Evan Low
羅達倫
Member of the California Assembly
Assumed office
December 1, 2014
Preceded byPaul Fong
Constituency28th district (2014–2022)
26th district (2022–present)
Mayor of Campbell
In office
December 1, 2009 – December 1, 2014
Preceded byMichael Kotowski
Succeeded byJeff Cristina
Personal details
Born (1983-06-05) June 5, 1983
San Jose, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationDe Anza College (AA)
San Jose State University (BA)
Evan Low
Traditional Chinese羅達倫
Simplified Chinese罗达伦

Evan Low (born June 5, 1983) is an American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly.[1] He is a Democrat representing the 26th Assembly District, which encompasses parts of the Northern CA South Bay and Silicon Valley, including Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and portions of northern and western San Jose. He is a member of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus (and served as chair from 2017 to 2018 and 2021 to 2022), and currently serves as Chair of the California Asian American & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.

Prior to his election in the Assembly in 2014, Low served as Mayor and City Councilmember in Campbell, California. On January 15, 2020, Low was named national co-chair of the Andrew Yang for president campaign.[2]

Early life

Low was born in San Jose, California, on June 5, 1983, to Chinese American optometrist Arthur Low. Low grew up in San Jose, California, and attended Leland High School. In 2003, Low moved to Campbell, California.[3][4][5]

Low earned an associate's degree from De Anza College, a community college in Cupertino, California, and a bachelor's degree in political science from San Jose State University.[4][5]

Campbell City Council

In 2004, Low unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the City Council, but he ran again in 2006 and won in his second attempt. Low worked as a senior district representative for California's former 28th State Assembly district Assemblymember Paul Fong.[3][4]

When his colleagues selected him to become Campbell mayor in 2009, Low became the youngest openly gay, Asian American Mayor in the nation.[6]

In 2013, his colleagues on the Campbell City Council selected him to serve as Mayor for a second time.[7] His term on the council expired in 2014.

California Assembly

In 2014, Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins appointed Low as Assistant Majority Whip.[8] Low was kept in the same leadership role by Atkins's successor, Speaker Anthony Rendon, in 2016.[9]

Low chaired the California Assembly Business and Professions Committee from March 2016 until November 2021, when he was removed without explanation by Speaker Anthony Rendon. Low was replaced by Marc Berman.[10][11]

Low is a co-founder and co-chair of the California Legislative Tech Caucus.[12] There are 24 members of the Tech Caucus.[13]

In 2016, Low introduced AB 1887 that would ban all California state-funded travel to states that enacted laws to discriminate against individuals based upon sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, that was supported by U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.[12] The California state-funded travel ban was replaced in 2023 with an advertising campaign.[14]

In 2016, New York Magazine identified Low as a potential United States presidential candidate in 2024 along with nine other young Democrats who, like Obama, have unusual ambition.[15]

In the 2017–2018 session, The Sacramento Bee identified Low as California's most prolific lawmaker, where he had the most bills signed by any member of the state legislature by Governor Jerry Brown.[16] He has also been credited with driving the future of Uber and Lyft in the California State Legislature.[17]

In 2019, Low introduced AB-57, which would allow candidates with birth names in character-based languages—such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean—to use those names in voter requested translated ballots. Previously, candidates such as Fiona Ma have had transliterated versions of their name (e.g. Fei O Na Ma) appear on translated ballots. The bill also required candidates without character based birth names to phonetically translate their names on translated ballots, unless they prove that they are known under a different name within the target community. AB-57 was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in July 2019 and went into effect in 2020.[18]

In 2023 in SB 815, Language added by Low in AB 2098, was removed from California Law due to concerns it was unconstitutional being tested in Court. Judge William B. Shubb prevented any doctors from being punished during the one year the "anti-misinformation" language was on the books. [19]

2014 California State Assembly

California's 28th State Assembly district election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Evan Low 30,807 39.7
Republican Chuck Page 20,895 26.9
Democratic Barry Chang 19,156 24.7
Republican Michael Hunsweck 6,732 8.7
Total votes 77,590 100.0
General election
Democratic Evan Low 71,239 59.4
Republican Chuck Page 48,645 40.6
Total votes 119,884 100.0
Democratic hold

2016 California State Assembly

California's 28th State Assembly district election, 2016
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Evan Low (incumbent) 83,038 71.5
Republican Nicholas Sclavos 33,154 28.5
Total votes 116,192 100.0
General election
Democratic Evan Low (incumbent) 136,547 70.0
Republican Nicholas Sclavos 58,641 30.0
Total votes 195,188 100.0
Democratic hold

2018 California State Assembly

California's 28th State Assembly district election, 2018
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Evan Low (incumbent) 77,011 70.8
Republican Michael L. Snyder 31,776 29.2
Total votes 108,787 100.0
General election
Democratic Evan Low (incumbent) 130,815 71.1
Republican Michael L. Snyder 53,195 28.9
Total votes 184,010 100.0
Democratic hold

2020 California State Assembly

California's 28th State Assembly district election, 2020
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Evan Low (incumbent) 96,976 71.1
Republican Carlos Rafael Cruz 32,136 23.5
No party preference Sam Ross 7,350 5.4
Total votes 136,462 100.0
General election
Democratic Evan Low (incumbent) 166,733 71.6
Republican Carlos Rafael Cruz 65,976 28.4
Total votes 232,709 100.0
Democratic hold

2022 California State Assembly

After redistricting added Campbell to Assemblymember Marc Berman's district, Low announced he would run in the new 26th district spanning Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and Santa Clara.[20]

California's 26th State Assembly district election, 2022[21]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Evan Low (incumbent) 45,916 66.9
Republican Tim Gorsulowsky 16,289 23.7
Democratic Long Jiao 6,434 9.4
Total votes 68,639 100.0
General election
Democratic Evan Low (incumbent) 81,595 74.0
Republican Tim Gorsulowsky 28,616 26.0
Total votes 136,462 100.0
Democratic hold

Honors

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom issued a Proclamation naming June 5, 2006, “Evan Low Day” in the City and County of San Francisco.[6][22][23]

Assemblymember Low has been named "Legislator of the Year" by the Internet Association, TechNet, The Computing Technology Industry Association, California Faculty Association, Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, California District Attorneys Association and Faculty Association of California Community Colleges.[24][25][26]

Legislative Voting Records and Affirmative Action Policies 2014-2023

Low's voting record includes support for significant bills such as SCA5 in 2014,[27] Proposition 16 in 2020,[28] and more recently, ACA7 in 2023.[29] These measures, focusing on affirmative action, have elicited various responses due to their perceived impacts across communities.[30][31][32][33][34]

In 2023, Low's backing of ACA7 reignited discussions around affirmative action.[33] ACA7 proposes "amendments to California's Proposition 209,[32] added to the state constitution in 1996 to prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin....".[32] While Proposition 209 arose in response to concerns about favoritism in government policies, ACA7 suggests allowing the Governor to make "exceptions" to Proposition 209 under specific conditions.[32]

This legislative effort, however, has met with criticism.[30][31][32][35][33] Opponents argue that ACA7 potentially undermines Proposition 209's principles by permitting exceptions based on research findings, fearing a reintroduction of discrimination in various forms.[33] In contrast, proponents of ACA7 advocate for the flexibility to address systemic inequalities.[34]

References

  1. ↑ "Election results, Santa Clara County, November 2014". The Mercury News. November 4, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Bay Area Reporter :: Gay CA Assemblyman Low to co-chair Yang presidential campaign".
  3. 1 2 McLaughlin, Ken (December 7, 2009). "Campbell picks young, gay mayor". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 Jones, Carolyn (December 2, 2009). "Young, gay Asian becomes mayor of Campbell". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Campbell Council Expected To Elect Country's Youngest Openly Gay Mayor". KTVU. December 1, 2009. Archived from the original on December 16, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  6. 1 2 Vongsarath, Chris (2009-12-02). "Campbell's Evan Low sworn in as youngest Asian-American, openly gay mayor in the country". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2015-06-24. ... following in the footsteps of his father, Dr. Art Low, a former Campbell Chamber of Commerce President and the 1994 Citizen of the Year.
  7. ↑ Babcock, Brian (January 3, 2013). "Evan Low says he'll focus on 'issues that unite us'". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved April 24, 2013. [Low] wanted to become a teacher, while his father Arthur wanted him to take over his optometry business.
  8. ↑ White, Jeremy (November 25, 2014). "California Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins announces leadership team". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  9. ↑ White, Jeremy (March 10, 2016). "Speaker Rendon names new California Assembly committee chairs". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Ch-Ch-Changes: New Assembly Leadership, Committee Swaps". California State Association of Counties. March 11, 2016.
  11. ↑ Alaban, Lloyd (November 22, 2021). "San Jose Spotlight: Silicon Valley Lawmaker'S Committee Removal Sparks Outrage".
  12. 1 2 Miller, Cheryll (October 13, 2015). "State Lawmakers Form Tech Caucus". The Recorder. ALM Media Properties, LLC. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  13. ↑ Bajko, Matthew (April 7, 2016). "Political Notebook: Pelosi backs CA banning travel to stateswith anti-LGBT laws". Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  14. ↑ https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article279311914.html
  15. ↑ Cogan, Marin (February 25, 2016). "Is There a 'Next Obama' on the Democratic Party Bench?". New York Magazine. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  16. ↑ "The Sacramento Bee".
  17. ↑ "Meet the man driving the future of Uber and Lyft in the California Legislature - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. 16 June 2017.
  18. ↑ Bollag, Sophia (July 18, 2019). "California candidates can use foreign language birth names on ballots under new law". Sacramento Bee.
  19. ↑ Bollag, Sophia (October 7, 2023). "Gov. Newsom signs bill repealing doctor-muzzling COVID misinformation law he signed a year ago". Santa Cruz Sentinel.
  20. ↑ Hase, Grace (December 27, 2021). "Evan Low to run in new Assembly district". Mercury News. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Statewide Election Results :: California Secretary of State".
  22. ↑ "Evan Low | Asian Pacific American Political Database | Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies". Archived from the original on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  23. ↑ Elias, Jennifer (2010-02-04). "New Campbell mayor credits much of his success to SJSU". Spartan Daily. San Jose State University. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2015-06-24. Low said he was rejected from every major college he applied.
  24. ↑ "Low Named 2017 Legislator of the Year by Tech Association". 15 March 2017.
  25. ↑ "CFA honors legislators dedicated to helping protect, propel higher education in the state - California Faculty Association". www.calfac.org. Archived from the original on 2016-02-11.
  26. ↑ "Political Spotlight: Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell) | FACCC". www.faccc.org. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11.
  27. ↑ "California ACA5 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session". LegiScan. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  28. ↑ "Vote Smart | Facts For All". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  29. ↑ "Bill Votes - ACA-7 Government preferences: programs: exceptions". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  30. 1 2 Board, The Editorial (2023-08-30). "Opinion | Reviving Racial Preferences in California". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  31. 1 2 "A Sneaky Effort in California to Make Racial Preferences Okay Again". National Review. 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 McGurn, William (2024-01-01). "Opinion | Making Discrimination OK Again". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  33. 1 2 3 4 "ACA 7 would create a pathway for affirmative action in California". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  34. 1 2 "Assemblyman Defies Constituents by Supporting Affirmative Action". spectrumnews1.com. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  35. ↑ "No on ACA-7". No on ACA-7. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
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