RIP Wilma Chan: 1st Asian-American Alameda Co. supervisor, majority leader

ALAMEDA, Calif. - Wilma Chan's last Facebook post was one day before her death; she advertised a public forum on ICE transfers. 

The post before that, she invited the community to learn about construction opportunities, and the post before that, she told her constituents how to get flu shots. In June, she stood with political powerhouses at Beast Mode Barber Shop to promote shopping at Black-owned businesses. 

But the 72-year-old Alameda County supervisor will no longer be able to host any kind of forum or post any event on social media. 

She died Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a car earlier in the morning. She had been out walking her dog, Maggie, at Shoreline Driver near Grand Street in Alameda.

She suffered a severe head injury, her office said, and died at Highland Hospital, a medical facility she had long championed in her political role. 

Alameda police say the driver remained on the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. 

On Thursday, people dropped flowers off at the spot where she died. At a county building on Oak Street, a flag was lowered to half staff and a bouquet of flowers with the message, "RIP Wilma" was placed a doorway.

"What I’m feeling at the moment is a deep loss," said Tuere Anderson of Alameda. "Supervisor Chan worked so diligently throughout here career for kids, families, kids living below the poverty line. She was very committed to poverty and health and those are big shoes to fill."

Deborah White also stopped by to pay her respects. 

"She was really an advocate for Alameda and for safety, White said. "And so the deep irony of this is just tragic."

She leaves behind two children and two grandchildren; her family has asked for privacy as they grieve. 

MORE: Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan struck by car and killed while walking dog

In August, Chan wrote on Facebook how honored she was to stand with Gov. Gavin Newsom at La Clinica de la Raza's pop-up COVID clinic, which she touted as a "key partner in Alameda County's work towards health equity." 

Chan was the first Asian-American Alameda County supervisor, a position to which she was elected in 1994. She later served in the state Assembly from 2000 to 2006, and was the first Asian-American Assembly majority leader.

In 2010, she ran again, and won her former seat on the Board of Supervisors, where she served until her death. She represented Alameda, San Leandro, and part of Oakland, as well as the unincorporated communities of San Lorenzo, Hayward Acres and a portion of Ashland.

"She was not only the first Asian American elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, but she was also the first woman and the first Asian American to serve as State Assembly Majority Leader," state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) wrote in a statement. Skinner also credited Chan with saving San Leandro Hospital. 

In her 30 years of service, Chan was a staunch advocate for children, families, the elderly, affordable housing and health care for the uninsured, her office said. 

Alameda County Supervisor President Keith Carson, a longtime friend and colleague, said he was in a "state of shock."

"She was so full of energy and and she exuberated that energy to everybody around her you know, and she was sensitive and thoughtful and caring," he said.

Born in Boston to Chinese immigrant parents, Chan attended public schools, then received a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in administration and policy analysis from Stanford University. 

In a biographical video on her website, Chan said she did not envision herself holding office.

 "I didn't think about it," she said on the video. "I didn't think I was going to be able to do it."

But she met so many people who encouraged her.

"You have a passion for this," they told her. "And we need you to represent us."

KTVU staff contributed to this report.