Rose Penelope Yee is running to represent California’s 1st Congressional district against Congressman Doug LaMalfa in November. 

District 1 consists of 10 counties including Butte and Shasta Counties. Yee grew up in the Philippines but moved to Redding from the Bay Area in 2014 and has lived there for the last decade. 

Yee earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of San Agustín and a master of business administration degree from the Asian Institute of Management. 

Yee is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Green Retirement, Inc which assists people with 401K accounts in building their retirement savings. 

In 2022, she entered the California District 1 general election as an independent candidate. This past March, she ran as the candidate for the Democratic party and advanced to the general election.

“One of my top priorities that is most relevant for Chico State students would be my push for tuition-free public colleges and universities,” Yee said. “Chico State students and their parents shouldn’t have to bear the burden of the $9,000 yearly tuition it now costs to attend the college.” 

If elected, Yee says she will focus on five freedoms that are essential to creating more opportunity for north state residents, as stated on her website. 

The five freedoms include:

• Healthcare freedom
• Educational freedom 
• Financial freedom
• Freedom to live in a safe environment
• Freedom to participate in a real democracy

“For far too long, America’s abundance has flowed disproportionately to the wealthiest, the most powerful and the highly privileged,” Yee stated on her website. 

If elected, one of the main issues Yee aims to address is Congress’ current approach to the housing crisis. Yee wants to create more affordable and low-income housing. 

As stated on her website, she plans to incorporate community enhancement features in housing projects such as dog parks or playgrounds, provide rent-to-own opportunities, provide supportive housing for people dealing with mental illness and work with schools and unions to set up programs in high schools that provide opportunities for students to learn building trades. 

“Another part of my platform is to create a pathway to the middle class via a Federal Jobs Guarantee,” Yee said. “This way, Chico State students will have living wage jobs that will get them started on their careers after college graduation.”

Yee has been endorsed by the California Democratic Party and the Democratic Central Committee of Shasta County, Sutter County, Lassen County, Tehama County, Butte County, Siskiyou County and Yuba County. 

“I’m running an anti-poverty, pro-family campaign that’s focused on bread-and-butter issues and seeks to create a community of care that unites us across differences,” Yee stated on her website. “In short, I’m running in pursuit of the common good.”

The election for California’s 1st Congressional district between Yee and LaMalfa will be on Nov. 5. 

Bea Williams can be reached at [email protected].