Betty Yee was sworn into office as acting board member of the state Board of Equalization (BOE) on December 6. She represents the First District to complete the remainder of former BOE member Carol Migden's term. But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may unseat her and nominate an individual who will require confirmation by both Democratic-controlled houses of the Legislature. 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. Chiang, Matt Fong, and Yee were all board appointments.
Yee is native of San Francisco, born to immigrant parents from Canton, China, who owned a laundromat and dry cleaners in the Parkside District for 30 years. She has a B.A. in sociology from UC Berkeley and an M.A. in public administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
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. (Source: Amy F.Shen, AsianWeek, Dec 31, 2004).