Sat, 31 Jan 2009 18:37:00
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| Article by:
L. Tooles
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 David Chiu, Board of Supervisors president |
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On Jan. 8, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted for change. David Chiu, a freshman supervisor, was chosen by his peers to lead them; an interesting turn of events that have many asking: Who is David Chiu?
The Boston native, has an impressive resume. A lawyer who received all three of his degrees from Harvard University, Chiu, has lived in District 3 for 12 years – in the Russian Hill and Polk Street neighborhoods – and has been an active member of the community.
“When I was in school I was very interested in civil rights and a lot of issues that affect communities of color, including healthcare disparities and issues of law enforcement,” Chiu said. “I certainly viewed government as a sector that could make society fair for different communities, making sure that everyone has access to fulfill basic needs whether it is housing, healthcare or education.”
Chiu, who does not own a car, spoke often while campaigning to revitalize San Francisco’s public transportation. Some of his ideas include reforming the city’s taxi service; adding jobs and reducing car ownership in the city; adding more miles of bike lanes to the city; boosting car share opportunities; and making changes to MUNI.
“I’m very focused on thinking about ways for us to improve MUNI, although with the current budget situation, it’s not going to be easy,” Chiu said.
Though every supervisor has issues important to them and their district, everything that the board does in the coming years will be affected by the economic environment.
“When I campaigned, there were an awful lot of ideas that I threw out there. But with the current budget climate, our number one concern is the budget and the hundreds of millions of dollars that we are going to have to cut or make up,” he said.
Chiu said he hopes focusing some energy on the private sector will help stimulate our economy.
“There is an awful lot of overregulation in small businesses that employ the greatest number of people in San Francisco,” he said, “so I’m thinking of ways to streamline the regulatory system.”
Chiu also said the city’s contracting process is overly cumbersome and that he would like to begin to streamline that process as well.
Another concern of the young supervisor is the state of San Francisco’s police force. According to him, San Francisco has the highest rate of homicides in 13 years and the lowest solve rate the city has ever had.
“Part of the reason is communities that are victimized by homicides are concerned about whether police department will be adequately able to protect them,” Chiu said. “We have to let these communities know that their cooperation is incredibly important to solving these crimes and we also have to make sure our police department is sensitive to these concerns.”
Chiu was elected president in a 5 to 4 vote. One of the deciding votes came from District 5 supervisor Ross Mirkarimi.
“Aside from voting for myself,” Mirkarimi said, “the best move was supporting David Chiu because of his ability to help advance a varied progressive agenda.”
Though there was speculation that Mirkarimi would make a strong push to be board president, he said he feels he made the right decision.
“I take pride in the fact that I helped vote in the first Asian-American president of the board.”
Chiu – according to many – seamlessly transitioned into his new position. He credits his success to his experience as a lawyer and as an assistant district attorney.
Chiu’s new responsibility requires him to have the ability to compromise and manage the needs of his district, other board members and the residents of the city.
“What I’m looking for him to do is to manage 10 personalities and his,” said Mirkarimi. “He has to manage the goals and ambitions of their personalities while taking care of the cities best interest.”
Chiu said he’s ready for the challenge. He said he’s gained a lot of experience being an advocate, which translates well into a politician.
“I’ve spent years being on the constituent side and on the side of the outside advocate looking in,” he said. “So being on this side of the table is not so different except for the fact that now I have an opportunity to hopefully make government work for my constituents and the city.”
Members of Chiu’s staff work for him because of his vast experience as a community member. Stanley Lee, Chiu’s legislative aid, is a member of Calvary Presbyterian – where he first met Chiu – and has helped run a soup kitchen through the church in Portrero Hill since 2003. The food kitchen is where he began to get to know the man behind the gavel.
“I’ve had him washing dishes for years,” said Lee.
When Lee found out that Chiu was running, he told the new board president he was willing to volunteer.
“Working on his campaign has confirmed everything I knew about him,” Lee said. “He’s a straight shooter, a brilliant individual and a good guy.”
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