Assessor-Recorder Carmen Chu was appointed by Mayor Edwin M. Lee on February 27, 2013 and brings budgetary expertise and fiscal prudence to the Office of the Assessor-Recorder.
The duties of the Assessor-Recorder include locating all taxable property in San Francisco and identifying the ownership, establishing a taxable value for all property subject to property taxation and listing the value of all property on the assessment roll. The Assessor-Recorder maintains public records, conducts fair and efficient assessments and ensures equality in all assessments.
In November 2008 and November 2010, Carmen Chu was elected to the Board of Supervisors to serve as the city’s representative to the Sunset/Parkside District after being appointed to serve in September 2007.
During her time on the Board, Chu has worked on legislation to encourage more companies to do business with the city by streamlining the city’s contracting process; provide protections to tenants who are victims of domestic violence; strengthen regulations, coordinate enforcement and expand community review of proposed massage establishments; and encourage small, local business participation in city projects.
As Supervisor, Chu joined the SF PUC to develop the largest municipal solar project in the country at the Sunset Reservoir and worked with city departments to support and enhance neighborhood commercial corridors.
Chu served as Chair of the Board’s Budget & Finance Committee for FY 2011-2012. Together with labor, community advocates, City departments, and the Mayor’s Office, the Board of Supervisors were able to agree on a $6.83 billion spending plan that provided funding for our most vital City services and which closed a $380 million General Fund budget deficit.
Chu was again selected to serve as Chair of the Budget & Finance Committee during the first time the City embarked upon a two-year citywide budgeting process for FY2012-13 and FY2013-14. With an initial projected budget shortfall of $263 million in FY2012-13 and $375 million in FY2013-14, the Budget Committee, in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office, made key investments to ensure public safety, provide economic opportunities in the City, and preserve critical health and human services while maintaining healthy financial reserves.
Prior to joining the Board of Supervisors, Assessor-Recorder Chu worked in the Mayor’s Office of Public Policy and Finance, where she served as the Deputy Budget Director and worked on projects such as the 311 Customer Service Center – a centralized point of access to City services available to residents 24/7. Under Chu’s direction, San Francisco was awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award in 2006-2007 from the Government Finance Officers Association for the annual proposed budget document.
In addition to her work in developing and forecasting the city’s annual and long-term budget, Assessor-Recorder Chu brought with her hands-on experience in municipal finance. Prior to joining the City, Chu consulted with PFM, a private consulting firm that specializes in advising municipalities on the management of debt and financing of large public works projects.
Chu also served as Chair of the Government Audit & Oversight Committee, as member of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), Health Service System BoardTRga, Director with the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, and as Board Member of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).
Assessor-Recorder Chu received two degrees in public policy. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelors degree from Occidental College. Chu also earned a Master’s degree from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was the distinguished recipient of a Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) fellowship.
