Lanhee Chen
Lanhee Chen (Republican Party) ran for election for California Controller. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Chen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Lanhee Chen was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1999. His career experience includes working as a Stanford University professor and researcher at the Hoover Institution. Chen was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as a member of the Social Security Advisory Board.
Chen has served with the following organizations:[1]
- El Camino Health, chair of the board and member of the Compliance and Audit Committee
- The Asian American Foundation, advisory committee member
- Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, board member
- David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public Policy Studies, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
- Director of Domestic Policy Studies and Lecturer in Public Policy, Stanford University
Elections
2022
See also: California Controller election, 2022
General election
General election for California Controller
Malia Cohen defeated Lanhee Chen in the general election for California Controller on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Malia Cohen (D) | 55.3 | 5,936,856 | |
| Lanhee Chen (R) | 44.7 | 4,789,345 | ||
| Total votes: 10,726,201 | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California Controller
The following candidates ran in the primary for California Controller on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Lanhee Chen (R) | 37.2 | 2,533,305 | |
| ✔ | Malia Cohen (D) | 22.7 | 1,542,397 | |
| Yvonne Yiu (D) | 15.1 | 1,024,707 | ||
| Steve Glazer (D) | 11.1 | 756,518 | ||
| Ron Galperin (D) | 10.1 | 690,484 | ||
| Laura Wells (G) | 3.8 | 258,053 | ||
| Total votes: 6,805,464 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2022
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released Jul 6, 2021 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lanhee Chen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Chen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a leader, problem-solver and educator. I’ve built my career on tackling some of California and America’s biggest fiscal policy challenges. I was raised in Southern California and am the son of immigrants from Taiwan. After earning four degrees from Harvard University, including a law degree and doctorate in political science, I served in senior roles in both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations.
Today, I teach at Stanford University, where I also conduct research at the Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank. I have helped leaders in California and around the country develop policies to address some of our society’s most pressing problems—like improving our health care system, saving Social Security, and growing our economy. My writings have appeared in America’s biggest newspapers and I have frequently shared my ideas on television news programs across America.
I built my own small business, which provides advice on fiscal and other policy issues to leaders in the public and private sectors. I am an investor who works with entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses and create jobs. I am currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of El Camino Health, a health care system in my community.
- The Controller is California’s independent fiscal watchdog. That means that I won’t need the legislature or governor’s permission to audit state and local agencies and programs. As Controller, I will use my audit authority aggressively and frequently, particularly in examining state programs that may be ripe for fraud and abuse. Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, is just one example. The number of Californians enrolled in the program has increased by about 50 percent since 2014, but the Controller’s Office has only periodically reviewed its operations. And that’s just one example. There are many others, from high-speed rail to California’s fraud-ridden unemployment insurance program, that taxpayers deserve to know more about.
- As Controller, I will hold policy makers accountable for keeping the promises they make. For too long, the one-party monopoly in Sacramento has resulted in politicians protecting one another rather than being accountable to taxpayers. This is particularly important as we consider the challenges that we faced during the recent pandemic. California taxpayers deserve answers to questions like how tens of billions of dollars in federal assistance during the pandemic were spent. And whether school districts are actually using the funding they’ve received to help get our kids back into the classroom safely. These are the sorts of questions that, as Controller, I will answer on behalf of taxpayers.
- The Controller’s Office was unable to disclose to the public where each one of the roughly 50 million payments it made—totaling over $300 billion in 2018 alone—went. The state’s comprehensive financial reporting system, FI$Cal, was supposed to be finished already, but is over-budget, late, and expected to lack some of the functions that were originally promised. As Controller, I will put an end to the Sacramento excuses and produce results. I will leverage the innovation and technology we have in our state to ensure that taxpayers have access to a best-in-class system to see these payments and understand exactly how their money is being spent.
I have a deep passion for fiscal responsibility, transparency, and government accountability. I believe that sunshine is the best disinfectant, and if we give Californians true and full transparency into how their tax dollars are spent, they will demand a more accountable and efficient state government. As Controller, I will put an end to the Sacramento excuses and produce results. I will use my audit authority to carefully examine all state and relevant local spending and leverage the innovation we have in our state to ensure that taxpayers have access to a best-in-class system to see details about all outgoing state payments.
The Controller has the ability to audit any program of state government, and any local program that spends state funds.
With my deep experience in policy making, academia and business, and a strong belief in the values of fiscal responsibility, transparency, and independence, I believe I have the background to successfully serve as California’s next State Controller. After earning four degrees from Harvard University, including a law degree and doctorate in political science, I served in senior roles in both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations, working directly on fiscal issues like Social Security and health care. I have been a highly sought-after voice on fiscal policy issues for many years and my commentary has appeared in major newspapers across the country and on television networks in the US and around the world.
My approach is decidedly non-ideological, and pragmatic, while my personal background demonstrates success in working with leaders from all parts of the political spectrum. I have experience leading large teams across multiple sectors. I believe in leading by example, delegating where appropriate, and working closely with experts within and outside of government to ensure we are instituting best practices. I do not believe in silos on the teams I lead, and will foster an inclusive and respectful environment in the State Controller’s office. I lead by example, demonstrate the work ethic I expect of those who work with me, and keep my team organized and on the same page. At the same time, I find the strengths in my team members and give everyone an opportunity to thrive in their individual roles.
The California State Controller is the chief fiscal and financial officer of our state. The Controller has the ability to audit any program of state government, and any local program that spends state funds. I believe that to bring order to California’s fiscal house, the Controller must be devoted to radical transparency and fiercely independent. It is not enough to simply rubber stamp government spending and get the money out the door. The controller should be using the office to aggressively audit programs to make sure that taxpayers are getting value for their money, not just throwing good money after bad.
The Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. It happened on my dad’s birthday in 1986 and I was 7 at the time.
Three-Ring Circus, by Jeff Pearlman. I am a rabid Los Angeles Lakers fan and this book tells the story of Lakers teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as well as players from that era who I followed closely, like Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
The Controller’s office maintains an online database of unclaimed property held by the state of California. Unclaimed property includes uncashed checks, wages, stocks, safe deposit boxes and insurance benefits, among other things. As of 2021 the state was holding $9.3 billion in unclaimed property.
With my deep experience in government, academia and business, and a strong belief in the values of fiscal responsibility, transparency, and independence, I am a natural fit for the position of California State Controller. After earning four degrees from Harvard University, including a law degree and doctorate in political science, I served in senior roles in both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations, working directly on fiscal issues like Social Security and health care. I have been a highly sought-after voice on fiscal policy issues for many years and my commentary has appeared in major newspapers across the country and on television networks in the US and around the world.
I currently teach at Stanford University, where I have also conducted research at the Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank. I built my own small business, which focuses on providing advice on fiscal and other public policy issues to leaders in both the public and private sectors. I have been a private equity and venture capital investor who works with entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses and create new jobs. I am currently the Chairman and serve on the Compliance and Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of El Camino Health, a Northern California health care system.
Not only do these experiences uniquely qualify me for this office, but they are a necessary expertise for a successful California Controller to have.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
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Candidate California Controller |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 28, 2022
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State of California Sacramento (capital) |
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