Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Montebello Unified School District

Edwin "Ed" Chau was first elected to the Montebello Unified School District, Board of Education, in 1999 and re-elected in 2001 and 2005, with the highest number of votes in 2 of the 3 elections. He has served as the President, Vice-President, and Clerk on the School Board. The School District encompasses the entirety of Montebello, Commerce, Bell Gardens, and portions of East Los Angeles, Monterey Park, Pico Rivera, Rosemead, South San Gabriel, and Downey.

Edwin ran to make a difference and to promote quality education for a better tomorrow. Toward that goal, he continues to advocate for student academic performance, school safety, fiscal accountability, parental involvement, post-secondary education, technology, and community partnerships. In 2004, Edwin helped to pass a $98 million school bond that will enable the district to receive an additional $73 million in state matching funds to help relieve overcrowding, make repairs, and finance renovation for many of the aging schools.

His efforts have been recognized with the "Man of the Year" title in 2002, awarded by the Rio Hondo Boys and Girls Club, as well as the Los Angeles County Bilingual Education Community Service Award. In addition, he was acknowledged with the Montebello Council PTA Award in 2004. In 2007, Edwin also received a Congressional Recognition, Excellence in Service, from Congresswoman Grace Napolitano. Prior to being elected to the School Board, Edwin served in various capacities for the city of Montebello, including the Budget Committee, Investment Committee, Traffic and Safety Commission, and the Civil Service Commission.

Ed Chau has been the principal attorney for his law firm for the past 14 years; his areas of practice include commercial transactions, litigation, corporate, real estate, immigration, personal injury and landlord/tenant law. In his law practice, Edwin frequently represents working families and small business owners. He firmly believes that attorneys have an obligation to society to make it a better place to live, and everyone should be treated equally under the law.

Since 2001, Edwin has also been volunteering his time to serve as a Judge Pro Tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court, adjudicating small claim and civil cases. In that role, Edwin conducts court hearings and helps resolve disputes applying the law. After completing law school, Edwin clerked for the LA City Attorney's Office, working in its Consumer Protection/Criminal Division. He spearheaded a project under Legal Aid Foundation of LA, along with Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law; he also worked for the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Edwin worked as an Engineer/Programmer for IBM, Unisys, and Xerox Corporation for about 10 years. He holds bachelor degrees in Computer Science and Sociology, both from USC, and a Juris Doctorate from the Southwestern University School of Law. Edwin obtained his law degree with night study while working full time for IBM.

Edwin became interested in public service early on. While in school, he worked part-time for the Department of Public Social Services, assisting low income families with SSI, AFDC and Medi-Cal. He did volunteer work at the Chinatown Service Center, helping new immigrants and low income families. For ten years, Edwin also volunteered part-time as a news broadcaster for a non-profit radio station.

In 2005, he became an Adjunct visiting Professor of the Hunan Normal College in China. Edwin enjoys music, tennis, and spending time with his wife, Candice and extended family. You can contact Edwin by e-mail, Edwinchau@Earthlink.Net, call him at (626) 300-3801 or (626) 823-6617.

[ In 2009, the California Department of Education placed the District's graduation rate at 91%, compared to 79.7% for the state. Eighty-eight percent (23) of the district's schools either met or exceeded the state API test score targets; attendance rate remains high at 95%. The District also received $54 million in QEIA grant, $8 in Safety grant, and $7 million in E-Rate grant to improve our technology systems. Schurr High School was named one of the top high schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine. Bell Gardens High School received a 6-year accreditation, Montebello Gardens Elementary received an Excellence in Urban Education award, one of 10 in the nation. We have a 2-storey "green" building at Montebello High Schooll, and we are making progress toward our Applied Technology Center. ]