Ed Chau
Judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court
Assumed office
December 11, 2021
Appointed byGavin Newsom
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 49th district
In office
December 3, 2012 – December 10, 2021
Preceded byMike Eng
Succeeded byMike Fong
Personal details
Born (1957-09-17) September 17, 1957 (age 66)
British Hong Kong
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseCandice[1]
Residence(s)Arcadia, California
Alma materUniversity of Southern California (BA, BS)
Southwestern University School of Law (JD)
Chinese name
Chinese周本立
Hanyu PinyinZhōu Běn Lì
JyutpingZau1 Bun2 Laap6

Edwin “Ed” Chau (born September 17, 1957) is an American jurist and politician who served in the California State Assembly as a Democrat representing the 49th state assembly District from 2012 to 2021. On November 29, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Chau to be a judge in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.[2]

Biography

Ed Chau (Chinese name: 周本立 ) was born in Hong Kong in 1957 and grew up in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in sociology and a B.S. in computer science from the University of Southern California. He also received a J.D. degree from Southwestern University School of Law.[3]

Mr Chau can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and is very fluent in English.

California State Assembly

In June, 2021, Chau was appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly to serve as the Assistant Majority Leader. Prior to the appointment, Chau served as the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection from 2016 to 2021.[4] Previously, he was the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development.[5] Chau also served as a member of the following standing committees: Appropriations, Judiciary, Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy, Natural Resources, and Privacy and Consumer Protection.

In addition, Chau was the Chairman of the Assembly Select Committee on Emerging Technologies and Innovation. As Chair, he had convened informational hearings on the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, Facial Recognition Technology, 5-G Technology, and Mobile Applications, among others. He was also a member of the following Select Committees: Asia/California Trade and Investment Promotion, California's Clean Energy Economy, Cybersecurity, and Regional Transportation Solutions.

In 2018, Chau introduced and passed the landmark privacy law, alongside Senator Robert Hertzberg, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), giving California consumers significant control over the collection, use and processing of their personal information. The law, considered the most comprehensive privacy law in the nation, has frequently been compared to the European Union landmark privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).[6]

In addition, Chau passed a law that would require data brokers to publicly register with the Attorney General's office,[7] providing Californians transparent information about who is collecting their personal information. Other laws passed by Chau include prohibiting the sale, purchase and use of hacked data;[8] making it a crime to assist in soliciting another to commit hacking;[9] requiring credit reporting agencies to fix vulnerabilities regarding data breaches;[10] protecting individuals' privacy from devices like drones;[11][12] authorizing the California Military Department to conduct cybersecurity assessments in schools;[13][14] requiring disclosure of a data breach to California residents when the encryption key is lost;[15] and authorizing local governments to provide broadband services, while adhering to “net neutrality rules”.[16] Chau also introduced legislation to safeguard personal data collected by digital health trackers.[17][18][19][20] as well as address biases in the use of automated artificial intelligence systems.

Moreover, Chau passed laws to help curb climate change;[21][22] protect water resources through groundwater cleanup funding;[23] combat wild fires through forest management;[24] protect seniors against elder abuse;[25] require Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to receive training on how to interact with dementia patients and their caregivers;[26] mandate advance notice before increasing life insurance costs on consumers;[27] ensure that students in California receive instruction on the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the contributions made by Chinese Americans in establishing the Transcontinental Railroad;[28] protect students by removing from classrooms teachers charged with a sex offense;[29] safeguard children from cyber sexual bullying;[30] prohibit the online marketing of cannabis products or services to minors;[31] and legally protect Good Samaritans that break into hot vehicles to rescue children.[32][33]

Chau also passed a number of legislative measures to address the housing crisis;[34][35][36] assist with language access in hospital settings and the language accessibility needs of voters;[37][38] and to help small business owners facing frivolous lawsuits.[39]

Electoral history

2012 California State Assembly

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2012
California's 49th State Assembly district election, 2012
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Matthew Lin 20,549 52.2
Democratic Ed Chau 13,746 34.9
Democratic Mitchell Ing 5,074 12.9
Total votes 39,369 100.0
General election
Democratic Ed Chau 64,791 56.4
Republican Matthew Lin 50,153 43.6
Total votes 114,944 100.0
Democratic hold

2014 California State Assembly

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2014
California's 49th State Assembly district election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ed Chau (incumbent) 17,540 60.2
Republican Esthela Torres Siegrist 11,576 39.8
Total votes 29,116 100.0
General election
Democratic Ed Chau (incumbent) 33,030 61.5
Republican Esthela Torres Siegrist 20,678 38.5
Total votes 53,708 100.0
Democratic hold

2016 California State Assembly

See also: California State Assembly election, 2016
California's 49th State Assembly district election, 2016
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ed Chau (incumbent) 44,922 99.5
Republican Peter Amundson, Jr. (write-in) 188 0.4
Libertarian Matthew "Boomer" Shannon (write-in) 25 0.1
Total votes 45,135 100.0
General election
Democratic Ed Chau (incumbent) 82,964 70.0
Republican Peter Amundson, Jr. (write-in) 35,533 30.0
Total votes 118,497 100.0
Democratic hold

2018 California State Assembly

See also: California State Assembly election, 2018
California's 49th State Assembly district election, 2018
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ed Chau (incumbent) 35,365 69.0
Republican Burton Brink 15,910 31.0
Total votes 46,349 100.0
General election
Democratic Ed Chau (incumbent) 75,421 71.2
Republican Burton Brink 30,506 28.8
Total votes 105,927 100.0
Democratic hold

2020 California State Assembly

2020 California's 49th State Assembly district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ed Chau (incumbent) 36,985 52.0%
Republican Burton Brink 17,531 24.6%
Democratic Bryan Mesinas Pérez 9,006 12.7%
Democratic Priscilla Silva 7,628 10.7%
Total votes 71,150 100%
General election
Democratic Ed Chau (incumbent) 80,751 68.1
Republican Burton Brink 37,867 31.9
Total votes 118,618 100.0
Democratic hold

See also

References

  1. ^ "Full Biography for Edwin "Ed" Chau". Archived from the original on 2019-11-20.
  2. ^ "Governor Newsom Announces Judicial Appointments 11.29.21". Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Biography". Assemblymember Ed Chau, District 49. California State Assembly. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Speaker Rendon Announces Leadership Team, Committee Chairs | Official Website - Speaker Anthony Rendon Representing the 63rd California Assembly District". speaker.asmdc.org. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  5. ^ "California Assembly announces committee chairs". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on 2014-12-13.
  6. ^ "California's groundbreaking privacy law takes effect in January. What does it do?". the Guardian. 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  7. ^ "California to Create Data Broker Registry, Fines for Failure". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  8. ^ "Bill Text - AB-1391 Unlawfully obtained data". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  9. ^ "Bill Text - AB-195 Unauthorized access to computer systems". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  10. ^ "Bill Text - AB-1859 Customer records". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  11. ^ "Bill Text - AB-2306 Constructive invasion of privacy: liability". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  12. ^ "Editorial: How to protect celebrities from paparazzi drones". Los Angeles Times. 2014-08-20. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  13. ^ "Bill Text - AB-1352 Independent information security assessments: Military Department: local educational agencies". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  14. ^ "Calif. Military Dept. to Conduct School Security Assessments". GovTech. 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  15. ^ "Bill Text - AB-2828 Personal information: privacy: breach". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  16. ^ "Bill Text - AB-1999 Local government: public broadband services". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  17. ^ "Bill Text - AB-2167 Information privacy: digital health feedback systems". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  18. ^ "Bill Text - AB-384 Information privacy: digital health feedback systems". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  19. ^ "Bill Text - AB-2280 Information privacy: personal health record information: software or hardware". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  20. ^ "Bill Text - AB-1252 Information privacy: digital health feedback systems". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  21. ^ "Bill Text - AB-739 State vehicle fleet: purchases". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  22. ^ "Bill Text - AB-39 California-China Climate Institute". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  23. ^ "Bill Text - AB-1043 Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006: groundwater contamination". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  24. ^ "Bill Text - AB-697 Forest resources: national forest lands: Good Neighbor Authority Fund: ecological restoration and fire resiliency projects". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  25. ^ "Bill Text - AB-381 Estates and trusts: undue influence and elder abuse". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  26. ^ "Bill Text - AB-453 Emergency medical services: training". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  27. ^ "Bill Text - AB-2634 Life insurance". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  28. ^ "Bill Text - AB-2864 Pupil instruction: Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: Chinese Americans' contributions to establishment of transcontinental railroad". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
  29. ^ "Bill Text - AB-872 School employees: employment: sex offenses". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  30. ^ "Bill Text - AB-2536 Pupil discipline and safety: cyber sexual bullying". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  31. ^ "Bill Text - AB-3067 Internet: marketing: minors: cannabis". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  32. ^ "Bill Text - AB-2717 Motor vehicles: unattended children: liability". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  33. ^ "Hot Car Rescues: New CA Law Protects Good Samaritans". Walnut Creek, CA Patch. 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  34. ^ "Bill Text - AB-984 The California Housing Finance Agency". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  35. ^ "Bill Text - AB-569 Real property: divided lands". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  36. ^ "Bill Text - AB-744 Planning and zoning: density bonuses". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  37. ^ "Bill Text - AB-389 Hospitals: language assistance services". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  38. ^ "Bill Text - AB-1443 Voters: language accessibility". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  39. ^ "Bill Text - AB-1583 Proposition 65: enforcement: certificate of merit: factual basis". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-19.

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