Norman Yee

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Norman Yee {{nobold|余鼎昂}} | image = File:SupervisorNormanYee.jpg | image_size = | caption = Official portrait, 2015 | office = President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors | term_start = January 9, 2019 | term_end = January 8, 2021 | predecessor = Malia Cohen | successor = Shamann Walton | office1 = Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from District 7 | term_start1 = January 8, 2013 | term_end1 = January 1, 2021 | predecessor1 = Sean Elsbernd | successor1 = Myrna Melgar | 1blankname1 = {{nowrap|Mayor}} | 1namedata1 = Ed Lee London Breed | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|07|29}} | birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = University of California, Berkeley (BS) San Francisco State University (MA) | occupation = Politician | profession = | signature = | website = [http://sfbos.org/supervisor-yee-district-7 Board of Supervisors District 7 website] | module = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Norman Yee voice, 2013.wav|title= Norman Yee's voice|type=speech|description=Norman Yee on his early life and career Recorded July 23, 2013}} }} {{Infobox Chinese | title = Norman Yee | c = {{linktext|余|鼎|昂}} | p = Yú Dǐng-áng | mi = {{IPAc-cmn|yu|2|-|d|ing|3|ang|2}} | j = Jyu4 Ding2-ngong4 | y = Yu4 Ding2-ngong4 }}

'''Norman Yee''' ({{zh|c=余鼎昂|p=Yú Dǐng-áng}}, born July 29, 1949) is a former American elected official and educator in San Francisco, California.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lagos |first=Marisa |date=December 25, 2012 |title='Role player' Norman Yee off to SF board |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Role-player-Norman-Yee-off-to-SF-board-4145380.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121226170603/https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Role-player-Norman-Yee-off-to-SF-board-4145380.php |archive-date=December 26, 2012 |access-date=July 15, 2024 |website=San Francisco Gate}}</ref> He served as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing Supervisorial District 7 from 2012 to 2021 and was elected president of the Board in January 2019.<ref name="SFChronicle">{{cite news |last1=Thadani |first1=Trisha |title=Norman Yee elected president of SF Board of Supervisors amid some public dissent |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Norman-Yee-takes-presidency-of-13518777.php |accessdate=April 15, 2020 |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |date=January 8, 2019}}</ref>

==Early life and education==

Yee was born at Chinese Hospital in Chinatown, San Francisco and grew up working at his parents' grocery store in Noe Valley, San Francisco. As a child, he had a speech impediment and would often get into fights when teased.<ref name="MissionLocal1">{{cite news|last1=Eskenazi|first1=Joe|url=https://missionlocal.org/2019/01/the-weaker-people-think-norman-yee-is-the-stronger-he-becomes/|title=The weaker people think Norman Yee is, the stronger he becomes|date=January 21, 2019|accessdate=April 15, 2020|publisher=Mission Local}}</ref>

Yee attended Galileo Academy of Science and Technology. From there, he attended City College of San Francisco from 1967 to 1971. He later transferred to University of California, Berkeley, where he received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering and subsequently completed a master's degree in education from San Francisco State University.<ref name="MissionLocal1" /><ref name="GGXpress">{{cite news |last1=Loarca |first1=Ellie |title=Norman Yee named District 7 supervisor after close race |url=https://goldengatexpress.org/37709/uncategorized/norman-yee-named-district-7-supervisor/ |accessdate=April 15, 2020 |publisher=Golden Gate Xpress |date=December 5, 2012}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

==Career==

Yee taught ESL and citizenship at City College from 1984 to 1994.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|last=Horowitz|first=David|date=2016|title=Yee-Haw: Former City College student and teacher re-elected to board of supervisors|url=https://issuu.com/etc.mag/docs/2016-fall-etc-issuu|magazine=etc Magazine|issue=Fall 2016}}</ref>

Yee served as the executive director for Wu Yee Children's Service, an advocacy group supporting child services in San Francisco, for 18 years.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Howard|first1=Amy L.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bS90DwAAQBAJ&q=wu+yee+children%E2%80%99s+services+norman+yee&pg=PT280|title=More Than Shelter: Activism and Community in San Francisco Public Housing|date=May 1, 2014|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|pages=Ch 4, Ref 124|isbn=9781452941783|accessdate=April 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lagos |first1=Marisa |title='Role player' Norman Yee off to SF board |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Role-player-Norman-Yee-off-to-SF-board-4145380.php |accessdate=April 15, 2020 |agency=SFGate |date=December 25, 2012}}</ref>

Yee was a founding member of the Alice Fong Yu Alternative School, the country's first Chinese immersion public school.<ref name=":0" />

=== San Francisco Board of Education === Yee began his political career in 2004 by serving as a commissioner for the San Francisco Board of Education and was re-elected in 2008. During his second term, he served as president of the Board of Education.

=== San Francisco Board of Supervisors === After Supervisor Sean Elsbernd termed out of office, Yee narrowly defeated F. X. Crowley to become supervisor in the 2012 election by 135 votes.<ref name="GGXpress" />

One of Yee's key issues has been education. In 2018, he co-authored a universal child care proposition which passed as Prop C.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Aleaziz |first1=Hamed |title=SF Prop C.: child-care tax still not decided |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/SF-Prop-C-child-care-tax-measure-still-not-12974020.php |accessdate=April 15, 2020 |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |date=June 7, 2018}}</ref>

He co-authored Proposition W, which made City College free for San Francisco residents with an increase on the property sales tax on sales that exceeded $5 million.<ref name=":0" />

In the 2016 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election, Yee was re-elected with about 40% of first round votes, and 58% of final round votes.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=November 8, 2016 Election Results - Detailed Reports {{!}} Department of Elections |url=https://sfelections.sfgov.org/november-8-2016-election-results-detailed-reports |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=sfelections.sfgov.org}}</ref>

In 2019, Yee was elected as president of the Board of Supervisors by a vote of 10–1.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bishari |first1=Nuala Sawyer |title=Norman Yee Elected Board President After Contentious Vote |url=https://www.sfweekly.com/news/norman-yee-elected-board-president-after-contentious-vote/ |accessdate=April 15, 2020 |publisher=SF Weekly |date=January 8, 2019}}</ref>

== Personal life == Yee is married to Cathy Chung, an ESL teacher at City College's Chinatown campus. They have two daughters.<ref name=":0" />

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{commons category}} * {{Official website|1=http://sfbos.org/index.aspx?page=13827}} * [http://www.normanyee.com/ Campaign website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yee, Norman}} Category:Living people Category:San Francisco Board of Supervisors members Category:1949 births Category:21st-century California politicians Category:UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni Category:California politicians of Chinese descent Category:San Francisco State University alumni Category:City College of San Francisco alumni Category:City College of San Francisco faculty Category:Democratic Party school board members in California Category:Democratic Party county supervisors in California