Washington, D.C. — The Asian American Action Fund has endorsed Dr. Judy Chu in the special election to fill the expected vacancy in California's 32nd Congressional District. Dr. Chu seeks to replace outgoing Congressmember Hilda Solis, who is poised to become the Secretary of Labor in the Obama Administration.

"Dr. Chu has a long record of distinguished service on behalf of the people of Southern California and the San Gabriel Valley," said Marybelle C. Ang, Chair of AAA-Fund Southern California. "Her wide range of policy expertise and deep roots in the community will make her an outstanding member of Congress."

Since 2007, Dr. Chu has served as Chair of the California State Board of Equalization. Before being elected to that position, Dr. Chu was a member of the California State Assembly, representing the 49th Assembly District from 2001 to 2006. During that time, she chaired the State Assembly Appropriations Committee, the Select Committee on Hate Crimes, the California Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus, and the Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee.

Dr. Chu, a member of AAA-Fund's Honorary Board, has already been endorsed by a number of leaders and organizations, including: California Controller John Chiang, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, and both State Assemblymembers that represent the 32nd District (Mike Eng and Ed Hernandez). "The breadth of Dr. Chu's support shows that she will be an excellent representative for all of the communities that comprise the diverse 32nd District," Ms. Ang noted.

From 1988 to 2001, Dr. Chu was a member of the Monterey Park City Council and served as mayor three times during her tenure. She has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and has taught psychology at a local community college for 20 years.

The 32nd Congressional District has large numbers of both Latino and Asian Americans. Together, they constitute over 80 percent of the District's residents. If elected, Chu would become the first Asian American woman to represent Southern California in Congress.

It is expected that the special election will be called for April 2009.

AAA-Fund is a Democratic political action committee whose goal is to increase the voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) on every level of local, state and federal government in America. To achieve this goal, we address the chronic under-representation of AAPIs as campaign volunteers, campaign contributors, and candidates for political office. The AAA-Fund has endorsed candidates across the country.