Meet the Candidates for Governor: Betty Yee

The race for Governor of California is only getting more and more exciting! This year will be filled with many more surprises to come, so stay up-to-date by attending Manny's series of town halls with each candidate, moderated by Politico Reporter Dustin Gardiner.

Next up is Betty Yee, Former California State Controller!

See below for free tickets!

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Betty Yee is the former California State Controller. She was elected in November 2014, following two terms of service on the California Board of Equalization, the nation's only elected tax commission. Re-elected in 2018 for a second term as Controller earning the highest number of votes of any candidate nationwide that year --- over 8 million votes --- Betty was the 10th woman elected to statewide office in California's history.

As Chief Fiscal Officer of the world’s then-fifth largest economy, Betty, among other responsibilities, served as a member of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) boards, whose combined portfolio reached $800 billion. She led the work at both pension funds that culminated in the funds' net zero pledges.

Betty served on dozens of boards, commissions, and financing authorities affecting policies ranging from land management, affordable housing, and alternative transportation to crime victim compensation and health and educational facilities.

As Chair of the State Lands Commission, she provided stewardship of public-trust lands, waterways, and marine resources through economic development, protection, preservation, and restoration consistent with the state’s environmental needs. In this capacity, she spearheaded, among other things, the shuttering of the last state oil platform on the Santa Barbara channel. As a member of several housing financing entities, Betty sponsored legislation to streamline the state's housing finance programs and called for stricter accountability over state funds directed towards addressing homelessness. Over her eight years as Controller, she and her audit team uncovered $7.5 billion in unallowed spending.

With close to four decades of experience in public service specializing in state and local finance and tax policy, Betty earned a BA in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a MPA from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ceres, a national sustainability organization, and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.

After her service as State Controller, Betty served as a Fellow with the University of Southern California Dornsife Center for the Political Future where she led a discussion and study group on the relationship of good governance and the health of our democracy. Betty is a declared candidate for Governor.

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Dustin Gardiner is a reporter at Politico that has covered state and national politics from California, Arizona and D.C. for 16 years.

He previously covered state politics for the San Francisco Chronicle, including from Washington where he tracked California's congressional delegation during President Donald Trump's first impeachment. Prior to moving to California, he spent a decade with The Arizona Republic, where he covered state and city politics.

Dustin’s awards include first place honors in both the newsletter category and for daily Capitol beat coverage from the Sacramento Press Club in 2024 and 2023, and the “story of the year” award from the Arizona Newspapers Association in 2017.

Dustin lives in San Francisco and is a member of NLGJA, the association of LGBTQ journalists.

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