He served on the Fullerton City Council (1984–2002) including three years as mayor, on the Orange County Board of Supervisors (2003–2010), on the California State Assembly (2010–2012).

[2] During his youth, Chris Norby played Little League baseball, Pop Warner football, and sang in the First Presbyterian Church children's choir.

As a teenager, Norby volunteered for Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign and worked as a guide at the Haunted Shack at the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park.

[1] Attending Fullerton Union High School, he played on the football and track teams and was elected Student Body President.

He was co-chair of Occidental's first Earth Day in 1970, elected to the Board of Governors (1970–71) co-founded the Omega Tau Rho fraternity and was active as a Yell Leader (1970–72).

[27] He worked directly with Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown for the reform and ultimate dissolution of state redevelopment agencies, ending decades of fiscal and eminent domain abuses.

[30][31][32] Norby also wrote Redevelopment: The Unknown Government, a book describing the distortions caused by the fiscalization of land use, eminent domain abuse, and sales tax competition that results in big-box stores, car dealerships, and sports teams receiving huge public subsidies.

[38][39][40][41] Norby introduced legislation in the Assembly to prohibit redevelopment agencies from using tax revenue to subsidize professional sports teams or their stadiums.

[43][44][45] Norby crossed party lines to partner with Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, in an eventually successful effort to abolish redevelopment agencies.