State Treasurer John Chiang will conduct a fundraising reception for his campaign for governor in Torrance Thursday, three days short of a year before the primary election.
Tickets are priced at $250-$2,500.
Chiang began what his campaign billed as a statewide listening tour Tuesday in Boyle Heights. The second stop was Wednesday in San Francisco, including meeting with a business owner and discussing education.
“As I run for governor, I will be traveling throughout the state to discuss our common concerns and shared dreams,” Chiang tweeted Wednesday.
Chiang officially began efforts to run for governor on May 17, 2016, when he opened an account to raise money for a campaign.
“I’m running for governor to make sure the future my parents provided for my family becomes a reality for the future of all California families,” Chiang told City News Service in February in response to a series of questions emailed to his campaign.
“As a child of immigrant parents, me and my siblings grew up in a much different time. My parents arrived in this country, each dreaming of a better future. While their determination and relentlessness led to a middle-class neighborhood with better schools, we still experienced bigotry, as the first Asian-American family on the block, but my parents never gave up on a better life for my family.”
The field to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown, who is barred from running for re- election in 2018 because of term limits, also includes Chiang’s fellow Democrats Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin.
Republican businessman John Cox has also announced his candidacy. Another Republican, former South Bay Assemblyman David Hadley, has established a fundraising committee, but said he has not made a decision about running.
Chiang was elected treasurer in 2014 after two terms as controller. He was first elected to the Board of Equalization in 1998. He began his career as a tax law specialist with the Internal Revenue Service and later was an attorney in the State Controller’s Office.