“Accountable. Competent. Genuine. Caring. Problem Solver. Fiscal First Responder”
Former State Controller Betty Yee is a leader uniquely prepared to meet this challenging moment in California.
Betty Yee first demonstrated the power to lead when she was eight years old, overseeing the finances at her immigrant family’s dry cleaning business. She would go on to manage the finances for the government of the world’s fifth-largest economy as California’s State Controller.
Throughout nearly 40 years in public service, Betty has developed a unique reputation for competence, accountability, and a principled commitment to standing up for what’s right. Now, at a time when things feel so out of balance in our state, Betty Yee is ready to lead as our next Governor, to help make things add up for all of us in California.
A Leader from the Start
Betty was born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrant parents. Her family lived in a one-room apartment behind the family’s dry cleaning business, where she shared a sofa bed with her four sisters. During the day, Betty went to public schools wearing clothes her mother made.
Betty’s parents didn’t speak English, so at age eight, Betty began managing the books at the family dry cleaners – dealing with suppliers and banks to make sure things got done. Early on, Betty learned how numbers add up, but also what the numbers meant for her family. If weekly earnings came up short, the family got by with one less carton of milk or loaf of bread. Betty learned that when things are out of balance, too many communities are left to fend for themselves and sometimes are left behind.
A Working College Student, Caregiver, and a Leading Voice on Public Health
Betty put herself through UC Berkeley and Golden Gate University’s master’s program while balancing work and school. During her junior year, her father was diagnosed with kidney failure. Betty stepped in as his advocate, helping him navigate a complicated and often unforgiving health care system until he passed away at just 63 years old. That experience showed her firsthand how broken the system can be for families and shaped her lifelong commitment to making health care a right, not a privilege.
Soon after, as Betty began her career in public health, the HIV/AIDS crisis erupted. She took on a leadership role, working directly with local communities to share lifesaving information and helping secure critical state funding to respond to the epidemic. Serving as a county public health commissioner during this crisis reinforced what Betty already knew: when government acts with urgency and compassion, it can save lives — and when it doesn’t, people pay the price.
Raising Wages and Fighting for Economic Opportunity
As Governor Gray Davis’ Budget Director, Betty was responsible for helping craft California’s state budget and guiding it through the legislative process in one of the largest and most complex economies in the world. She worked closely with lawmakers, agency leaders, and advocates to make sure the budget reflected California’s values and met the real needs of working families.
In that role, Betty fought to expand economic opportunity across the state. She helped establish a minimum wage for home care workers, recognizing the dignity of their work and the essential care they provide to seniors and people with disabilities. At the same time, she pushed for forward-looking environmental policies, working to protect the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and playing a key role in implementing the nation’s first state law requiring automakers to reduce carbon emissions. Those efforts showed that California could grow its economy, protect workers, and lead the nation on climate action all at once.
Holding Corporations Accountable and Fighting Discrimination
As an elected member of the State Board of Equalization, California’s tax appeals body, Betty worked to make the tax system fairer for working families and small businesses. She took on multinational corporations that were exploiting loopholes and pushed to ensure they paid the taxes they owed, helping protect the public investments Californians rely on.
Betty led efforts to modernize the tax code so it treated people equally under the law, reformed property tax rules to ensure same sex couples received the same protections as any other family, and she worked to allow same sex couples to file joint state income tax returns. These reforms helped lay the legal groundwork for later U.S. Supreme Court decisions advancing marriage equality.
Betty used her position to lower costs and expand opportunity. She supported efforts to reduce prescription drug prices and advocated for immigrant business owners and Californians without access to traditional banking, recognizing that a fair economy only works when everyone has a chance to participate.
Showing What Competent, Accountable Leadership Can Accomplish
In 2014, a journey that began with Betty helping manage the books at her family’s small business came full circle when she was elected California State Controller. In that role, she became the state’s chief fiscal officer, responsible for overseeing the finances of the world’s fifth largest economy. Betty brought a deep understanding of accountability and transparency to the office, strengthening oversight of public funds and ensuring taxpayer dollars were managed responsibly.
As State Controller, Betty led a department of more than 1,400 employees and reshaped it into a more inclusive, high performing workplace focused on operational excellence. Under her leadership, the office modernized systems, improved responsiveness, and became known as a “fiscal first responder” during the COVID 19 pandemic. At a moment of unprecedented crisis, Betty’s office helped keep payments flowing, supported critical public services, and provided Californians with the financial stability they needed to get through an uncertain time.
As Controller, Betty put the power of her office to work as an advocate for working people, our environment, and natural resources. Here’s just a few examples:
- Uncovering $7.3 billion in mismanaged spending by state and local governments and redirecting it toward real progress.
- Ensuring California did no external borrowing to pay the state’s bills.
- Taking on life insurance companies, forcing them to pay death benefits to surviving families rather than keeping insurance proceeds to pad their bottom line.
- Preserving the retirement security of 3 million Californians, including 1 million teachers, keeping California’s pension funds stable while protecting taxpayers.
- Spearheading the state Foster Youth Tax Credit to provide vital assistance to current and former foster youth.
- Protecting thousands of jobs during COVID, by working with the Governor to keep the state’s ports from going into debt.
- Shuttering the last state oil platform in the Santa Barbara Channel.
- Standing up to the Trump Administration to defend our coastline and protecting and expanding coastal access for all Californians.
Advocating for People and Planet as a Nonprofit Leader
Today, Betty serves on the board of Ceres, a national nonprofit organization working with investors and companies globally to accelerate action on addressing climate risks. As a College Futures Foundation board member, Betty works to help ensure higher education meets diverse learners where they are on their unique paths to attain economic mobility.
She previously served as Vice Chair of the California Democratic Party, where she supported year-round organizing to engage voters, and with partner organizations, identified potential candidates for local office.
A sought-after speaker, discussion facilitator, and thought leader, Betty consistently acts on her longstanding personal commitment to mentoring aspiring leaders in public policy, public service, and politics.
Betty also currently serves as a part-time caregiver for her mother, who is over 100 years old. Betty lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs, an interfaith leader who has spent his career advocating for civil rights and human rights.