Leon Chow: "I Was Homeless while Earning Six Figures"

Leon Chow channels Pinocchio

‘I was basically homeless.’

That, according to SEIU-UHW’s Leon Chow, is the reason why he apparently committed felony violations of voting laws described in yesterday’s edition of the San Francisco Appeal.

Homeless??

Gimme a break!  Unless, of course, Chow happens to be the first person in recorded history to be “homeless” while simultaneously earning more than $100,000 a year!

It turns out that from 2006 to 2011, Chow was paid an average of $108,000 a year by SEIU-UHW, according to union records filed with the US Department of Labor. In fact, here’s what Leon “I’m Homeless” Chow pocketed in 2011:  $111,179. (Click on the image below to enlarge it.)

Excerpt from SEIU-UHW's DOL Form LM-2 for 2011

And that’s not all. It turns out that Chow -- who's a member of SEIU-UHW's Executive Committee -- was somehow “homelessness” at the same time that he owned a condominium in Walnut Creek! Quite a trick, huh?

Hey Leon... Tasty has a humble suggestion:  Before making pathetically dishonest claims about your deprived existence, you might wanna spend some time reviewing the paychecks of the homecare workers whom you’re supposed to represent. Many of these workers earn less than $15,000 a year and have none of the Cadillac benefits that you enjoy.

So what’s next for Leon? 

Well, Chow may not be “homeless,” but he’s definitely been afflicted by the same foot-in-mouth disease that’s famously infected SEIU’s Dave Regan. We can all look forward to additional faceplants by Leon in the days ahead… especially when he undergoes questioning by the District Attorney and the Secretary of State’s Election Fraud Investigation Unit.

Stay tuned!

SEIU-UHW's Leon Chow in Media Spotlight... Soon!

Sources tell Tasty that a journalist has uncovered some revealing information about Leon Chow that promises to spark controvery in San Francisco's political world. Tasty hears an article containing the journalist's findings will be published in the next 24 hours.

Leon Chow is a top official at SEIU-UHW who's attempting to unseat John Avalos, one of the most progressive members of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. Chow's campaign -- which is being bankrolled by downtown business interests and SEIU-UHW -- is reportedly a central part of a strategy by Dave Regan and his business allies to dramatically alter the balance of power on San Francisco's Board of Supervisors by unseating progressives and replacing them with business-backed candidates.

As readers might imagine, Chow's candidacy has already sparked tons of controversy in San Francisco... and even inside SEIU. Tasty earlier reported on this internal email authored by officials at SEIU Local 1021, including former S.F. Supervisor Chris Daly. Local 1021 represents thousands of San Francisco's public employees. In the email, circulated last month, officials at Local 1021 described the harmful role that SEIU-UHW is playing in San Francisco's politics:

UHW’s political alliance with San Francisco business interests through the Alliance for Jobs has not just been an issue for Labor, it has been a problem for the entire progressive community. Since UHW’s trusteeship, victories for progressives in San Francisco have been few and far between. We don’t think that this timing is a coincidence. With Labor united, we face a very tough fight against downtown interests. With the City’s largest local on the other side, we stand hardly a chance.

Of course, Chow's business-funded campaign to unseat Sup. John Avalos is just the latest effort by the unholy alliance between SEIU-UHW's Dave Regan and his Big Business buddies. Fortunately, Tasty hears that a journalist has uncovered revealing details about Chow. Stay tuned! If Tasty's sources are right, the story should hit the streets in the next 24 hours. 

It's Election Day! SEIU and the Chamber of Commerce Get out the Vote!

A few weeks ago, Tasty shared with you that Trustee Extraordinaire Dave Regan is working against progressive candidates for the boss's organization, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce -- as part of the so-called "Alliance for Sustainable Growth."

Well, it's not just Dave. His pal Leon Chow is getting in on it, too! 

You remember Leon, right? Leon Chow has never found a principle he couldn't compromise as long as it advances his personal career. Before the trusteeship, when Chow was a staff member at SEIU-UHW, he signed letters to SEIU President Andy Stern opposing his planned trusteeship of SEIU-UHW. Chow also criticized SEIU as undemocratic and ultimately resigned his membership in SEIU in order to protest the trusteeship.

Then, just six days after the trusteeship, Chow executed a flip-flop of gigantic proportions by signing up for a high-paying job with SEIU's trustees so he could personally implement the trusteeship! And Chow, who formerly worked for HERE, worked side-by-side with SEIU operatives to launch a multi-million-dollar raid against his former union, UNITE HERE.

Chow also sits on the board of directors of the Chinese Progressive Association in San Francisco, which claims to push for "a progressive voice for working-class Chinese immigrants." In another giant flip-flop, Chow is now happily featuring his photo alongside the President of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce on campaign literature that attacks progressive candidates running for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. 

UHW-ChamberDoorHangerSteveMossSFSupeOct2010

Who's funding the so-called "Alliance for Sustainable Growth"? According to Beyond Chron: 

Besides SEIU-UHW, funding for the Alliance for Jobs and Sustainable Growth comes from the Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA), Building Owners Management Association (BOMA) and the Plumbers Union.

For those of you who remember the pre-trusteeship version of Leon Chow, he used to go head-to-head with the GGRA, the largest single donor to the failed fight against San Francisco's living wage laws.

Leon Chow's dizzying flip-flops are so extreme, it's hard to imagine what he'll do next. Tasty wouldn't be surprised if he ends up in the Human Resources Department of some big corporation... as long as it pays enough.