Meet Aidan Chao: Reclaiming Politics for the People

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Aidan Chao

In his early high school years, Aidan Chao found himself drawn to local Californian politics following a series of burglaries in his predominantly Asian neighborhood of Arcadia. With the community shaken up and neighbors concerned about rising crime across the region, Chao did what most barely-teenagers wouldn’t think of. He called the mayor, April Verlato. Thinking, like most, that a secretary would pick up or he would get the answering machine, Chao was incredibly surprised when Verlato answered the phone herself.

“For me, her picking up the phone was the moment that I saw politics through a micro rather than macro,” Chao said, “that we as constituents can and should be engaged with local leaders who are genuine in their passion for improving the community and representing us effectively.”

Like many other jaded Californians, Chao did not necessarily believe politics were made to be accessible to the average citizen, especially where he grew up. As Chao mentioned, in his community, most neighbors didn’t ever think to contact the police or the government. “It was always what can we do about it,” Chao said.

However, since that cold call to the mayor in 2019, Chao began realizing a new mission in his life–bringing politics back to the people.

Entering the Political Arena

Chao recalls then calling Mayor Verlato in the summer of 2022, hoping to get further involved in the Californian political sphere. She led him to Wes Hallman, a Republican running for Congress in the 28th district, a solidly Democratic district. After interning on that ultimately unsuccessful campaign, Chao remembers the energy associated with grassroots politics. Even though the campaign only raised about $100,000, Chao saw the inner workings of politics and the impact that politicians who legitimately care can have on the community.

So, he kept going.

At age 16, Chao became Chairman of the Los Angeles County Taxpayers Association, spearheading the group in order to make Californians’ relationship with the government more effective and responsible. Learning as he went along, he built the organization with a local-oriented spirit.

But he didn’t stop there. He knew he wanted to see local politicians do more.

“You need to actually be connected with the people,” Chao said. “You have to be out there at all events. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking to five constituents or 500 constituents. You’re not a good local politician if you’re not attending every event.”

After witnessing first-hand the importance of communication and attendance for local politicians, Chao founded a non-profit aimed at politician accountability. CALHaven, an expansive coalition of over 110 statewide officials, ensures that politicians are accessible to their constituencies.

“I’m not trying to reinvent politics,” Chao said. “I’m trying to return it to what it should be: responsive, effective, and grounded in real life”.

Grounded in Community, Not Partisanship

Now as a rising sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, Chao manages his nonprofit and the Los Angeles Taxpayers Association. Unlike the current moment, filled with media spirals, Chao sees politics as something that warrants solutions not polarization. Now, he’s involved in a multitude of political capacities–fundraising hundreds of thousands for Republican and Democratic local campaigns that impact his community directly, running larger-scale Republican campaigns, and working across party lines.

“What motivates me is a drive to make my local community better,” Chao said, “so that I and other Californians can hopefully raise a family here. I want to give back to the future generation and create a sustainable way of life here [in California].”

Long-term, Chao sees himself in California, advocating for day-to-day issues that affect Arcadia, his hometown, and the rest of the state, including water management, mental health issues, homelessness, gas prices, drug usage, economic prosperity, and more. As he noted, California has a lot to reckon with and solve, especially when it comes to crime and safety, coupled with the fact that southern California police officers are wounded and shot disproportionately while on duty.

“I care about making California livable again—for families, for entrepreneurs, for retirees,” Chao said.  “On the economic front, we’ve taxed and regulated people to the point of exhaustion. I want to see a return to growth that rewards work and innovation. And beyond all that, I care about civic leadership that actually earns trust—not by pandering, but by delivering results.”

As Chao gets going on discussing issues facing Californians, the list seems limitless. Whether it’s new controversy surrounding even owning a gas heater or searching for solutions on resource management, Chao knows there’s much to be done. However, he doesn’t think fleeing California, as seen with the state’s recent population drain, solves any issues.

Staying to Fight for California

Chao’s message to Californians is short and sweet. “Don’t leave,” he said.

From Chao’s point of view, the only way to stop the California exodus is to get to work. After all, as he noted, the American people can’t keep running. Speaking to Californians, he spoke proudly about recent successes electing moderate Republican candidates to positions with Los Angeles. With these efforts, Chao sees hope. He believes that as Californians stand their ground, politicians will be forced to act on behalf of the people.

“Most people in California don’t vote,” Chao said. “But more than that, most people don’t get involved in politics. The only way to fix [California] is if people stay.”

Chao believes that most issues facing Californians ultimately come back to the political mission that drives him: political accountability. According to Chao, one of the biggest solutions to fixing California–a state of natural beauty, history, and economic opportunity–is to stay and be active in politics. On a local level, Chao said, Californians need to speak up in a way that forces politicians to react.

“The louder the voice of the people gets, the more that we’ll see change.”

Aidan Chao pictured with the District Attorney, Nathan J. Hochman. Chao worked closely on Hochman's campaign, referring to his election as "one of the most important moments" in Chao's career so far.
  • Chloe Wellington Hunt is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her B.A. in English (summa cum laude) with minors in Political Science and Hispanic Studies. While at Penn, she committed herself to bipartisan politics and was a founding editor of The Pennsylvania Post, a new collegiate newspaper aimed at unbiased, fresh journalism. Chloe has interned with the U.S. House of Representatives, the Independent Women’s Forum, and Fundación Libertad y Progreso in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her work spans journalism, research, and political commentary, and she brings a global, multilingual perspective shaped by fieldwork in Paris, Buenos Aires, and small towns across France and Germany.

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