Representative Judy Chu was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2009.  She is the first Chinese American woman to serve as a U.S. Representative. She represents the 27th Congressional District, which includes Pasadena and the west San Gabriel Valley of southern California. Chu currently serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over legislation pertaining to taxes, revenues, Social Security, and Medicare.  She is also a member of the Subcommittees on Health, giving her oversight over healthcare reform and crucial safety net programs, Worker and Family Support, and Oversight. 

Chu served as mayor of Monterey Park, California, for three terms from 1989 to 1994, following a year-long stint on the City Council of Monterey Park. Chu’s first elected position was as a board member for the Garvey School District in Rosemead, California, in 1985. Before her career in public service, Chu taught psychology in the Los Angeles Community College District for 20 years.  She holds a B.A. in mathematics, and a Ph.D. in psychology.  Chu’s father was a World War II veteran born in California, and her mother was a war bride originally from Guangdong, China. Chu is a native of Los Angeles.

Chu has consistently leveraged her platform to advocate for Asian Americans. She contributed to the passing of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to address the alarming surge in anti-Asian violence that has occurred throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Act improves hate crime tracking and reporting and provides additional resources to state and local law enforcement. She urges support for transparency, opportunity for all, and diversity in the higher education admissions process. Chu calls introducing and passing a Congressional resolution of regret for the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 one of her proudest accomplishments. Chu’s leadership on the national stage empowers other Chinese Americans to run for public office and to advocate for Asian Americans.