Interview with Democratic Candidate for State Controller Betty Yee

Democratic candidate for State Controller Betty Yee

The State Controller is the Chief Financial Officer for the state of California, and is tasked with accounting for every dollar spent. Current Controller John Chiang is termed out this November, having served in the post since 2007, and Betty Yee is the Democratic Candidate for his position. She sat down with Warren Olney to talk about her campaign.

Yee claims that her more than 30 years of state tax experience is an advantage over her opponent Ashley Swearengin. As the Mayor of Fresno, Swearengin has experience in an executive position at a city level, but Yee says that the state-level experience is more applicable to the office of Controller.

Yee told Warren that the office of controller is in a position to bolster California’s role in crafting environmental policy. As controller, she would work to ensure that the state is using high energy efficiency standards, has the most aggressive waste reduction goals, and complies with water conservation and reuse policies, especially during this severe drought. She would exert pressure around oil and gas extraction on state lands and vehemently oppose fracking in California soil.

She credits John Chiang with increasing the transparency of the office. That legacy is important to uphold, says Yee, because “this office probably has significant influence over the public’s trust and confidence about what is happening with State government in terms of who’s minding the store.”

Below is the full interview with Betty Yee on Which Way, L.A.? An interview with Republican candidate Ashley Swearengin can also be found here.