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Leland Yee (Chinese: 余胤良; pinyin: Yú Yìnliáng, born 1948 in China) is a California State Senator in District 8. Yee's district includes the western half of San Francisco and parts of San Mateo County. Previously, Yee was the California State Assemblyman for the 12th Assembly District and the Supervisor of San Francisco's Sunset District. In 2004, Assemblymember Yee became the first Asian American to be appointed Speaker pro Tempore, making him the second highest ranking Democrat in the California State Assembly.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Education 3 Family Life 4 Political career 4.1 School Board 4.2 District 4 Supervisor 4.3 District 12 Assemblyman 4.4 Hidden Content in Video Games 5 State Senator Elect 6 Historic Election to California State Senate 7 Legislative Recognitions 8 External links

Leland Yee immigrated to San Francisco from Guangdong, China when he was three years old. His father served in the U.S. Army[1]. Yee is a naturalized United States citizen. He grew up in San Francisco's Noe Valley neighborhood, where his family ran a laundry service.

• He was educated in San Francisco's public schools.
• Yee received a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley.
• Yee received his master's from San Francisco State University.
• Yee received a Ph.D. in Child Psychology from the University of Hawaii.

• Dr.Yee met and married his wife Maxine during his studies in 1972. They have been married for 33 years.
• Together they raised four children and educated them in San Francisco's public schools.

• Dr. Leland Yee was elected to the San Francisco school board in 1988.
• Served two four-year terms on the School Board including one as Board President.

• Dr. Leland Yee ran for Sunset Supervisor in 1996 and won the election.
• Yee was appointed to chair of the Finance Committee.
  • In the Finance Committee, he was in charge of fiscal responsibility and accountability and established the largest "Rainy Day" budget reserve in San Francisco's history.
• He was re-elected to the board of Supervisors in 2002.
• In 1998, he proposed new restriction on adult-oriented businesses in an effort to curtail prostitution.
• Yee introduced and passed the General Obligation Bond Accountability Act and helped to pass the Sunshine Ordinance to allow the public real access to what goes on at City Hall.

• Elected to the California State Assemblyman in November 2002, Leland Yee represents the 12th Assembly District.
• In his first year in the Legislature, he was appointed to the Speaker’s leadership team as the Assistant Speaker pro Tempore.
• In 2004, Assembly member Yee became the first Asian Pacific American to be appointed Speaker pro Tempore in California, the number two position in the California State Assembly.
• Speaker Pro Tem Yee was also elected President of the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators.

• Dr. Leland Yee is known as a critic of the video game industry, supporting free speech but believing that violent games should be kept out of children's hands at the point of sale. He is, however, a supporter of the video game industry's right to manufacture games that are aimed at a mature or adult market.
• In 2005 Yee lambasted the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) for not giving Rockstar Games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas an AO for Adults Only rating. This was because of the hot coffee mod created by "hackers"(claimed by Rockstar Games) who hacked Grand Theft Auto. Elements of the mod was in the earlier versions of the game but locked away by Rockstar Games. Rockstar later removed the elements in the later released versions of the game.

• Police and parent groups are concerned about violent video games causing children to be desensitized to violence. They also believe that the video makers should be held accountable in these type of crimes. Others believe it is not the direct cause of the violence. Both of Yee's bills passed with a wide support due in part by all the media attention and support by parents.

• Yee is the author of California Assembly Bills 1792 & 1793, which was signed into law on October 7, 2005, which would prohibit the sales of "ultra-violent" games in California to persons under the age of eighteen. Judge Ronald Whyte issued a preliminary injunction against the law on December 22 2005. Judge Whyte will soon deliver his final opinion on the constitutionality of California Assembly Bills 1792 & 1793
  • Yee received death threat as a result of authoring Assembly Bills 1792 & 1793.

In 2005, Yee criticized Rockstar North for the Hot Coffee Mod in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and claimed that the ESRB knew about it in advance and criticized them for not rating it "adults only". [2].

• On June 6, 2006, Yee defeated his opponents Mike Nevin and Lou Papan to win the Democratic nomination for the California State Senate, representing the 8th District.. In the final vote tally to be certified on June 27, 2006 by San Mateo County Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum,[3] Yee gathered 51.9 percent, Nevin received 35.4 percent and Papan took 12.7 percent of the vote. Since Jan. 1, Nevin spent $887,562.80 of campaign contributions, Yee spent $673,372.59 and Papan ran a modest campaign, spending just $289,862.64. He was elected to the California State Senate in the November 7 2006 election by a landslide of 77.5% of votes cast[4].

• With San Francisco and San Mateo County having a high Democratic base Yee was elected as Senator for the 8th District on November 7, 2006[5]. This was a notable election making him the first Chinese-American elected to the California State Senate in 156 years. Yee will be replacing Jackie Speier, who was to leave office due to term limits[6].

• He has been named “Legislator of the Year” by the California Association of School Psychologists, California School Nutrition Association, California Psychiatric Association, Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, and California Mental Health Directors Association.
• In 2006 he was name “Person of the Year” by GamePolitics.com, a leading video game news site.
• In 2005, Speaker pro Tem Yee successfully passed 22 pieces of legislation, 12 of which were chaptered into law.
  • Most notably, AB 1179 protects children from the harmful effects of ultra-violent video games.
  • AB 451 returns millions of dollars to airport communities across the state.
  • AB 637 allows properly trained foster parents to administer life-saving shots for their foster children.
  • AB 800 guarantees a patient’s spoken language is included in his/her medical records.
  • AJR 14 officially declares California’s opposition to any weakening of the federal offshore oil drilling moratorium.
• In 2004, Speaker pro Tem Yee was also elected President of the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators.
• In 2004, Yee successfully passed 19 pieces of legislation, 15 of which were chaptered into law.
  • AB 3042 helps protect children from being exploited through prostitution.
  • AB 2412 helps part-time community college faculty to access earned unemployment benefits.
  • AB 1793 gives parents a tool in choosing appropriate video games for their children by requiring retailers to post signs about the rating system.
  • ACR 195 brings greater awareness of the need for literacy instruction for visually impaired students through the use of Braille.
  • ACR 158 officially declares each January as Mental Wellness Month in California.
• In 2003, Yee’s first year in the Legislature, he successfully passed 11 bills, of which all 11 were signed into law.
  • AB 504 increased fines for littering in parks and open space districts.
  • AB 938 offers incentives to mental health practitioners working in medically under-served communities.
  • AB 1102 requires evaluation of current mental health sensitivity training for law enforcement officers. AB 1371 strengthens informed consent requirements for mentally ill patients involved in medical research.

• Leland Y. Yee (Official California Senate Site)
• State Senate Campaign Site
• Leland Yee Poltical History
• San Mateo County Votes Tally Complete
• CA June 6, 2006 Primary Results
• CA Secretary of State, election results
• Mercury News,Senator embraces chance to be role model