Mariko Yamada is a Democratic candidate for California’s 8th Assembly District, comprised of portions of Solano and Yolo counties and the cities of Benicia, Davis, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland.
Mariko currently serves on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, representing a portion of the City of Davis and surrounding unincorporated county lands. She has consistently fought for the protection of civil rights, the preservation of open space and agricultural land, and the inclusion of underserved communities in our educational system, economy and political process. Her education and experience as a social worker drives her leadership on issues affecting the poor, elderly and disabled.
Prior to appointment and reelection to the Board of Supervisors, Mariko served as District Director to former Yolo County Supervisor Dave Rosenberg. Mariko's experience includes a decade in Washington, D.C. in federal service, first with the U.S. Census Bureau a working on the undercount reduction "campaign" of the 1980 Census and then as an investigator with the Office of the Secretary, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Commerce. During her "D.C. days", Mariko co-produced and co-hosted "
Gold Mountain, D.C.", a jazz and information show on WPFW 89.3 FM, one of the Pacifica Foundation radio affiliates. Classic R&B music remains one of her passions.
Mariko was born in Denver, Colorado on October 23, 1950 after her family's release from the
Manzanar
War
Relocation
Center, one of ten such Japanese American internment camps established during World War II. She attended inner city public schools in Denver, and in June 1972, was the first in her family to graduate from college, earning her B. A. in psychology from the
University of
Colorado,
Boulder with an emphasis in the special mental health needs of Asian Americans. This interest brought her to Los Angeles, and in June 1974, she earned a Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California, specializing in community organizing, planning and administration.
She and her husband of 24 years, Janlee Wong, also a social worker and current Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter reside in Davis. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Meilee, a 2007 Alumna of USC and Midori, a Senior at UCSD.
For further information, go to http://www.marikoyamada.net/.
