Meet April
About April Chan
Bay Area native. First Asian American woman on the EBMUD Board. Community college graduate, Cal State East Bay MPA, former Congressional aide — and your Ward 7 director since 2023.
- Fairview home since 2010
- Cal State East Bay MPA
- Alameda County Fire Commissioner
- EBMUD Director, Ward 7
Her path to Ward 7
- RootsA grandfather who left the sugarcane fields of Hawaii and became one of the first Filipino pharmacists in the U.S.
- ConcordThe youngest of four in a Chinese and Filipino American family.
- EducationCommunity college, then a Cal State East Bay MPA.
- Public serviceCongressional Aide to U.S. Representative Barbara Lee.
- Fairview, 2010Home for more than 16 years.
- EBMUD, 2023Ward 7 Director, and the first Asian American woman on the board.
Family
A Family Built on Determination
April Chan’s story starts with a man who refused to accept the life he was given.
Her grandfather came to Hawaii from the Philippines as an indentured servant, contracted to work the sugarcane fields. He escaped after a single day. With no money, no connections, and no safety net, he built a new life — and went on to become one of the first Filipino pharmacists in the United States.
On her mother’s side, April’s grandfather had no formal education. He supported his family by selling fish from his truck on the Big Island. One of his sons would go on to become a Nobel Peace Prize candidate in 2017.
April grew up in Concord, the youngest of four children in a Chinese and Filipino American family. She learned early that opportunity doesn’t arrive on its own — you have to work for it, and when you get it, you use it to help others.
Education & service
From Community College to the Boardroom
April started her higher education at community college, working her way through school on student loans and scholarships. She earned her bachelor’s degree and then a Master of Public Administration from California State University, East Bay — becoming the first woman in her family to earn a graduate degree at a time when very few Filipino women in her community were pursuing graduate degrees.
That education led to a career in public service. April served as a Congressional Aide to U.S. Representative Barbara Lee, where she focused on federal infrastructure funding, emergency response coordination, and financial services — and was responsible for tracking approximately $1 billion in federal investments flowing into the congressional district. She has also managed family properties and served on multiple county commissions.
In 2014, the Filipino Women’s Network recognized April for her service and leadership in the San Francisco East Bay.
Home
Roots in Ward 7
Ward 7 isn’t a district to April. It’s home — 16 years in Fairview and counting.
April and her husband Dexter have lived in the Fairview community since 2010 — more than 16 years. Their son Kai went through Castro Valley schools and is now an Aerospace Software Engineer.
April’s community service has included roles as Chair of the Fairview Municipal Advisory Council (appointed by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors), Commissioner on the Alameda County Fire Advisory Commission, and Commissioner on the Alameda County Consumer Affairs Commission.
Why water
Why She Ran for EBMUD
No issue is more important for California than water.
No issue is more important for California than water. When April ran for EBMUD in 2022, the state was coming off a multi-year severe drought. She saw a board that needed fresh perspective, direct community engagement, and a willingness to ask hard questions.
She ran — and won — because she believed the people of Ward 7 deserved a director who would show up, listen, and fight for their interests. Three years later, she has a record to prove it.
April’s career has been rooted in strengthening public infrastructure and community resilience — experience that informed how she approaches water policy. At EBMUD, she focuses on maintaining and upgrading the water and wastewater infrastructure that millions of residents rely on every day, with particular attention to affordability for local families and fire-safety planning in the East Bay hills.
April made history as the first Asian American woman to serve on the EBMUD Board of Directors.
First term
A Record of Results
- 100/dayStopped a soil-dumping project that would have sent 100 trucks a day along Lake Chabot Road.
- $279MRaised constituent concerns that contributed to findings that about $279 million had moved between capital projects without public visibility, and pushed through the transparency reforms that changed how EBMUD manages public dollars.
- 6.5%Voted to cap rate increases at 6.5% to keep water affordable.
She has also helped advance EBMUD’s long-term water supply work: as the immediate past Chair of DERWA — the DSRSD/EBMUD Recycled Water Authority — April advanced regional recycled-water planning and helped initiate discussions to secure new water supplies, an increasingly important resource in drought-prone California.
Read April’s full record of accomplishments → What the board does and the communities Ward 7 covers → See April at work across the ward →
The work ahead
What She’s Fighting For
April is running for re-election because the work isn’t done. She’s focused on keeping water clean and affordable, investing in aging infrastructure, protecting the environment, and making sure every resident of Ward 7 has a voice at the table.
Current Service
- EBMUD Board of Directors, Ward 7 (elected November 2022)
- Committee service: Planning, Finance & Administration, Retirement Board, Legislative, Human Resources
- Board Member and Past Chair, DSRSD/EBMUD Joint Powers Authority (Water Recycling)
- Commissioner, Alameda County Fire Advisory Commission
- Commissioner, Alameda County Consumer Affairs Commission
Education
- Master of Public Administration, California State University, East Bay
- EBMUD Community Water Academy, inaugural class (2022)
Memberships
- AAPI Elected Officials Roundtable
- Castro Valley Democratic Club
- League of Women Voters
- Asian American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County
More coverage of April’s work is on the press page, including The Mercury News (June 2025).
April elsewhere: her official EBMUD director page · EBMUD’s 2023 announcement · Ballotpedia · VOTE411 · Facebook · LinkedIn · YouTube