David Lee (California)
David Lee (Democratic Party) ran for election to the California State Assembly to represent District 19. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Lee completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
David Lee was born in San Francisco, California. He graduated from Wallenberg High School, and holds a bachelor's degree from Hamilton College and an M.A. in political science and a doctorate in educational leadership from San Francisco State University.[1][2]
As of his 2016 run for the board of supervisors, Lee was a political science teacher at San Francisco State University and the executive director of the voter education and registration organization Chinese American Voters Education Committee.[1][3] He has also served as chair of the Richmond District Community Police Advisory Board, a member of the Recreation and Park Commission, and a member of the board of the moderate- and low-income outreach group ASIAN, Inc.[3]
Lee and his wife have two children.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: California State Assembly elections, 2024
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 19
Catherine Stefani defeated David Lee in the general election for California State Assembly District 19 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Catherine Stefani (D)  | 60.5 | 118,928 |
 | David Lee (D) | 39.5 | 77,546 | |
| Total votes: 196,474 | |||
| = 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 19
Catherine Stefani and David Lee defeated Nadia Flamenco and Arjun Gustav Sodhani in the primary for California State Assembly District 19 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Catherine Stefani (D) | 57.0 | 64,973 |
| ✔ | | David Lee (D) | 29.0 | 33,047 |
| Nadia Flamenco (R) | 7.3 | 8,337 | ||
 | Arjun Gustav Sodhani (R) | 6.7 | 7,632 | |
| Total votes: 113,989 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Lee's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lee in this election.
2020
See also: City elections in San Francisco, California (2020)
General election
General election for San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Connie Chan in round 6 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
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Total votes: 36,076 |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Lee's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2016
This is the final round of voting. To view previous rounds, click the [show] button next to that round.
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1, General Election, 2016, Final Round | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Transfer |
| Samuel Kwong | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Sherman D'Silva | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Marjan Philhour - Eliminated | 47.6% | 10,634 | 0 |
| Richie Greenberg | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| David Lee | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Larkin | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Lyens | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Sandra Lee Fewer - Winner | 52.4% | 11,687 | 0 |
| Andy Thornley | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Jungreis | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Write-In | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Exhausted | 2,661 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 24,982 | 0 | |
| Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes. | |||
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1, General Election, 2016, Round 9 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Transfer |
| Samuel Kwong | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Sherman D'Silva | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Marjan Philhour | 41.5% | 9,727 | 907 |
| Richie Greenberg | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| David Lee - Eliminated | 13.9% | 3,257 | −3,257 |
| Brian Larkin | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Lyens | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Sandra Lee Fewer - Most votes | 44.6% | 10,449 | 1,238 |
| Andy Thornley | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Jungreis | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Write-In | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Exhausted | 1,549 | 1,112 | |
| Total Votes | 24,982 | 0 | |
| Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes. | |||
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1, General Election, 2016, Round 8 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Transfer |
| Samuel Kwong | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Sherman D'Silva | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Marjan Philhour | 39.1% | 9,467 | 260 |
| Richie Greenberg - Eliminated | 5.3% | 1,283 | −1,283 |
| David Lee | 13% | 3,143 | 114 |
| Brian Larkin | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Lyens | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Sandra Lee Fewer - Most votes | 42.6% | 10,316 | 133 |
| Andy Thornley | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Jungreis | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Write-In | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Exhausted | 773 | 776 | |
| Total Votes | 24,982 | 0 | |
| Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes. | |||
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1, General Election, 2016, Round 7 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Transfer |
| Samuel Kwong | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Sherman D'Silva | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Marjan Philhour | 37.9% | 9,301 | 166 |
| Richie Greenberg | 4.7% | 1,163 | 120 |
| David Lee | 12.4% | 3,044 | 99 |
| Brian Larkin - Eliminated | 3.4% | 835 | −835 |
| Jonathan Lyens | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Sandra Lee Fewer - Most votes | 41.5% | 10,185 | 131 |
| Andy Thornley | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Jungreis | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Write-In | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Exhausted | 454 | 319 | |
| Total Votes | 24,982 | 0 | |
| Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes. | |||
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1, General Election, 2016, Round 6 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Transfer |
| Samuel Kwong - Eliminated | 2.7% | 660 | −660 |
| Sherman D'Silva | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Marjan Philhour | 37.1% | 9,142 | 159 |
| Richie Greenberg | 4.3% | 1,055 | 108 |
| David Lee | 11.6% | 2,854 | 190 |
| Brian Larkin | 3.2% | 785 | 50 |
| Jonathan Lyens | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Sandra Lee Fewer - Most votes | 41.1% | 10,130 | 55 |
| Andy Thornley | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Jungreis | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Write-In | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Exhausted | 356 | 98 | |
| Total Votes | 24,982 | 0 | |
| Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes. | |||
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1, General Election, 2016, Round 5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Transfer |
| Samuel Kwong | 2.6% | 632 | 28 |
| Sherman D'Silva | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Marjan Philhour | 36.6% | 9,040 | 102 |
| Richie Greenberg | 3.7% | 904 | 151 |
| David Lee | 11.3% | 2,796 | 58 |
| Brian Larkin | 2.9% | 721 | 64 |
| Jonathan Lyens | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Sandra Lee Fewer - Most votes | 40.8% | 10,069 | 61 |
| Andy Thornley | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Jungreis - Eliminated | 2.2% | 542 | −542 |
| Write-In | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Exhausted | 278 | 78 | |
| Total Votes | 24,982 | 0 | |
| Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes. | |||
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1, General Election, 2016, Round 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Transfer |
| Samuel Kwong | 2.5% | 609 | 23 |
| Sherman D'Silva | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Marjan Philhour | 36.1% | 8,927 | 113 |
| Richie Greenberg | 3.4% | 854 | 50 |
| David Lee | 11.1% | 2,740 | 56 |
| Brian Larkin | 2.7% | 669 | 52 |
| Jonathan Lyens - Eliminated | 2.1% | 519 | −519 |
| Sandra Lee Fewer - Most votes | 40% | 9,914 | 155 |
| Andy Thornley | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Jungreis | 2.1% | 525 | 17 |
| Write-In | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Exhausted | 225 | 53 | |
| Total Votes | 24,982 | 0 | |
| Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes. | |||
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1, General Election, 2016, Round 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Transfer |
| Samuel Kwong | 2.4% | 596 | 13 |
| Sherman D'Silva - Eliminated | 1.8% | 451 | −451 |
| Marjan Philhour | 35.6% | 8,829 | 98 |
| Richie Greenberg | 3.3% | 812 | 42 |
| David Lee | 10.8% | 2,672 | 68 |
| Brian Larkin | 2.5% | 621 | 48 |
| Jonathan Lyens | 2% | 495 | 24 |
| Sandra Lee Fewer - Most votes | 39.6% | 9,841 | 73 |
| Andy Thornley | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Jungreis | 2% | 505 | 20 |
| Write-In | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Exhausted | 160 | 65 | |
| Total Votes | 24,982 | 0 | |
| Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes. | |||
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1, General Election, 2016, Round 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Transfer |
| Samuel Kwong | 2.4% | 592 | 4 |
| Sherman D'Silva | 1.8% | 443 | 8 |
| Marjan Philhour | 35.3% | 8,777 | 52 |
| Richie Greenberg | 3.2% | 803 | 9 |
| David Lee | 10.7% | 2,662 | 10 |
| Brian Larkin | 2.4% | 604 | 17 |
| Jonathan Lyens | 1.9% | 465 | 30 |
| Sandra Lee Fewer - Most votes | 39.1% | 9,726 | 115 |
| Andy Thornley - Eliminated | 1.2% | 286 | −286 |
| Jason Jungreis | 2% | 491 | 14 |
| Write-In | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Exhausted | 133 | 27 | |
| Total Votes | 24,982 | 0 | |
| Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes. | |||
This is the first round of voting. To view subsequent rounds, click the [show] button next to that round.
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 1, General Election, 2016, Round 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Transfer |
| Samuel Kwong | 2.4% | 592 | 0 |
| Sherman D'Silva | 1.8% | 443 | 0 |
| Marjan Philhour | 35.3% | 8,777 | 0 |
| Richie Greenberg | 3.2% | 803 | 0 |
| David Lee | 10.7% | 2,662 | 0 |
| Brian Larkin | 2.4% | 604 | 0 |
| Jonathan Lyens | 1.9% | 465 | 0 |
| Sandra Lee Fewer - Most votes | 39.1% | 9,726 | 0 |
| Andy Thornley | 1.2% | 286 | 0 |
| Jason Jungreis | 2% | 491 | 0 |
| Write-In - Eliminated | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Exhausted | 133 | 133 | |
| Total Votes | 24,982 | 133 | |
| Note: Negative numbers in the transfer total are due to exhaustion by overvotes. | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David Lee completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lee's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I became the Executive Director of Chinese American Voter Education Committee (CAVEC) in 1993, where I organized hundreds of voter registration drives and reached over 100,000 voters, building CAVEC into a recognized and respected organization for the AAPI community in the San Francisco Bay Area. I also served as Chair of the U.S. Census Information Steering Committee.
At SFSU, I taught American politics and was an active member of the Faculty Rights Panel of the SFSU Chapter of California Faculty Association. At Laney College, I run a program supporting ESL and BIPOC students, many of whom are first-generation and identify as AAPI. I organized the first AANAPISI grant from the US Department of Education for any CCC, successfully lobbying for $2.5 million to support mental health services for AAPI and immigrant students at Laney College and Berkeley City College.
I served on the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission, where I helped the Recreation and Park Department develop new recreational facilities that have become cornerstone public spaces in AD-19 and kept key programs open. I chaired the Capital Committee on the Commission for seven years, where I managed bond money for Rec Park and fought to establish more open spaces and parks for residents.- As a longtime educator, what I want the most is to make education accessible to all students. Many of my students are first-generation and BIPOC. I love political science because I get to educate them about their roles in society and the impact they can have. For many people, obtaining a quality education is the first step to socioeconomic mobility. Students face many barriers to achieving a quality education; beyond facing high costs of living and housing, they also have to worry about tuition. As an Assemblymember, one of my biggest priorities would be to make tuition at CCCs completely free.
- One of my priorities is to support mental health services for youth, especially efforts to detect symptoms early. In California, over 284,000 youth suffer from major depression but ⅔ of them do not receive any treatment. The data shows that high school students are suffering from poor mental health, especially after the pandemic. We cannot afford to let the youth mental health crisis get worse, especially for youth of color. At Laney College, I secured the first ever in the nation AAPI mental health grant for CCCs from the U.S. Department of Education to fund AAPI culturally and linguistically competent counselors and support staff. If elected, I would continue this work and fight for culturally competent mental health services.
- In California, nearly 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions are transportation-related. Though the State has met its goal of reaching its emissions reduction target in 2020, there’s still a long way to go before we can reach the 2045 goal. One of the first things we need is easily accessible, zero-emission public transit for all Californians. I ride my bike and BART to work every single day and am a longtime proponent of bringing BART to the Richmond district in San Francisco, which has no access to any underground metro system. Expanding public transit would allow people to quickly and easily get to work downtown and increase access for everyone who lives in the city while addressing climate concerns.
CA Assemblymember Phil Ting
CA Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon
CA Assemblymember Mike Fong
SF Board of Supervisor Connie Chan
Daly City Vice Mayor Dr. Rod Daus-Magbual
Former CA State Senator Quentin Kopp
Former CA State Senator Mark Leno
Former President of SF Board of Supervisors Matt Gonzalez
Former President of SF Board of Supervisor Norman Yee
Former SF Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer
Former SF Supervisor Jane Kim
Former SF Supervisor Mabel Teng
Organizations
California Faculty Association
California School Employees Association
California AAPI Legislative Caucus
Clean Water Action
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.
2020
David Lee completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lee's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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One of San Francisco's most recognized civil rights leaders, David has led the Chinese American Voters Education Committee as its Executive Director since 1993. He is a frequent media commentator on Asian Americans and local politics, and David teaches political science at San Francisco State University.
As a community leader, David has held many civic roles and served in leadership as a Commissioner of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, Chairman of the United States Census Bureau CIC program, Board Member of SPUR, and Board Member of KQED, among other organizations.
He has volunteered for numerous organizations including serving as Chair of the Richmond Community Police Advisory Board and the board of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance.
In recognition for his leadership, David has received numerous humanitarian awards including the San Francisco Foundation Leadership Award, the Wallace A. Gerbode Fellowship and the David Jenkins Civic Leadership Award.
A graduate of Wallenberg High School, David credits his parents and teachers for instilling in him his love of public service. He received his undergraduate education from Hamilton College and his master's and doctorate degrees from San Francisco State University.- No New Taxes During COVID-19 Pandemic: It makes no sense to raise people's taxes while there is rampant economic uncertainty, historic number of small businesses closing, and too many renters unsure of how they will make ends meet.
- Build Affordable Housing and Protect Tenants: Policymakers must stand up to real estate interests to require that developers construct new affordable units in exchange for being given permission to build.
- Bring BART to the Richmond: The creation of a new BART line will increase transportation options for our residents, create an environmentally-friendly mode of transportation and reduce our dependence on cars.
No New Taxes During COVID-19: I am the only major candidate in this race to oppose any tax increases during the pandemic. We should not kick people when they are down. We need to make the environment easier for small businesses to succeed along Geary, Clement, and Balboa. Our first priority is to stabilize neighborhood businesses to get people back to work. Let's look at our current spending and find government waste before we increase taxes.
Build Affordable Housing: The Richmond, and San Francisco more broadly, must build more affordable housing. I will fight to ensure that developers set aside units and charge below market rate in order to open up thousands of units for working San Franciscans and families in the Richmond.
Bring BART to the Richmond: Nearly 115,000 Richmond residents rely on MUNI to get downtown every day, which is more than a quarter of BART's total daily ridership. We can open up new opportunities for our local merchants and in our commercial corridors, and reduce traffic congestion and dependence on cars to add a more convenient transportation solution.
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.
2016
Lee's 2016 campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Pedestrian Safety - David Lee will fight for smart traffic enforcement, better design and improved street striping and lighting. Walking in the Richmond should not be dangerous. Learn more about my plans here. Transportation - David Lee will work to modernize our Public Transportation for the 21st Century. He will support efforts to reduce traffic and will oppose any plan that calls for metered parking after 6 pm, on Sundays or holidays. Learn more about my plans here. Affordable Housing - David Lee supports innovative affordable housing policies to keep our neighborhood strong, diverse and healthy. Learn more about my plans here. Government Accountability - David Lee supports greater government accountability and transparency to restore public trust in City Hall. Read his record. Homelessness - David Lee will address the homelessness problems in San Francisco. He will support increased supportive housing, more job training, expanding services such as mental health care and substance abuse. He supports a collaborative systems-level approach to this crisis. Public Safety - David Lee will work with the community and law enforcement to create policies and solutions that will keep residents safe. Read his record.[4][5] |
” |
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
2016
Lee received endorsements from the following in 2016:[6]
- Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local No. 3
- International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 8
- Plumbers Local 38
- San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council
- San Francisco Laborer’s Local 261
- San Francisco Police Officers Association
- Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 104
- Sprinkler Fitters and Apprentices Local 483
- California State Treasurer John Chiang
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 David Lee for Supervisor, "A Little Bit about David," accessed October 31, 2016
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 6, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 David Lee for Supervisor, "My Record," accessed October 31, 2016
- ↑ David Lee for Supervisor, "Issues," accessed October 31, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ David Lee for Supervisor, "Endorsements," accessed October 31, 2016
