Replacement for supervisor Chan appointed
Chief of staff Brown will serve out rest of late lawmaker’s 14-month term
Almost two weeks after Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan died when hit by a car while walking her dog in Alameda. the Board of Supervisors appointed her chief of staff,
Dave Brown, to serve the remaining 14 months of her term.
“As we continue to mourn the tragic loss of Supervisor Chan, I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to continue her inspirational work on behalf of District 3 and all county residents,” Brown said in a written statement following the appointment. “I am humbled that the board had the confidence in me to serve Alameda County and to honor Wilma, her family, and her legacy.”
The supervisors appointed Brown, effective immediately, after dozens of people shared remembrances of Chan, 72, who was widely known as a progressive leader and resolute champion for children and the vulnerable.
“We are going to miss her,” Supervisor Nate Miley said. “We are going to miss her dearly.”
Brown told the supervisors he does not plan to run for Chan’s District 3 seat in the June primary election, nor would he be legally allowed to anyway since he moved into the district just last weekend and has to be a district resident a full year to qualify.
Asked whether he would step down if someone wins the June election outright and a November runoff wouldn’t be needed, Brown told the supervisors yes.
The district represents Alameda, San Leandro, a portion of Oakland and the unincorporated communities of San Lorenzo, Hayward Acres and part of Ashland.
“I am seeking this appointment as someone who has spent the majority of my life implementing her values in D3,” Brown said before the supervisors voted to approve his appointment. “If appointed, her staff and I will do everything in our power to preserve Wilma’s
legacy.”
Brown has been Chan’s chief of staff since 2016 but has worked in her office for 15 years. Before becoming chief of staff, he was her senior policy advisor from 2013 to 2015. And from 1992 to 1998, he was Chan’s policy adviser and community liaison during her first stint on the Board of Supervisors.
Brown also served as a chief of staff for former Supervisor
Alice Lai-Bitker in 2001. Lai-Bitker was the District 3 Supervisor for 10 years between Chan’s stints on the board.
Brown is a Stanford University graduate and was on the West Contra Costa Unified School District board from 2004 to 2008.
“I know the totality of her work better than anyone,” he said, noting that Chan recently had focused on expanding food security and economic development programs.
Three of the four supervisors voted to make Brown the District 3 supervisor, with Miley abstaining.
Miley said that though he supports Brown, he wanted to wait another week before formally appointing him to allow more public input. “I think today should be the day for us to listen and not take action,” he said.
The supervisors by law had 60 days to make an appointment for Chan’s seat or leave the decision to the governor.
Though many of the public commenters expressed support for appointing Brown, board Chair Keith Carson said he had heard from people concerned that the “public process” for appointing a replacement wasn’t thorough enough and from many who called for the appointment of an Asian/Pacific Islander woman because Chan was the only woman and the only Asian American on the board.
“Representation matters, and as one of the four men on the Board of Supervisors contemplating your choice of someone to serve out Wilma’s remaining term, we urge you to prioritize your search by identifying an Asian American woman currently living in the district to the seat,” Serena Chen, president of the Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County, wrote to the supervisors.
But Chan’s own family had urged the supervisors to appoint Brown quickly so time wouldn’t be wasted in continuing her work.
Her son, Darren Chan, told the supervisors his mother had said before her death she would want Brown to carry out her duties if she could not do so.
“She made it clear that the person she believed best suited … was her chief of staff, Dave Brown,” Darren Chan said, noting that when the election takes place, the decision to replace her “will rightly be made by the voters. Until that time, Dave is the best person to replace her.”
For his part, Brown said that during next year’s election, “I will support an Asian American woman for this seat.”
Carson acknowledged the difficulty of the day, noting after the decision, “I understand this has been a challenging exercise because we cared so much about our sister.”