Judy Chu
DemocratU.S. Representative, CA-28| Age | 72 (b. 1953-07-07) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2009-07-16 (~16 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | Chinese American (Asian American); first Chinese American woman elected to Congress |
| Religion | Unitarian Universalist |
| Education | B.A. in Mathematics, UCLA (1974); Ph.D. in Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology (1979) |
| Prior occupation | Psychology professor; taught for about 20 years in the Los Angeles Community College District, including at East Los Angeles College and Los Angeles City College |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles, California |
| Languages | English; Chinese |
| Marital status | Married — Mike Eng |
| Residence | Monterey Park, California |
| Notable relatives | Husband Mike Eng, former California State Assemblymember (49th District, 2006-2012) and her successor in the Assembly; nephew Lance Cpl. Harry Lew, U.S. Marine |
Pending research: children · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2009 |
| Previous offices | Garvey School District Board of Education (elected 1985) · Monterey Park City Council (1988-1994); Mayor of Monterey Park (three terms, 1989-1994) · California State Assembly, 49th District (2001-2006) · California State Board of Equalization, 4th District (2007-2009) · U.S. House of Representatives, CA 32nd District (2009-2013) · U.S. House of Representatives, CA 27th District (2013-2023) |
| Committees | House Committee on Ways and Means (Subcommittees: Health; Oversight; Work and Welfare) · House Committee on the Budget |
| Caucuses | Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Congressional Progressive Caucus · Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment · American Sikh Congressional Caucus · Creative Rights Caucus · Congressional Freethought Caucus · LGBT Equality Caucus · Medicare for All Caucus · Congressional Armenian Caucus |
| Leadership | Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) (2011-2025) · Vice-chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus · Vice-chair, Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment · Co-chair, American Sikh Congressional Caucus · Co-founder/co-chair, Creative Rights Caucus |
| Ideology | Strongly liberal/progressive voting record; GovTrack ranked her among the most liberal House members (e.g., 6th most politically left of all Representatives in 2015); vice-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus |
| Signature legislation | H.Res. 683 (112th Congress, 2012) - resolution expressing the regret of the House for passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (authored by Chu; passed House unanimously June 18, 2012) · Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act - co-introduced; incorporated into the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act signed into law in May 2021 · Advocacy/legislation to combat anti-Asian hate crimes as CAPAC chair |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $4,383,063–$9,797,000 (2018) · estimate
| Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc. (stock) | stock · $100,001–$250,000 · 2022 |
| Chu-Lim Investments LLC Rental Property #1 (25% stake) | real_estate · $250,001–$500,000 · 2022 |
| Preferred Bank Certificate of Deposit | other · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2022 |
| New Omni Bank Certificate of Deposit | other · $100,001–$250,000 · 2022 |
Scandals & crimes ledger
closed — House Ethics Committee Letter of Reproval — Staff Used for Campaign Work and Obstruction of Investigation
The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation in 2012 into allegations that Rep. Chu's official staff performed campaign-related work on House time and property, including drafting a fundraising memo and reviewing campaign emails. The Committee concluded Chu did not knowingly direct the improper work. However, after learning that Chu had communicated with staff members who were material witnesses during the probe, the Committee issued a letter of reproval for obstructing and impeding the investigation. The reproval carries no fine.
resolved — House Ethics Committee Letter of Reproval for Interfering with Investigation
Following a March 2012 investigation into allegations that Rep. Chu's official congressional staff performed campaign-related work on official time, the House Committee on Ethics concluded that some such work occurred but that Chu did not know about or direct it, so she did not violate House rules on that point. However, the Committee formally reproved Chu on December 11, 2014, for interfering with the investigation by communicating her version of the facts to a staff member who was a material witness. The Committee called her conduct 'troubling' and reflective of 'very poor judgment.' The action was a letter of reproval, the lowest formal sanction, carrying no fine. Chu apologized and adopted remedial measures including additional ethics training. She remained in office and was reelected.
resolved — Arrest and Citation at DACA/Dream Act Protest at the U.S. Capitol
On December 6, 2017, Rep. Chu was among roughly 180-200 demonstrators arrested by U.S. Capitol Police outside the Capitol during a civil-disobedience protest calling for a 'clean' Dream Act to protect DACA recipients. She was charged with the misdemeanor offense of 'crowding, obstructing, or incommoding,' a common citation for such demonstrations, and the matter was resolved by paying a $50 fine. The arrest was a planned act of civil disobedience arranged in advance with Capitol Police. The House Committee on Ethics reviewed the arrest and recommended no action because the fine was paid.
closed — Arrest at Abortion Rights Protest Near U.S. Supreme Court — Capitol Police Citation
On June 30, 2022, Rep. Chu was arrested along with approximately 181 others by Capitol Police for blocking the intersection of Constitution Avenue NE and First Street NE near the Supreme Court during an abortion rights protest following the Dobbs v. Jackson decision. She was charged with crowding, obstructing, or incommoding, paid the $50 fine, and was released. The House Ethics Committee released Report 117-433 on July 22, 2022, recommending no disciplinary action because the fine had been paid.