal about teamwork. Our unit was one small part of the production process and our work impacted the ability of others to get their work done. We all had to work within our unit to meet production quotas in order for other units to meet their quotas. Each of us were part of something bigger and it took everyone putting in their fair share of work to keep our goals intact. The experience was very symbolic of how important each person is in an operation and how one person's actions can cause a ripple effect. My first work experience stayed with me and reminds me of how each of us is part of something bigger and we all need to do our part to make the changes we want to see.
As an immigrant who came to the U.S as a graduate student, I had to work hard for everything I have accomplished in my life. I cam here with a luggage full of books and not much else. My struggle to overcome language barriers, discrimination, and establishing a life for myself have made me stronger and not take anything for granted. For an immigrant like myself, I feel so honored and privileged to be where I am at today. This country has given me so much and I want to continue to give back through my public service.
A Santa Clara County Supervisor would be responsible for very important decisions that impact millions of people. The position needs someone who is experienced with great understanding of the state and local process in order to leverage resources and do what is best for constituents. I have been a public servant for decades and have built strong relationships with people at the federal, state and local level. My experience will help me best serve my community.
I believe I have the right skills and expertise to be a great Santa Clara County Supervisor. As an immigrant and someone who has been in public service for decades, I understand the challenges and issues facing my diverse community. To me, this position needs someone who truly cares about the community and not use it as a stepping stone. I have lived and raised my family in Santa Clara County for over 40 years and I am giving up a sure win in the California State Assembly to come home and serve my community.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Endorsements
2014
In 2014, Chu's endorsements included the following:[10]
- Former Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta
- United States Congressmember Judy Chu
- California State Controller John Chiang
- California State Superintendent Tom Torlakson
- California State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones
- California State Senator Jim Beall
- California State Senator Jerry Hill
- California State Assemblymember Nora Campos
- California State Assemblymember Luis Alejo
- California State Assemblymember Phil Ting
- California State Assemblymember Rich Gordon
- California State Board of Equalization Betty Yee
- Former California State Senator Dan McCorquodale
- Former California State Assemblymember Dominic Cortese
- Former California State Assemblymember Sally Lieber
- Former California State Assemblymember Jim Cunneen
- Former California State Assemblymember Fiona Ma
- Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith
- Former Santa Clara County Sheriff Chuck Gillingham
- Alameda County Supervisor Richard Valle
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of California scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
2020
In 2020, the California State Legislature was in session from January 6 to August 31.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills supported or opposed by the chamber.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on the association's position legislation.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to labor.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on issues pertaining to children.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on LGBT issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on issues related to the interests of health care consumers.
- Legislators are scored on how they voted on taxpayer-related issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored on issues related to sexual and reproductive health.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental policy.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on the organization's priority legislation.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the interests of home care providers.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the California State Legislature was in session from January 7 through September 13.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the California State Legislature was in session from January 3, 2018 through August 31, 2018.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the California State Legislature was in session from December 5, 2016 through September 15, 2017.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the California State Legislature was in session from January 4 through August 31. The formal session ended on August 31, but constitutionally the session adjourned sine die on November 30.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the California State Legislature was in session from December 1, 2014, through September 12, 2015.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate San Jose City Council District 4 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assemblymember Kansen Chu, "Biography," accessed September 27, 2019 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed April 18, 2017
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for the November 8, 2016, General Election," accessed September 7, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "2016 General Election results," accessed December 23, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Statement of Vote," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2014 Primary election candidate list," accessed March 27, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 14, 2014
- ↑ kansenchu.com, "Endorsements," accessed May 9, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Berryessa Union School District school board 2021-2022 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
California State Assembly District 25 2014-2020 |
Succeeded by Alex Lee (D) |
| Preceded by - |
San Jose City Council District 4 2009-2014 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||||||||
