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Edwin Chau

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Edwin Chau
Nonpartisan
Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Tenure
2021 - Present
Term ends
2031
Years in position
4
Prior offices:
California State Assembly District 49
Years in office: 2012 - 2021
Successor: Mike Fong (D)
Montebello Unified School Board At-large
Years in office: 1999 - 2009
Elections and appointments
Last election
March 5, 2024
Appointed
November 29, 2021
Education
Bachelor's
University of Southern California
Law
Southwestern University School of Law
Personal
Profession
Attorney
Contact
Personal Facebook
Personal LinkedIn

Edwin Chau is a judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California. He assumed office on December 11, 2021. His current term ends on January 6, 2031.

Chau won re-election for judge of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California outright in the primary on March 5, 2024, after the primary and general election were canceled.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed Chau to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in 2021.[1]

Biography

Edwin Chau was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Los Angeles. He attended the University of Southern California and Southwestern University School of Law, where he obtained a B.A. in sociology, B.S. in computer science, and a J.D., respectively. After law school, Chau opened the Law Office of Edwin Chau and was a general law practitioner, and small business owner, for over 20 years. Before owning his business, Chau was an engineer for IBM and a programmer for Unisys Corporation.[2]

Chau previously served as a board member of the Montebello Unified School District for 12 years, where he acted as board president three times. He was also a judge pro tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court.[2]

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Los Angeles County, California (2024)

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Edwin Chau (Nonpartisan) won the election without appearing on the ballot.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Chau in this election.

2020

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2020

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 49

Incumbent Edwin Chau defeated Burton Brink in the general election for California State Assembly District 49 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Edwin Chau
Edwin Chau (D)
 
67.9
 
107,976
Image of Burton Brink
Burton Brink (R)
 
32.1
 
50,988

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 158,964
Candidate Connection = 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 49

Incumbent Edwin Chau and Burton Brink defeated Bryan Mesinas Pérez and Priscilla Silva in the primary for California State Assembly District 49 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Edwin Chau
Edwin Chau (D)
 
52.0
 
36,985
✔
Image of Burton Brink
Burton Brink (R)
 
24.6
 
17,531
Image of Bryan Mesinas Pérez
Bryan Mesinas Pérez (D) Candidate Connection
 
12.7
 
9,006
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Priscilla Silva (D)
 
10.7
 
7,628

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 71,150
Candidate Connection = 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.

2018

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2018

General election

General election for California State Assembly District 49

Incumbent Edwin Chau defeated Burton Brink in the general election for California State Assembly District 49 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Edwin Chau
Edwin Chau (D)
 
71.2
 
75,421
Image of Burton Brink
Burton Brink (R)
 
28.8
 
30,506

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 105,927
Candidate Connection = 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 49

Incumbent Edwin Chau and Burton Brink advanced from the primary for California State Assembly District 49 on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Edwin Chau
Edwin Chau (D)
 
69.0
 
35,365
✔
Image of Burton Brink
Burton Brink (R)
 
31.0
 
15,910

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 51,275
Candidate Connection = 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

See also: California State Assembly elections, 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.[3]

Incumbent Edwin Chau defeated Peter Amundson in the California State Assembly District 49 general election.[4][5]

California State Assembly, District 49 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Edwin Chau Incumbent 70.01% 82,964
     Republican Peter Amundson 29.99% 35,533
Total Votes 118,497
Source: California Secretary of State


Incumbent Edwin Chau ran unopposed in the California State Assembly District 49 Blanket primary.[6][7]

California State Assembly, District 49 Blanket Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Edwin Chau Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

See also: California State Assembly elections, 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. Incumbent Ed Chau (D) and Esthela Torres Siegrist (R) were unopposed in the blanket primary. Chau defeated Siegrist in the general election.[8][9][10]

California State Assembly, District 49, General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngEd Chau Incumbent 61.5% 33,030
     Republican Esthela Torres Siegrist 38.5% 20,678
Total Votes 53,708

2012

See also: California State Assembly elections, 2012

Chau won election in the 2012 election for California State Assembly District 49. He advanced past the blanket primary on June 5, 2012, defeating Mitchell Ing (D). Chau defeated Matthew Lin (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[11][12][13]

California State Assembly, District 49, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngEdwin "Ed" Chau 56.4% 64,791
     Republican Matthew Lin 43.6% 50,153
Total Votes 114,944
California State Assembly, District 49 Blanket Primary, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngEdwin Chau 34.9% 13,746
     Democratic Mitchell Ing 12.9% 5,074
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMatthew Lin 52.2% 20,549
Total Votes 39,369

Endorsements

In 2012, Chau's endorsements included the following:[14]

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Edwin Chau did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Edwin Chau did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

2014

Chau's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[15]

Education

  • Excerpt: "In the State Assembly, Ed Chau will continue to fight to protect our schools from cuts, improve academic standards, and create more opportunities for our children."

Jobs & Economy

  • Excerpt: "As Assembly Member, Ed will cut red tape, create more incentives for local business owners to expand and locate in the San Gabriel Valley, and give them the tools they need to create jobs and generate new economic opportunities for al of our communities."

Budget & Finance

  • Excerpt: "Ed Chau has the experience and fiscal expertise to get our state back on track. As a small business owner, Ed knows what it takes to balance a budget, make payroll, create jobs, and do more with less. On the Montebello School Board, Ed delivered balanced budgets twelve years in a row, even in the midst of state budget cuts and a down economy."

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.

Edwin Chau campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2020California State Assembly District 49Won general$390,559 N/A**
2016California State Assembly, District 49Won $446,491 N/A**
2014California State Assembly, District 49Won $519,465 N/A**
2012California State Assembly, District 49Won $1,560,663 N/A**
Grand total$2,917,178 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Ed and his wife, Candice, have one daughter.

State legislative tenure

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in California

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 scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2021.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2020.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2019.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2018.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2017.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2016.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2015.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2014.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the California State Legislature in 2013.

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.

Committee assignments

2021-2022

Chau was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Chau was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Chau served on the following committees:

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Chau served on the following committees:

See also

2024 Elections

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External links

Personal

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
    		•

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ CBS Los Angeles, "Newsom Appoints Assemblyman Ed Chau As Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge," November 29, 2021
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 California State Assembly, "Assemblymember Ed Chau," accessed September 27, 2019
    3. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed April 18, 2017
    4. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for the November 8, 2016, General Election," accessed September 7, 2016
    5. ↑ California Secretary of State, "2016 General Election results," accessed December 23, 2016
    6. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Certified List of Candidates for Voter-Nominated Offices," accessed April 4, 2016
    7. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Statement of Vote," accessed August 22, 2016
    8. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2014 Primary election candidate list," accessed March 27, 2014
    9. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed July 15, 2014
    10. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 14, 2014
    11. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official primary candidate list," accessed March 13, 2014
    12. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary election results," accessed March 13, 2014
    13. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2012 General election results," accessed March 13, 2014
    14. ↑ Edwin Chau, "Endorsements," accessed October 10, 2012
    15. ↑ edchau.com, "Issues," accessed September 23, 2014

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    -     		Superior Court of Los Angeles County
    2021-Present    		 Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    -     		California State Assembly District 49
    2012-2021    		 Succeeded by
    Mike Fong (D)
    Preceded by
    -     		Montebello Unified School Board At-large
    1999-2009    		 Succeeded by
    -

    California courts

    Federal courts:

    Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California

    State courts:

    California Supreme Court • California Courts of Appeal • California Superior Courts

    State resources:

    Courts in California • California judicial elections • Judicial selection in California

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