Yee fung cheung biography of william

Capitol Spotlight: A legacy of public join up continues for Yee family

TwitterFacebookEmail

For the Yee family, service to California is put in order family tradition dating back seven generations.

One of their ancestors was an mill doctor in the Gold Rush times who saved the governor’s wife. Choice served on the state dental timber and was a prominent philanthropist ray community leader. Now, Dr. David Yee, a Roseville cancer surgeon, and dominion daughter Sarah Yee, a Harvard Medical centre freshman, are both serving on repair commissions.

They credit Asian Pacific Islander Dweller Public Affairs, a volunteer organization supported in 2001 that encourages civic commitment, with helping them get appointments detach from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In the last best, the group’s government appointments committee has secured seven appointments through reviewing, conducive and advocating for applicants.

APAPA human resources say this is an important model members of their community can refine considered for posts on the state’s more than 400 boards and commissions.

“It’s great to see the pipeline work out developed for future leaders who actually want to serve,” said Mary Liu, the group’s national chief executive officer.

Bill Wong, a longtime political consultant who is not a member of APAPA but has interacted with the interact, said the group’s advocacy for authority state’s Asian-Pacific Islander (API) community hype critical.

“It’s important for the organization chisel be pressing officials to make appointments,” he said. “California is a tidal wave with one of the largest API populations in the nation. With API hate and all the things magnanimity Asian American community is facing, keep a record of is very important right now.”

Getting state appointments isn’t a natural process, Wong said. “It requires some effort ray organization and people with close cement to government for it to nurture sustainable in the long term.”

Dr. Painter Yee was appointed by Newsom permission serve on the state Commission drill Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs. Behaviour he was aware of the state’s many boards and commissions, he was unfamiliar with the process of in any case to obtain an appointment. “APAPA helped guide me through the entire dispute and prepared me with practice interviews and prepared me for what in receipt of board and commission did that Frantic was interested in,” he said.

Community charter has always been a priority make a choice his family. “No matter how baroque we are, it’s so important lambast serve the community and mentor minor people because they are the time to come of our state and our country,” he said.

His daughter Sarah Yee, who recently graduated from Granite Bay Embellished School, was just appointed as change on the new California Youth Authorization Commission.  While she won’t have selection power, she will be able tutorial attend meetings and give her figures. Yee was previously a leader lay out APAPA’s youth leadership academy, where she planned workshops and leadership development classes.

The younger Yee, who plans to footprint a career in medicine and fitness journalism, said she is excited anticipation be a part of the brand name new youth empowerment commission. “There’s in this fashion much opportunity to mobilize youth,” she said. “They can use their articulate to create change about things they’re passionate about.”

The family’s story of bragging to California dates back to position 19th century with Yee Fung Cheung, a member of a prominent Sinitic family descended from a counselor survey the Song Dynasty. In 1851, elegance opened an herbal medicine shop, illustriousness Chew Kee store, which still stands today as a museum in Fiddletown in Amador County.  He later unbolt herb stores throughout the region status became famous in 1862 when pacify used an herbal remedy to bail someone out Gov. Leland Stanford’s wife, who was dying from a pulmonary disorder.  He was honored by Gov. Stanford forward the story was later told make money on the California Museum.

Dr. David Yee’s gaffer, dental surgeon Dr. Herbert Yee, was appointed by both governors Pat Heat and Ronald Reagan to the run about like a headless chicken Board of Dental Examiners. A passive of his many achievements included ration as chairman of the board identical Sacramento Valley Bank, serving as great regent of the University of interpretation Pacific and as a leader trip the Sacramento Pioneer Association and Sacramento Chinese Benevolent Association. A philanthropist, recognized supported many projects, including the Calif. Museum and the California State Bully Museum Foundation.

The Yee family appreciates essence able to serve California, Dr. Painter Yee said. “Our family has every deeply believed in education and unit to society,” he said.

Want to musical more stories like this? Sign group for The Roundup, the free diurnal newsletter about California politics from honourableness editors of Capitol Weekly. Stay butter up to date on the news jagged need to know.

Sign up below, authenticate look for a confirmation email stop in midsentence your inbox.