Meet Malia Cohen, Candidate For California Controller: Elections 2022

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Malia Cohen’s bid for controller might look a little familiar: She’s a Democrat campaigning for the position after serving on the California Board of Equalization, like current Controller Betty Yee, who is in her second term and can’t run again due to term limits.

Cohen presided over the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for eight years representing the 10th District – a position previously held by Mayor London Breed. Cohen advocated for police reform, took on the tobacco and soda industries and created a program to address inequities in the cannabis industry. Cohen drew national attention in 2015 when her defense of San Francisco’s “sanctuary city” policy toward undocumented immigrants prompted Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly to call for her arrest.

Cohen says she’s uniquely qualified for this position because of that hands-on experience with state finances, as an elected official and in local government – but also because of her life experience as a woman of color. She vows to be an inspiring example, to take a bigger policymaking role and also to make sure state money isn’t wasted so it gets to the neediest Californians. At the same time, she pledges to bring a more collaborative approach to the job, consulting with fellow Democratic leaders before issuing reports to the public.

EXPERIENCE

Chairperson, California Board of Equalization: 2019–present

• Elected by the board unanimously to serve as chairperson in 2018, Cohen represented 10 million residents in District 2, which stretches from Del Norte County to Santa Barbara County.
• The first African-American woman to serve on the board.

Board of Supervisors, city and county of San Francisco: 2011-2019

• Board president in 2018 and chairperson of the Budget and Finance Committee, and as a fiduciary member of the San Francisco Transportation Authority.
• Led the effort to transform the city’s Office of Citizen Complaints into the Department of Police Accountability, which gave it authority to investigate police shootings and to ban the use of chokeholds by police officers.
• As chairperson of the San Francisco Employee Retirement System led the effort to divest $100 million from fossil fuels.

Founder and consultant, Power Forward

• Started her own social media and public policy consulting firm after she was fired from another consulting job. Cohen wrote blog posts, op-ed pieces and editorials for clients.

REFERENCES

• Current Controller Betty Yee
• California Democratic Party
• Unions, unions, unions –including the California Federation of Teachers, the California Nurses Association, and UNITE HERE Local 11
• Emily’s List

FUN FACT

Cohen is the oldest of four sisters, and says her first leadership experience was organizing Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and birthday gifts. She was born to be in politics, she jokes.

Want to know where Cohen stands on some of the biggest questions facing California? Visit CalMatters for more on her views on hot-button issues, fundraising efforts, and online links.

CHECK OUT THE FULL CALMATTERS 2022 VOTER GUIDE HERE.