David Chiu becomes San Francisco’s first Asian American city attorney

David Chiu was sworn in as the first Asian American city attorney of San Francisco on Monday.

The ceremony: Dozens of family, friends, colleagues and politicians gathered to support Chiu’s appointment as San Francisco’s city attorney.

A lion dance performance was held to welcome Chiu into his position.
He was sworn in by San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
“I am so humbled,” Chiu told the San Francisco Chronicle. “It is a really special moment for my family and I to have this opportunity to serve the city that I love.”
He said that it is “bittersweet” to be leaving his position as an assemblyman.

History of public service: Chiu, the son of Chinese immigrants, worked in public policy for over a decade.

He grew up in Boston, Mass., and received his undergraduate, master’s and law degrees from Harvard University.
Chiu was a civil rights attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights before entering public office.
In the past, he has served as a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit law clerk, U.S. Senate Constitution Subcommittee a Democratic counsel and a San Francisco District Attorney’s Office criminal prosecutor.
Since he was first elected in 2014, he has represented the 17th Assembly District, encompassing eastern San Francisco, in the California State Legislature.
For the last six years, Chiu served as chair of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee.
He also served as the chair of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus and policy chair of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.

Chiu’s wife, Candace, is also a lawyer, and she manages a refugee foster care program. They have a 5-year-old son named Lucas.

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