A message from Betty Yee.

Since January 2015, I have served as California’s chief fiscal officer. As Controller, I have led a team of more than 1,400 dedicated public servants who carry out the responsibilities for: state personnel and payroll; administration and disbursement of approximately 54 million payments to tax filers, local governments, vendors, and retirees; safeguarding unclaimed property and reuniting it with its owners; auditing all claims for payment and funds disbursed by the state; and accounting for and reporting on the financial condition of the state.

I also have had the opportunity to work with a group of deputy controllers who have applied their vast subiect matter expertise – individually and collaboratively – to advise and further my work as a member on dozens of boards and commissions, with jurisdiction over policy issues ranging from land management, affordable housing, and alternative transportation to crime victim compensation and health and educational facilities.

When I assumed the office of Controller in 2015, California became the 5th largest economy in the world, moving ahead of the United Kingdom, France, and Brazil. As I approach the end of my tenure as Controller, California is poised to become the world’s 4th largest economy, expected to soon surpass Germany. Yet even as a global economic powerhouse and the largest sub-national global economy, California remains challenged by, among other things, the high cost of housing, widening inequality, and the growing effects of climate change.

Guided by the belief that California’s economic health rests on the economic health of each among us, the perspectives I and my team have put forth in each of the issues of my California Fiscal Focus newsletter are intended to inform and inspire broader engagement, based on the unique vantage point of my office, where we see the workings of California’s economy and the performance of our state government.

I am grateful for the contributions of my senior team and our shared commitment to making state government work better for the more than 39 million people who call California home. It has been an honor to serve alongside this cadre of thought leaders.

Sincerely,

Betty T. Yee

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