On July 13, 2024, Chyanne Chen, a candidate for City Council in the 11th District of San Francisco, established her campaign headquarters and held a launch ceremony with the presence of several dignitaries, community leaders, and over a hundred Chinese supporters.
Chen’s campaign manager, Linshao, stated that the primary task of setting up the campaign headquarters is to engage with the voters and understand the issues that matter to them, in order to provide assistance once Chen is elected. The office will be open on weekdays and one weekend day (either Saturday or Sunday) until the election in November. The office is located at 4657 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94112.
Early in the morning, the campaign office was crowded with residents showing their support. The attendees included California State Assemblyman Phil Ting, San Francisco City Councilor Myrna Melgar, Bianca Polovina, President of IFPTE Local 21 representing city government employees, Reina Tello from SF Rising Action Fund, Yunfang Liu from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Chongxian Yang, Executive Director of the San Francisco Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, former city council members Lichang Li and Zhaoming Ma, Xiaofei Zheng, founder of the New Breath Foundation, Ronghao Liang, Chair of the San Francisco Tenants Union, Wayne Yu, a small business owner in the 11th District, Quincy Leung, Vice President of the American Association of Chinese Medicine Traumatology, and Filipino community leader Elaine Villasper, among others. Chen’s husband, two daughters, mother, and several relatives were also present to show their support.
During the campaign launch event, Chen expressed gratitude to the guests, particularly the elderly Chinese residents of the district and her family for their support in her decision to run for office. She acknowledged the sacrifices made by many families to reach this point in her candidacy and emphasized her commitment to serving as a member of the community in the 11th District.
She reiterated her campaign platform, focusing on continuing the efforts of the past 20 years, which include advocating for workers’ rights, promoting language programs, fostering interracial understanding and alliances, ensuring street safety and cleanliness, improving services for the elderly, and providing affordable housing in the 11th District for working families and seniors to thrive.
Support from the Chinese community was prominent at the event, with several Chinese supporters sharing their reasons for backing Chyanne Chen.
Posum Poon, former Vice Chairman of SEIU 2015, recalled meeting Chen sixteen years ago and praised her proactive work and achievements. He highlighted her understanding of the district’s needs, support for workers, and immigrants, as well as her multilingual abilities and extensive experience in union work, making her a candidate with unique qualifications.
Dr. Albert Wang from the API Coalition Chain praised Chen’s long-standing community service and ability to bridge the gap between immigrant communities and the government. He emphasized the importance of having a mediator in the current highly polarized political climate and regarded Chen as a great candidate due to her moderate stance influenced by traditional Chinese philosophy.
Shirley Chang, a former nurse at San Francisco General Hospital, lauded Chen for her patience in listening to the community’s voices. She highlighted the lack of representation for the hard-working middle-class residents in the 11th District and expressed hope that Chen’s election would provide a voice for the Chinese community and advocate for their interests.
Chyanne Chen, originally from Guangdong, China, immigrated to the United States at the age of 15 and has been a resident of the 11th District in San Francisco for over 24 years. She is a mother of two daughters and also takes care of her parents. With a background in the SEIU 2015, Chen currently serves as the Chair of the San Francisco chapter of United Chinese Americans. She has been involved in community organizing, promoting interracial solidarity, and advocating for immigrants’ and workers’ rights. With the 11th District historically lacking attention, Chen aims to represent the district’s voice in the City Hall.
Chyanne Chen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economic Management from UC Davis and a Master’s degree in Industry Labor Relations from Cornell University. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.