About
Daniel Moon-Sung Chung
(정문성)
Daniel Chung is a public servant who fights tirelessly for justice for victims and defendants. He has dedicated his entire legal career to criminal prosecution in New York City and Silicon Valley. He is committed to transforming the criminal justice system in Santa Clara County.
Daniel is a proud Korean American. He was born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from South Korea who eventually moved the family to the San Francisco Bay Area. Daniel spent most of his childhood growing up in Milpitas and considers Santa Clara County his home community.
The product of both public and private education, Daniel attended John Sinnott Elementary School, Valley Christian Junior High School, and Bellarmine College Preparatory. He is a firm believer in the power and promise of education, especially for youth. Before becoming a prosecutor, Daniel spent years teaching and mentoring hundreds of students.
Public service runs in the family. Daniel’s father served in the U.S. Navy and was a federal law enforcement officer (Special Agent for the IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division). Unfortunately, after struggling with mental health issues, Daniel’s father committed suicide when Daniel was 8 years old.
Daniel’s mother was a homemaker who raised Daniel and his younger brother with the assistance of Daniel’s maternal grandmother. Daniel credits his mother and his maternal grandmother—two strong female role models in his life—for teaching him to be fearless and loving.
Daniel’s core values were shaped during his childhood and young adulthood after his father’s death. He recognized the concrete realities of mental health struggles and racism. He saw firsthand the hardships of broken families and single parenting. He experienced the overwhelming burdens of debt and losing his childhood home to mortgage foreclosure.
After graduating from high school, Daniel spent a decade on the East Coast. He attended Harvard College on a full need-based scholarship and studied Government and English. While attending college, Daniel worked numerous jobs throughout summers and school years to support himself and his family.
Wanting to become a trial attorney and a fearless advocate for others, Daniel attended Columbia Law School on student loans. There, while juggling multiple part-time jobs, Daniel visited Rikers Island and defended indigent Harlem residents in Manhattan Criminal Court, and also learned trial skills from federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.
While living in Harlem, Daniel began his legal career as a prosecutor in the Bronx. As an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, Daniel specialized in felony gun crimes, presenting countless cases to grand juries and fighting to keep guns off the streets and communities safe.
After several years, Daniel returned to Silicon Valley and continued prosecuting serious and violent crimes in the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. In Santa Clara County, Daniel specialized in prosecuting domestic violence and violent felonies. In 2020, Daniel received the office’s Robert L. Webb Award for his strong trial advocacy.
Daniel’s life experiences have helped mold him into a more resilient and empathetic leader. He is guided by his Christian faith and believes that every life has value and meaning and is worth redeeming. He believes that everybody deserves second chances and that justice can also be compassionate and merciful.
If elected the next District Attorney of Santa Clara County, Daniel promises to serve and protect our community tirelessly. He hopes to restore justice in Santa Clara County by fighting for public safety, victims’ rights, and systemic changes. He also hopes that justice will bring restoration and renewal to both victims and defendants.