Kansen Chu (Chinese: 朱感生; pinyin: Zhū Gǎnshēng born October 27, 1952) is a Taiwanese-born American politician. A Democrat, Chu was a member of the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2020, for the 25th District, which encompasses parts of the South and East Bay regions of the San Francisco Bay Area.[1][2]
Kansen Chu | |
|---|---|
| 朱感生 | |
 | |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 25th district | |
| In office December 1, 2014 – December 7, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Wieckowski |
| Succeeded by | Alex Lee |
| Member of the San Jose City Council from District 4 | |
| In office 2007–2014 | |
| Preceded by | Chuck Reed |
| Member of the Berryessa Union School District Board of Trustees | |
| In office February 10, 2021 – 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 27, 1952 Taipei, Taiwan |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Daisy Chu |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | San Jose, California |
| Alma mater | California State University, Northridge (MS) |
| Occupation | Computer programmer, restaurant owner, politician |
In 2019, Chu announced that he would not seek reelection for State Assembly in 2020, instead running for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. He lost to Otto Lee in the general election.[3]
On February 10, 2021, Chu was appointed to the Berryessa Union School District Board of Trustees to fill a vacant seat. His current term ends in 2022.[4]
Chu ran for the 24th Assembly district seat in the redrawn 2022 election, but was defeated in the primary by incumbent Alex Lee.[5]
In the 2024 election, Chu is running for 4th district of the San Jose City Council on which he previously served as councilmember from 2007 to 2014.[6]
Early life
In 1952, Chu was born in Taipei, Taiwan.
Education
Chu earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from National Taipei University of Technology. Chu earned a master's degree in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Northridge.[7]
Career
In 1978, Chu became a microdiagnostics microprogrammer at IBM, where he worked for 18 years. In 1989, Chu became an owner of a Chinese restaurant, until 2007.[7]
In 2002, Chu began his political career as a member of Berryessa Union School District board of education.[8]
Prior to being elected to the Assembly in 2014, Chu was a San Jose City Councilmember representing District 4. He is a member of the California Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. He was the first Taiwanese-American elected to the San Jose City Council.
2000 San Jose City Council
In 2000, Chu was defeated by Chuck Reed for the District 4 council seat.
In his first year on the council (2007), Chu initiated landmark legislation to require citywide green building standards, ban the use of plastic bags, and mandate the installation of automatic heart defibrillators across San Jose.
2002 Berryessa Union School Board
In 2002, Chu was elected to the Berryessa Union School Board. As a school board member, he championed stronger curricula, better education materials, and improved public access to school board meetings.
Chu has served on the Berryessa Union School Board for 5 years, Santa Clara Valley Metro YMCA, Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation, Shin Shin Education Foundation, and Advisory Board of Californians for Justice. Kansen has also served on the Santa Clara County Mental Health Board, Private Industry Council under Job Training Partnership Act, Neighborhood Accountability Board of Berryessa, the KNTV Channel 11 Community Board, Asian Law Alliance, and many other advisory commissions and boards. He continues to serve on the board of Vision New America, dedicated to advancing youth involvement in civics and government.
Departing the California Assembly
On May 13, 2019, Chu announced that he would be a candidate for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 2020. He will not be seeking reelection to the Assembly.[9]
Election history
2014 California State Assembly
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Kansen Chu | 16,672 | 30.6 | |
| Republican | Bob Brunton | 12,699 | 23.3 | |
| Democratic | Armando Gomez | 9,218 | 16.9 | |
| Democratic | Teresa Cox | 9,104 | 16.7 | |
| Democratic | Craig Steckler | 6,835 | 12.5 | |
| Total votes | 54,528 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Kansen Chu | 57,718 | 69.4 | |
| Republican | Bob Brunton | 25,441 | 30.6 | |
| Total votes | 83,159 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2016 California State Assembly
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Kansen Chu (incumbent) | 61,980 | 75.5 | |
| Republican | Bob Brunton | 20,146 | 24.5 | |
| Total votes | 82,126 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Kansen Chu (incumbent) | 107,821 | 72.8 | |
| Republican | Bob Brunton | 40,280 | 27.2 | |
| Total votes | 148,101 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2018 California State Assembly
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Kansen Chu (incumbent) | 36,417 | 51.8 | |
| Republican | Bob Brunton | 16,391 | 23.3 | |
| Democratic | Carmen Montano | 15,345 | 21.8 | |
| Libertarian | Robert Imhoff | 2,127 | 3.0 | |
| Total votes | 70,280 | 100.0 | ||
| General election | ||||
| Democratic | Kansen Chu (incumbent) | 98,612 | 74.3 | |
| Republican | Bob Brunton | 34,193 | 25.7 | |
| Total votes | 132,805 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Personal life
In 1976, Chu moved to the United States. Chu's wife is Daisy Chu. They have two children. Chu and his family live in San Jose, California.[7]