On Dec. 6, Betty Yee was sworn into office as acting board member of the state Board of Equalization (BOE), representing the First District. She hopes to complete the remainder of former BOE member Carol Migden’s term and run for the seat in 2006.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could unseat the former deputy state finance director and nominate an individual who will require confirmation by both Democratic-controlled houses of the Legislature. Already, the newly inaugurated state Sen. Migden has pledged to make sure that her former chief deputy Yee is the only one confirmed to a board split among three Democrats and two Republicans. Yee joins Chairman John Chiang as the second Asian Pacific American. Coincidentally, Chiang, Matt Fong and now Yee were all board appointments.
The BOE administers the sales, special taxes and environmental fee programs, generating over $40 billion for the state. The BOE First District covers 21 counties in Northern and Central California, from Del Norte County to Santa Barbara County.
“I am honored to serve as the acting board member for the First District and will be a responsible steward of the state’s revenues,” said Yee, who has more than 17 years of experience in state and local finance. She will be the first Asian American woman on the board.
A native of San Francisco, Yee is the oldest child of six children born to immigrant parents from Canton, China, who owned a laundromat and dry cleaners in the Parkside District for 30 years. She grew up speaking no English at home and, when not in school, often worked as a translator between her parents and their business vendors.
Yee credits her work ethic to her parents, who never closed the business other than on Sundays and holidays and never took vacations. They inspired all of their children to do well in school. All six are college graduates, and three have advanced degrees. Yee has a B.A. in sociology from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in public administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.