Newsom Appoints Assemblyman Ed Chau As Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Ed Chau, the assemblyman representing Monterey Park, was appointed Monday to serve as a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Chau, 64, was first elected to represent the San Gabriel Valley's 49th Assembly District in 2012. The district includes Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel, San Marino, Temple City, and portions of Montebello and South El Monte.
Chau was born in Hong Kong, but grew up in Los Angeles, going on to USC and earning his law degree from the Southwestern University School of Law. He practiced law for more than 20 years, and also spent time as an engineer for IBM and as a programmer for the Unisys Corporation. He served for 12 years on the board of the Montebello Unified School District, and also spent 10 years a judge pro tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Chau will fill the position created by the retirement of Judge Robert J. Perry. Chau's term ends next year, and it's not immediately clear if a special election will be called to replace him in the Assembly.
Newsom also made two other appointments to the Los Angeles Superior Court bench – Deputy Public Defender Donald A. Buddle, Jr., 42, of Santa Clarita, and Supervising Deputy Federal Public Defender Patricia A. Young, 42, of Los Angeles. Buddle and Young are replacing retired judges Michael A. Tynan and Ramona G. See, respectively.