Russell Yee

The 2010 Commission receiving the Innovation Award for Public Engagement in Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The white-haired Commissioner in the far back is Vincent Barraba, of Santa Cruz, two-time former director of the U.S. Census Bureau, who was selected in the lottery stage.

My October 2019 Application Essay

Feature story in Reclaim magazine (Asian American Christian Collaborative)

2019

07/25   Submitted Initial App (20,724 total submissions, 17,081 tentatively qualified)

10/06   Submitted Supplemental App (2,206 submitted, 2,003 completed) including essays, 3 letters of rec (Dan S., Russell J., Esther P.)

11/20   State Auditor’s 3-member Applicant Review Panel (Angela Dickason, Ryan Coe, Ben Belnap) culls to 685 (with at least 1 vote) [cut #1, 34% of 2,003 remain]

12/19   ARP culls further to 342: 176 Dem, 80 Rep, 86 Neither (RY has 2 votes) [cut #2, 50% of 685, 16% remain]

2020

01/24   Submitted Form 700 (financial disclosures)

02/15   Submitted Amendment with further donations

02/19-21 ARP culls to 120 to interview [cut #3, 35% of 342, 6% remain]

03/02   In-person interviews commence (90-min each, 4 per day); COVID-19 interrupts for 2 days; 03/25 resume via Zoom

04/16   RY (Zoom) interview, originally scheduled right before my (cancelled) Boston Marathon trip

04/18   Our church talent show, performed “A Nonpartisan Map Artisan” (on Zoom)

04/22   Submitted public self-comment with note about self-stereotyping, + short version of rap

05/6-7  ARP culls to final 60 to send to Legislature [cut #4, 50% of 120, 3% remain]

May & June – In limbo, waiting for legislative strikes. This is the one and only power the Legislature has in the entire selection process. The four top legislative leaders may strike up to 24 of the 60 remaining candidates (2 each from each pool of Dem, GOP, neither, so 2 x 4 x 3 = 24). As with jury strikes, they need not give any reasons for their choices. The four:

06/26   35 survived the legislative strikes [cut #5, 58% of 60, 1.7% remain]; as in 2010, the legislature exercised all 24 of its strikes; How? Why? We’ll never know!

07/02   The Lottery for the first 8: not me, or any Hispanic/Latino! [cut #6, 77% of 35, 27 = 1.3% remain]

California is about 40% Hispanic/Latino, and rising. There were 7 Hispanic/Latino candidates in the 35 (4 Dem, 2 GOP, 1 neither) and the odds of none of them getting picked was 9.7% (note that the three groups were drawn separately). It was a legitimate but really problematic outcome. Clearly there would be a need for the final 6 to include as many Hispanic/Latino candidates as possible given all other considerations.

July & Aug – In limbo, waiting for Lucky 8 to pick Chosen 6.

07/21   First meeting: Jane Andersen selected temp chair; Bagley-Keene training w. Mr. Dawson

08/04   Reconvene to start selection of final 6 of 27. Initial focus on technical and professional expertise, but this gives way to an emphasis on geographical and community representation after it was noted that technical skills were not among the statutory qualifications [other than indirectly via “Analytical Ability”].

08/05   Second day of deliberations to propose slates; RY on 4 of the 5 on the table. Much hand wringing over North Coastal vs. O.C. candidates (Morgan vs. Akutagawa).

08/06   Third day of deliberation. Extraordinary support for Akutagawa and advocacy for the O.C. A slate with Morgan fails by one vote. A slate with Akutagawa fails by two votes. The slate with Morgan is reproposed and fails by two votes.

08/07   Fourth day, more public comments, heavy support for Toledo + Akutagawa. A slate with Akutagawa (identical to a failed slate from yesterday) passes unanimously [cut #7, 22%; overall selectivity: 14/2,003 completed applications = 0.7%; of entire process: 14/20,724 initial applications = 0.07%]

So the absence of Hispanic/Latino Commissioners in the initial 8 was remedied to some degree by 4 of the 6 final picks. Unfortunately, as with the 2010 Commission, there is again no representative from the North Coastal region.

The complete Commission of 14:

• Isra Ahmad, No Party Preference [lottery], San Jose (Santa Clara)
• Linda Akutagawa, No Party Preference, Huntington Beach (Orange)
• Jane Andersen, Republican [lottery], Berkeley (Alameda)
• Alicia Fernández, Republican, Clarksburg (Yolo)
• Neal Forniciari, Republican [lottery], Tracy (San Joaquin)
• J. Ray Kennedy, Democrat [lottery], Morongo Valley (San Bernardino)
• Antonio Le Mons, No Party Preference [lottery], Toluca Lake (Los Angeles)
• Sara Sadhwani, Democrat [lottery], La Cañada Flintridge (Los Angeles)
• Derric Taylor, Republican [lottery], Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
• Pedro Toledo, No Party Preference, Petaluma (Sonoma)
• Trena Turner, Democrat [lottery], Stockton (San Joaquin)
• Patricia Sinay, Democrat, Encinitas (San Diego)
• Angela Vázquez, Democrat, Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
• Russell Yee, Republican, Oakland (Alameda)
  
  
• 8 women, 6 men
• 3 Black, 3 White, 4 Hispanic/Latino, 4 Asian
• 5 Democrats, 5 Republicans, 4 neither Dem or Rep (this ratio set by statue; all 4 “neithers” happen to be No Party Preference but could have been other parties, such as Green, Libertarian, etc.)
• 8 by lottery and 6 by choice of those 8