Seemingly untouchable, Congressman Doug LaMalfa has been California’s District 1 Republican representative since 2013.
Rose Penelope Yee of Redding believes it’s time for LaMalfa to go, and that come November, she’s just the one to show him the door.
Granted, Yee has her work cut out for her to successfully beat and unseat LaMalfa. In the 2024 March primary, LaMalfa won 66.7 percent of the votes, Yee won 22.6 percent, and another Redding Democrat challenger, Mike Doran, won 10.7 percent.
(Doran has since died on June 8, 2024.)
Meet Rose Penelope Yee
Rose Penelope Yee photo courtesy of ballotpedia.com
Yee earned a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of San Agustín, in Iloilo City, Philippines, and an M.B.A. from the Asian Institute of Management. Yee’s career experience includes co-founding and working as the CEO of Green Retirement, Inc.
Her list of endorsements includes the expected who’s who of North State Democrat supporters, but also such such unexpected endorsements as from Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.
She vows that as the North State’s Congressional representative, her agenda will focus on five freedoms: healthcare freedom, educational freedom, financial freedom, freedom to live in a safe environment, and freedom to participate in a real democracy. Her platform also includes what she calls a “care agenda” – which she says is the antithesis of how LaMalfa votes.
Yee’s “care agenda” is summarized in a series of questions for voters to consider:
- Do you think we deserve funding for clean energy projects that provide living wage jobs and uplift our rural economy?
- Do you think we deserve clean water?
- Do you think our communities deserve affordable healthcare?
- Do you think women should have the right to make their own decisions about reproductive care?
- Do you think rural students deserve an education that develops their talents?
- Do you think the wealthy should contribute their fair share to the country that has enabled their success?
Yee describers herself as a practical idealist who opens her heart to all community members, and is ready to fight for full-spectrum healthcare access and economic opportunity for all North State residents.
According to Yee’s campaign website, her run for California’s first congressional district, CD-1, has roots in her family’s struggle for freedom and democracy in the Philippines. A leader in the socially-responsible business movement, Rose is building on this legacy to bring real representation and needed solutions to the North State: environmental safety, economic security, education and healthcare for all.
In the March primary, Yee ran as the Democratic party’s only officially endorsed candidate for that race, against Democrat Mike Doran and LaMalfa. She then advanced to the general election to run against Doug LaMalfa.
(Doran died unexpectedly on June 8, 2024.)
A News Cafe reached out to Yee with some questions about her decision to run for office, her campaign platform, and the upcoming November election:
Doni Chamberlain: Hello, Rose. Welcome to A News Cafe. Thanks for taking time to answer a few questions. To start, was there a defining moment that caused you to decide to run against Doug LaMalfa?
Rose Penelope Yee: Yes. It was in the 2022 cycle. The Democratic candidate had a platform that did not, in my opinion, meet the needs of the voters here in District 1. I was hoping for a platform that would support the issues that I care about—and that I know most people in the North State care about—like universal healthcare, reducing student loan debt, and combatting billionaire control of our electoral process by repealing Citizens United. I kept on hoping that somebody else would run who’d push for those issues.
Then a voice in my head chided me: why was I expecting somebody to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself? I had never considered running for office. I was quite happy doing social and environmental activism through my work. But I couldn’t get rid of that thought. That chiding voice put the burden of action on me and not on somebody else. I wrestled with it. Finally, I talked to my husband, Timothy, and asked him what he thought of me running for office. He listened and he didn’t laugh. So that meant it wasn’t such a crazy idea after all.
I’m the type who has a hard time accepting things as they are, and I had to do something. So I ran as an independent in 2022. I didn’t have a campaign infrastructure. It was more like I had to let other people who believe the things I do know that someone was willing to step up and say, “This is what we need from our representative.” I was hoping to get at least a couple of hundred votes. To my surprise and absolute delight, when the counting was over I got 5,777 votes! It meant that my campaign platform resonated with other people in the district.
This time around, I ran because no one was going to challenge LaMalfa—and that is something that needs to be done. LaMalfa has consistently voted for his own interests and against the interests of North State residents.
Chamberlain: How often does someone question your sanity for being a Democrat running against Doug LaMalfa in this district, and how do you respond?
Yee: I’ve actually gotten a lot of thank yous, which shows how unpopular LaMalfa is. I think you might be the first person to frame it this way. More often, it’s, “We’re so grateful to you for running and admire your spirit and courage.”
Everyone knows it’s an uphill battle, but we do have pathway to victory. District 1, when I last checked the California Secretary of State data, was 44% Republican and 28% Democrats. But independents (officially No Party Preference voters) make up 18% of registered voters and they’re the fastest-growing segment in new registrations.
Our campaign is focused on issues. I’m running on a Care Agenda that is anti-poverty and pro-family. Policies like rent control, universal healthcare, and reinstating the child tax credit would greatly benefit District 1 families. These are the types of solutions I will fight for in Congress.
LaMalfa has clearly shown that he doesn’t support action on issues like these. I have heard so many complaints of non-responsiveness from his office. Just last week the mother of a son with disabilities shared with me that LaMalfa moved his office in Butte County to the second story of a building that did not have an elevator and there was no ramp for a wheelchair. This is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and at minimum our representative should provide equal access to constituents.
Chamberlain: Rose, before I proceed, I apologize for the tactless way I framed my previous question. I’m sorry.
Moving on to the next subject, do you think that the Harris/Walz ticket will improve your chances of winning?
Yee: It’s possible that the excitement from the DNC Convention will help engage more volunteers and donors.
Our approach with voters is to win them on issues, and not on party. We have a polarized electorate and our campaign seeks to engage voters via their day-to-day concerns rather than political identity. For example, housing is a huge problem. I am for federal legislation that would cap rent increases. LaMalfa isn’t. I’m for protecting Social Security from privatization. LaMalfa will vote to privatize Social Security regardless of the harm it will do to our seniors. I’m for forgiving student loan debt, which will free up young people’s budgets so they can afford to buy a home and start a family. LaMalfa opposes student loan forgiveness. All these choices have a material impact on voters’ lives regardless of which party they belong to.
Chamberlain: Rose, is there anything else you’d like to say?
Yee: I believe what we’re missing here in Shasta County is seeing our representative in action. LaMalfa is an absentee representative.
He’s been in office since 2013, and we can count on one hand the number of times he’s held town halls in Redding. How can he represent the people in our district if he doesn’t talk to them? As a candidate, I’ve been hosting Listening Lunches every Wednesday noon via Zoom as a way for our District 1 constituents to raise their concerns. I will certainly use the power of the office of Congress to make sure that federal agencies in our district do their utmost to help address these issues and concerns.
We need a representative who is going to roll up her sleeves and work to deliver for our voters in District 1. I am that representative.
Chamberlain: Thank you, Rose. Best of luck to you.
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