“There is no higher honor than public service”

Experienced and Qualified. Betty Yee has over 25 years of experience in public service, specializing in state and local finance. Serving as the First District Member elected to the California State Board of Equalization since 2006, she is a consistent voice for fairness in how California administers its tax laws. In her prior capacity as the Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Finance, Betty was responsible for the development of the Govenror's Budget, led budget negotiations with the Legislature and with key budget stakeholders, and oversaw the analyses of every bill with a fiscal impact. She also has served as senior staff on several policy and fiscal committees in both houses of the California State Legislature.


California's Own. Betty was born in San Francisco to immigrant parents who owned a laundry and dry cleaning business. They worked hard to ensure a better life for their six children. Betty is a proud product of the San Francisco public schools. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a master's degree from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. Betty's commitment to hard work and service were influenced heavily by her upbringing and strong sense of family. Her commitment to service and her experience working in the family business inspired her to enter public service so she may do her part to be sure the doors of opportunity remain open to Californians and their families to succeed and thrive. To this end, Betty serves on the board of directors of the Cal Alumni Association at the University of California, Berkeley; the nonpartisan California Women Lead; and the Equality California Institute.


Proven Leadership. With recognized expertise in public finance, Betty possesses a strong record of problem solving and unblemished integrity. She is proud and honored to serve the people of California. Her recent accomplishments include:


  • • Enacting state tax equity for same-sex couples.
  • • Making sure online retailers play by the same rules as Main Street retailers.
  • • Preserving open space with tax relief for conservation easement grants.
  • • Updating California's tax rules to promote the "green" economy.
  • • Providing free resources to the small business, nonprofit, and women's communities to promote tax compliance.
  • • Increasing the transparency of the Board of Equalization with videostreaming of its proceedings.