Carmen Chu, The Supe

District 4 Supervisor brings personal and professional experience to the job.

Carmen Chu, 30. District 4 Supervisor. Shot on location at City Hall by Keeney + Law.

In January, a formerly anonymous 29-year-old city budget analyst named Carmen Chu slid into the supervisor's seat belonging to embattled District 4 incumbent Ed Jew, subsequently making headlines as SF's youngest supervisor. The freshman lawmaker knew she had some healthy opposition when a certain politically motivated antagonist called her unexpected appointment by Gavin Newsom "a disrespect to the neighborhood"—to which the L.A. native scoffs, "I don't want to get into the business of trying to understand his psyche." Mudslinging aborted.

As a first-generation American, Chu draws heavily from her parents' immigrant experience to serve the large Chinese American population in the Sunset and Parkside neighborhoods. "My parents came to this country with very little resources and couldn't speak the language. When they landed in L.A. from Hong Kong in the '70s, they asked someone to write 'Chinatown' on a piece of paper for the cab driver," says Chu, who grew up peeling peas and washing dishes in the family's Chinese restaurant. "I was so affected by their struggle, and as a result, I have a great deal of empathy for my constituents. My heart is in this job."

Chu has used her first 10 months in office to work on building a new playground, repaving busy Noriega Street and creating the largest community room in any of the city's branch libraries. "I'm not starting from scratch," says Chu, who will be running for a full term in November. "I have a strong support foundation in City Hall—I worked there for four years, so I know the nuts and bolts of how this government operates."

What are your favorite spots in the Sunset?
We have two of the best ice cream shops in town. Polly Ann on Noriega and Marco Polo on Taraval. Marco Polo has cool flavors like durian and cantaloupe. My mother’s favorite is durian, and mine is cantaloupe.

What’s your biggest frustration with your new job?
Knowing that every single day we face new things and there’s more to do than we can actually accomplish.

Max Studio blouse, stylist's own. Anna Thomas piped belted carnaby skirt ($579), at Elizabeth Charles, 415-440-2100.

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