Ronald S.W. Lew, born in Los Angeles in 1941, used to serve as the judge of the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California and the first Chinese American federal judge outside of the State of Hawaii. Lew graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 1964 and received a Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law in 1971. Governor Jerry Brown appointed Lew to Judge of the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1982. Governor George Deukmejian appointed Lew to Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court in 1984.  President Ronald Reagan nominated Lew to a seat on the U.S. District Court in 1987. 

My grandfather came to this country with nothing, but through hard work and determination, he was able to make a life for himself and his family. He opened a small Chinese restaurant in Watts, California – working tirelessly, day in and day out. Growing up, I came to realize the discrimination and restrictions my grandfather and others faced – hostile laws such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prevented Asian Americans from voting, being hired by large corporations and even from owning land. Throughout my nearly 40 years in elected office, his story and the struggles he overcame have inspired and guided my work.

Lin Jianhai, former Secretary-General of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), concurrently serves as the Secretary-General of the IMF Council and the International Monetary and Financial Committee. Currently, he is the Vice Chairman of the International Finance Forum (IFF), Executive Director of the China Finance Forty Forum, Honorary Professor of the China Foreign Affairs University and the School of Economics of Beijing University, University of International Business and Economics, School of International Finance and Trade of Shanghai International Studies University and other universities, Member of the American Bretton Woods Commission.

Zhou Min is an academician of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S), tenured Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Mr. & Mrs. Wang Wensianng foundation for US-China Relations, Director of Asia Pacific Center, and distinguished Professor of Sociology at Zhejiang University, China. She received her BA in English and Literature from Sun Yat-Sen University, China in 1982. Later, she received her MA and PhD degrees in Sociology from the State University of New York at Albany respectively in 1985 and 1989.

My family immigrated to the United States from Taiwan when I was three and a half years old.  We settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where my parents sold gifts and jewelry at flea markets to make ends meet. Eventually, my parents were able to open and operate six gift stores, where my younger brother and I worked after school.

In 2012, with the trust of the voters, I was fortunate to be elected to serve as the Assembly Member for the 49th district. After 9 years of service, I'd like to reflect upon my journey in the California Legislature.

Fiona Ma, the 34th Treasurer of California, is the first female Chinese Treasurer in California history. In 1995, Fiona served as the representative of the White House Small Business Federation under President Bill Clinton. In 2002, Fiona was elected to the San Francisco City Council. She was also elected as the California House of Representatives in 2006 and served as the executive speaker of the California House of Representatives in 2010 (also translated as Deputy Speaker, Speaker pro Tempore). Fiona is the first Chinese-American woman ever to hold this position in the California Legislature. In 2015, Fiona was elected as a member of the California Department of Revenue, and as California Treasurer in 2018.