Meet Yvonne Yiu, Candidate For California Controller: Elections 2022

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

A big part of Yvonne Yiu’s pitch to be elected controller is her experience managing finances. She spent 25 years in asset management, securities and legal compliance for banks. She’s now retired, but for the past decade has still worked part-time as an arbitrator and expert witness for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, a private corporation that aims to self-regulate the finance industry.

Yiu began her public service career on the Monterey Park City Council in 2020, serving as mayor until February of this year. As controller, she’s looking to combine her experiences: Using the public office to help the state manage money, as well as helping Californians achieve financial security. She also sees a broader role in the job: To be an advocate and voice to help solve big issues such as access to health care, income inequality, quality education and homelessness and affordable housing.

EXPERIENCE

City Councilmember, Monterey Park: April 2020-present

• Was part of a city effort to create a mobile app rewards program to stimulate the local economy.

Mayor, Monterey Park: December 2020-February 2022

• Oversaw the distribution of a $110 million pension obligation bond at a 2.66% interest rate, which saved the city $55 million while protecting public pensions.

CEO of Key West: 2009-2018

• Founded an investment and brokerage firm that managed $500 million in assets.
• The firm put together deals including a $70 million real estate fund in downtown Los Angeles with a large Chinese developer.
• The firm was censured and fined by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for improperly depositing investor funds in a real estate trust account owned by one of the fund’s managing members.

Part-time TV news anchor: June 2009-June 2011

• Reported news from the U.S. in Cantonese for TVB network.

Financial advisor/asset manager: 1998-2009

• Worked as vice president of regional sales for Merrill Lynch, as a branch manager for E*Trade Financial, a financial executive for Citicorp Investment Services and as an investment specialist for Charles Schwab.

REFERENCES

• Mayors and city council members of at least 18 cities, mostly in the San Gabriel Valley
• Former state controller and Treasurer John Chiang
• Democratic lawmakers from eastern Los Angeles County and Orange County, including Sen. Bob Archuleta from Pico Rivera, Assemblymember Mike Fong from Los Angeles and U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez, a Democrat who represents Whittier, Norwalk and the surrounding cities.

FUN FACT

• If not finance or politics, Yiu’s career might have been in theater. The first job she applied for after college? Broadway opera singer. She still enjoys singing, especially karaoke.

Want to know where Yiu 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.