Meet David
Background, Education, and Experience
David Burke is a native Southern Californian and the son of two public school teachers. Growing up, David was a student-athlete who balanced academic achievement with his love of sports, playing soccer, baseball, basketball, and volleyball while earning exemplary grades. David earned a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA, and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law.
David has significant experience working in both government and business. After graduating from UCLA, David worked in the United States Congress for the House Committee on Ways and Means. While in law school David worked with the Los Angeles City Attorney to help prosecute slumlords who were guilty of code violations. He also worked at the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, going after corporations that were illegally taking advantage of consumers.
In addition to his work as an attorney, David has been an entrepreneur for over twenty-five years. He started his first business while still in high school, ran a successful event production company where he managed over 50 staff members and volunteers, and he currently runs a property management business.
Fighting For Good Government
In 2016 David founded Citizens Take Action, a nonprofit that is committed to getting big money out of politics and creating more responsive, transparent government. Citizens Take Action has fought for and helped win enhanced disclosure of campaign spending in state elections, and strengthened publicly financed elections in Los Angeles. In his time with Citizens Take Action, David is proud to have worked with both Republicans and Democrats to pursue shared goals and logical solutions.
To improve government in cities throughout Orange County, in 2022 David authored “Integrity In Local Government: A Report Card on Campaign Finance Laws and Transparency in Orange County Municipal Government.” The report card assesses every city in Orange County on the strength of their campaign finance laws and transparency of campaign finance data. Since 2022, David has written report cards for over 100 cities in California, and multiple cities have passed new laws in response to his recommendations.
Track Record As Council Member and Mayor
David was elected to the Cypress City Council in 2022, as the leading vote-getter out of seven candidates. He served as Mayor of Cypress in 2025. During his time on the council David has been a leader in strengthening the city’s financial position, improving parks, and restoring integrity to Cypress’s local government.
One of David’s first major initiatives was leading the effort to address Cypress’s unfunded pension liability, which at over $50 million, is the city’s largest debt. David supported and got a plan passed to accelerate the funding of the city’s pension trust so that we will be able to pay off the city’s entire unfunded liability before the end of the decade. That will put Cypress in a better position than over 90% of cities in California, and save our city millions over time.
David has also prioritized improving playgrounds in parks citywide. After learning that some of our playground equipment is not scheduled to be replaced until it is over 30 years old, David led an initiative to accelerate the replacement of playground equipment, add more shade where needed, and bring more unique amenities to our local parks. This plan will result in safer and more diverse and appealing playground equipment throughout the city.
In addition, David took significant steps to restore integrity to Cypress’s elections and improve transparency. In 2026, he proposed and got passed a new ordinance to fight back against shady special interest money in city elections. The law lowered campaign contribution limits and will require greater disclosure of the funding behind campaign ads, so voters will know who is really spending money to support certain candidates. David also supported bringing back virtual public comment, so residents can more easily participate in council meetings, and has consistently pushed for greater openness and disclosure of information to residents.
Family and Community
After moving to Cypress David became involved in city and county volunteer opportunities. He has served on the board of the Cypress Community Festival, and volunteered at the Senior Center and at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.
David lives in Cypress with his wife, son and daughter. In his free time David plays softball, hikes, and is an avid reader and writer. David and his family feel fortunate to call Cypress home and are excited to build a brighter future for the city.
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