Rose Penelope Yee advocating for the ‘people’s interest’

As one of the few Democrats willing to run and stand up against current U.S. Congressman Doug LaMalfa in California’s 1st congressional district, Rose Penelope Yee said an inner voice gave her the motivation to take on the challenge of opposing a politician that has firmly held his seat since 2013.

That voice became louder when Democrat Max Steiner previously challenged LaMalfa, a staunch conservative and Republican, in 2022 but ultimately fell short.

“His platform was not something I believed in and not something a Democrat in (Congressional) District 1 should have,” Yee told the Appeal. “Each time I would get his email, I would get upset that nobody else was running. A voice chided me: why is someone else doing something I could do myself?”

Yee said she is not a politician and as a Catholic, she felt a sense of obligation to stand up for the average working person. She said non-Republicans in the district have been hesitant to speak up and get involved in a region that has been dominated by conservative rhetoric and Republican politicians – a far cry from the majority of the state.

In the March 5 primary election, LaMalfa received 65.27% of the vote in Yuba County and 71.88% of the vote in Sutter County. Yee, meanwhile, hovered around 20% in both counties. The two will face off on November’s ballot.

“I think it’s so important that people who felt the same way that I did, would feel that they’re alone in this red district, that there’s somebody who is willing to stick their necks out and stand up there and say, ‘this is what I believe is right and this is what I believe we should fight for,’” Yee said. “... I couldn’t let LaMalfa run unopposed. It’s a shame nobody who is advocating for the people’s interest is running — they don’t have to be Democrats.”

A business owner who runs a consulting firm, Yee moved to Redding in 2014 from the Bay Area. She grew up in the Philippines and said she saw first-hand what it was like to live under a “martial law era” where protests against dictatorship rule were ever-present – this sense of worry has grown stronger in this election cycle as the Republican playbook Project 2025 is starting to receive more and more national attention. The Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump, also has expressed some desire for authoritarian rule and an appreciation of leaders such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un.

“We lived under a repressive regime in the Philippines. My father was a lawyer for protesters against (Ferdinand) Marcos,” Yee said. “I know what it’s like. I spent weekends visiting my father in stockades. … I had close family members who died in the struggle for freedom. What I’m seeing right now, Project 2025, it’s more than just policy. They’re really putting an ecosystem in place in order to move the direction of the country toward a strong executive branch rather than what we have, which is three branches of government that act as checks and balances on each other. What they’re doing is almost like a preliminary step towards martial law, because the president would have so much power that it’s almost like a precursor toward that fascist state. We need to put up barriers against it in every way we can.”

Recently, the Appeal sat down with Yee about her run for congress. The following are answers provided by Yee, but they have been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Why do you believe you are qualified to be in Congress?

A: We need somebody who will advocate and push for the interests in our district. In terms of that, I’m qualified. I’m a civil engineer and have a master’s degree in business. I have an idea of how our financial system works.

I would love to change the system so it protects us the people, and not the big corporations. I co-founded and co-led WeTheChange, a nonprofit collective of B Corporations that started in 2007. It was a movement of businesses that wanted to do good.

Q: What would you advocate for in Congress for the people of District 1?

A: I have five campaign priorities. The first is Medicare for all, not for-profit health care. We need affordable health care so people in the district don’t have to worry if they get sick. We need quality health care.

Second, we need more investment in education. Our youth should have world-class education. Why don’t we have free college and universities? Why don’t we have more paths for non-college students, like an apprentice system? Rural areas are behind in funding.

Third, we need more economic security. We can do that by protecting Social Security from privatization. I believe Social Security is a contract with the working people.

Student loan debt also is a barrier. When you have financial problems, it's hard to think about other things. I would also seek a federal jobs guarantee – projects that could employ people if they want to work. As a business owner, wife and mother, I know how to budget and would put money where the value is.

Next, it’s about safety – environmental and personal safety. We need healthy forests, which means thinning the forest, which means more jobs. Political polarization could be toned down if there’s more financial security.

I do believe that a woman has the right to choose and decide what to do with her body. It’s a hard thing for me because I’m a Catholic and I believe in the sanctity of life. It’s a very complex and complicated issue. After the (abortion) ban, women died. It’s important for a woman to have reproductive rights. It’s not just the principle of being able to terminate a pregnancy, it’s a principle to have a choice to protect their lives.

Why don’t we have paid maternity leave? If people oppose abortion, why not support paid maternal and paternal leave? Why don’t they advocate for Medicare for all so that women don’t have to worry about access or complications?

And last, it’s about protecting and preserving our democracy and making sure the billionaires don’t have control via Citizens United. I want to repeal that. Elon Musk’s ($45-million-a-month) contributions to Trump are an example. I would advocate for the public funding of elections. It is a travesty that a candidate has to dial for dollars. We need to take out Citizens United.

Q: There has been mass corporate consolidation across nearly every sector of the United States in recent years, from technology and the media to agriculture. Should you be elected, how will you stop monopolies from taking over the U.S. economy?

A: I want to use business as a source of good versus profit. I want to make sure the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is empowered and can litigate – the FTC and DOJ (Department of Justice) should more carefully look at if a company would be a monopoly that would be harmful for consumers. We have an illusion of choice.

Politics Network has scored LaMalfa on his votes in Congress – 95% of the time LaMalfa voted for the wealthy, while 0% of the time he voted for consumer protection, poverty. He voted against workers and LGBTQ and women rights.

Q: How will you fight against rising wealth inequality and what is seen by many as an unfair tax code?

A: It goes back to monopoly control. … My firm is a part of the Main Street Alliance — an alliance of small business owners in the United States. We advocate for a fair tax. We need to look at how can we tax, more effectively, corporations and their profits.

That is just one aspect. What we have is a systemic problem, a structural problem and it is all intertwined. The key to that is corporate control. Once we get political control out, we can implement different policies.

There has been no political will (to make the necessary changes). Progressives in Congress don’t seem to have the will to challenge the system. What differentiates me is I’m not after a political career. I’m after making sure we challenge the system – be a champion to represent people. I do not really care about being in office, I want to be in office to make change.

Q: What are your thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court? Should there be term limits? Should there be age restrictions?

A: What’s at the heart here is the integrity of the justices. There should be term limits and age limits. We should expand the Supreme Court. It has too much power.

Q: Why should someone vote for you instead of Rep. LaMalfa?

A: He votes for the wealthy. We will bring the people’s voice to the forefront and invest in the community. I want to protect Social Security from being privatized.

We’re determined to win in November and create a kind and caring community where we can talk together. We shouldn’t be afraid of being attacked. We should feel safe just to talk and show who we love.