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April 23 - 29, 1998
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AsianWeek |
April 23 - 29, 1998
S.F. mourns the death of its first elected Asian American supervisor
BY BERT ELJERA
 |
| Gordon Lau served on the Board of Supervisors from 1977 to 1979. |
Gordon Lau, who in 1977 became San Francisco's first elected Asian American supervisor, died Sunday of heart failure. He was 56. Lau's two-year tenure on the Board of Supervisors, first as an appointee of Mayor George Moscone and then as an elected lawmaker, came after years of activism--and years of activism followed.
Born Aug. 22, 1941 in Honolulu, Lau came to San Francisco when he was 11. He attended St. Mary's elementary school and graduated from St. Ignatius High School. He earned his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of San Francisco.
In the '60s, Lau was already considered a trailblazer. He belonged to the Young Turks, a group of young Asian Americans who helped bring many social programs to communities.
After liberalized immigration laws in 1965 led to a surge in the Asian American population, Lau and his peers--among them Professor Ling Chi-Wang, Harold Yee and Superior Court Judge Lillian Sing--became advocates at a time when Asian Americans hardly had a voice in San Francisco politics.
"They challenged the old guards of Chinatown," said Supervisor Leland Yee, adding that Lau helped inspire Yee's own interest in politics.
Wang, now a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, started Chinese for Affirmative Action. Harold Yee formed Asian, Inc., a housing and economic development advocate, as well as several business associations.
In recognition of his community work, Moscone appointed Lau to the Board of Supervisors in 1977. Lau won the seat that same year and served two years before losing in the 1979 election.
While on the board, Lau sponsored important legislation, including rent control. He met opposition from many landlords, including Chinese Americans.
"It took a lot of courage for him to do that," said Henry Der. former executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action and now a deputy superintendent of the specialized program branch of the state Department of Education.
He said Lau was under intense pressure to back off, but he persevered. "He represented individuals grounded in addressing the needs of the poor," Der explained. "He exemplified the small guy and people who had no access to the system."
Der said Lau was also instrumental in opening the San Francisco Police Department to more minorities and women, and acquiring voting machines that allowed non-English-speaking citizens to vote.
Roland Quan, president of the Chinese American Democratic Club, a position Lau had held, said the former supervisor became a kind of statesman in his later years.
"He evolved from a young candidate to someone who could bring all sides together," said Quan, who served on Lau's two campaigns for the board.
He said Lau was a down-to-earth fellow who never forgot his roots. "One of his favorite stories was about how he worked as a garbage collector in San Francisco when he was a young man," Quan said. "He used to tell us he was the first Chinese American garbage collector," in the city.
"He was a hero way ahead of his time," said Judge Sing, adding that Lau's election to the Board of Supervisors signaled the arrival of Asian Americans to San Francisco politics.
She said until then, Asian Americans had tended to shy away from politicsand even sometimes from discussing their concerns publicly.
"We were young and were troublemakers," said Sing of their willingness to become advocates. "We were willing and had the courage to air out our dirty laundry in public."
After his two-year stint on the board, Lau remained active in Chinatown activities. In 1981, he was appointed by then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein as chairman of the San Francisco-Shanghai Sister City Committee.
He held the post until 1988. Ironically, his death came as the committee was preparing for the visit of Shanghai Mayor Xu Kuangdi this week.
Among his last political involvement was as an adviser and strategist for Proposition H, the initiative to retrofit the Central Freeway. It was approved by voters in November. He was also involved in the rebuilding of the St. Mary's Chinese School at the site of the old International Hotel on Kearny and Jackson streets.
Lau is survived by his mother, Elizabeth; his wife, Mary; daughters Stephanie, Dianne and Carolyn; and a brother, Clifford.
Visitation will be today at 6 p.m. at Old St. Mary's church on California Street in Chinatown. A vigil will follow at 7 p.m. A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the church; interment will follow at the Olivet Memorial Park in Colma.
Contributions may be sent to St. Mary's Chinese School and Center Building Fund, 910 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133.
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