Betty Yee is the second woman in California ’ s history to serve as state controller . Earlier in her career , Yee never imagined she ’ d run for office .
“ It ’ s a well-known fact that for women , they need to be asked to run for office . In my case , I was not asked . I actually made the decision on my own ,” says Yee . The notion didn ’ t come until Yee was serving as chief deputy to
Board of Equalization member Carole Migden — who left halfway through her term in 2004 when she was elected to the state Senate — and Yee assumed the duties until the next election .
In 2006 , Yee realized the other candidates hoping to fill the seat were all men who were less qualified than her , so she decided to run . She was elected to the Board of Equalization in 2006 , then reelected in 2010 . She was elected as California State Controller in 2014 and reelected in 2018 . Her second term will end in January 2023 .
Yee heads an agency of 1,400 employees that is responsible for California ’ s fiscal accountability and paying the state ’ s bills . Her team issues around 54 million payments per year , including state employee payroll , retirement benefits and payments to vendors doing business with the state . Yee has more than 35 years of professional experience in public finance and tax policy .
“ When I get really frustrated , and it seems like the world ’ s coming down on you , it ’ s better to be pissed off than pissed on . It ’ s OK to get mad , because things are gonna get us all frustrated and all worked up , but nobody should ever be trampling on us or taking advantage of us .”
Yee became familiar with taxes in fifth grade when her father handed her a cigar box full of papers and asked her to help file tax forms for the Board of Equalization for the family ’ s laundry and drycleaning business on the west side of San Francisco . Yee and her siblings each had some aspect of the business they were responsible for helping with , and Yee took on the books because she excelled in math . In addition to minding the family ’ s books , Yee also found herself acting as an ambassador . She was the child of Chinese immigrants and is a first-generation U . S . citizen . She was 13 years old when a group of closeknit Chinese-American families who couldn ’ t speak English sent her to the local school board to speak on their behalf regarding a busing program . “ The whole experience left an impression on me that I was an advocate for someone ,” says Yee . Yee went on to obtain a bachelor ’ s degree from UC Berkeley and a master ’ s degree in public administration from Golden Gate University .
Yee ’ s leadership is focused on elevating the talent in her agency . She strives to have her team describe her as “ decisive , clear , collaborative , visible and ethical .” Yee views leadership as collaboration , cultivating a culture where her employees can excel .
Navigating the pandemic has been challenging , but Yee feels her team hasn ’ t missed a beat . She describes the agency ’ s work as “ often invisible ” but believes they ’ ve been able to make an impact . In the summer of 2020 , her team launched Cal Employee Connect , a web-based portal that allows the state ’ s 298,000 employees to access payroll records online . It received the Best Application Serving an Agency ’ s Business Needs award by the The Best of California Awards program .
The deployment of Cal Employee Connect came when the pandemic was creating pressure to convert to virtual solutions to decrease in-person contact . “ I ’ m just so proud of them , because this is exactly the kind of productivity that I think people expect the government to be able to deliver . The timing could not be more appropriate ,” Yee says .
Eva Roethler is a freelance writer and the former special sections editor of Comstock ’ s . On Twitter @ EvaRoethler .
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