Fiona Ma

Fiona Ma 馬世雲
Speaker Pro Tempore of the California State Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office March 27, 2010[1]
Preceded by	Lori Saldaña
Member of the California State Assembly from the 12th district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 4, 2006
Preceded by	Leland Yee
Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from District 4
In office December 2, 2002 – December 4, 2006
Preceded by	Leland Yee
Succeeded by	Ed Jew
Personal details
Born	March 4, 1966 (1966-03-04) (age 45)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Jason Hodge, Firefighter
Residence	San Francisco, California
Alma mater	Rochester Institute of Technology Golden Gate University Pepperdine University
Profession	Accountant, Politician
Website	Official website

Fiona Ma (simplified Chinese: 马世云; traditional Chinese: 馬世雲; pinyin: Mǎ Shìyún; born March 4, 1966) is the Speaker pro Tempore California State Assembly and a San Francisco politician, and a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Personal life

Ma is the oldest of three children born to William and Sophia Ma, both Chinese immigrants. Her grandfather, Lieutenant General Ma Zhen, was the first mayor of Kunming, Republic of China.^[2] Ma has a younger brother and sister. Born and raised in New York, she attended Baker Elementary School before graduating from Great Neck North Middle and High School. Her father, Dr. William Ma was a civil engineer who later specialized in construction claims and litigation before he retired and her mother was a high school art teacher for 20 years before moving to San Francisco to be closer to her parents, William and Mary Doo. William was posted as a minister at the San Francisco Swatow Christian Church in San Francisco's Sunset District.^[3] Ma received a bachelor's degree in accounting at Rochester Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in taxation from Golden Gate University, and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She is currently a CPA.^[3] and a Member of the Aspen Institute's 2009 Class of Aspen-Rodel Fellows

Political career

Ma was on the staff of former state Senate President John Burton as a part-time district representative from 1995 until her election to the Board of Supervisors in 2002. She was an elected delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business under President Bill Clinton, which produced a report to Congress on the 60 top policy recommendations to help small businesses grow and prosper in the 21st century.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Ma was later elected to the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors from 2002 to 2006 representing District 4, the Sunset District. While serving on that board, her major legislative push was to shut down massage parlors who illegally trafficked persons into the country and used them to run illegal prostitution rings.^[4] She also led the effort to create the city's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program following the passage of Prop 209 to enable small businesses to more easily participate in public works projects.

12th District Assemblywoman

Ma won the Democratic nomination to represent California's 12th Assembly District against fellow Democrat Janet Reilly in the state primary election of June 6, 2006. The campaign was one of the most expensive legislative primary races in the state of California.^[5]

On November 7, 2006 Ma received 70 percent of the votes and defeated her two opponents for California Assembly Republican Howard Epstein and Green Barry Hermanson. She replaced Leland Yee as 12th District Assemblywoman.^[6]

Ma was appointed Assembly Majority Whip by the speaker of the Assembly, Fabian Núñez A position which she held for 3 years . In 2010, Speaker of the Assembly John A. Pérez appointed Assemblywoman Fiona Ma to the leadership position of Speaker pro Tempore. As presiding officer and member of the leadership team, Assemblywoman Ma guides Assembly Members through the daily business of the house, responds to parliamentary inquiries, issue rulings on points of order when necessary, and is responsible for guiding legislative priorities. Recently Ma presided over the record-breaking 18 hours session to pass California's budget.

As an Assemblywoman, Ma authored ground breaking legislation on banning toxic chemicals in products for babies and small children. Ma's legislation was later incorporated into Senator Dianne Feinstein's ^[7] federal Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 signed by Pres George W Bush on Aug 15, 2008 . She also worked on the creation of a state-wide high-speed rail, giving equal rights to men and women to change their last names when they are married or become domestic partners and is a co-author of SB 840, a bill that creates a single payer universal health care system throughout California.

Issues and Legislative History

High Speed Rail

At the start of her first term, Assemblywoman Ma convened the bi-cameral and bi-partisan high speed rail caucus. The caucus worked to protect and restore budget funding for the High Speed Rail Authority and fought to keep the High Speed Rail bond on the November 2008 ballot. Assemblywoman Ma joint-authored AB 3034, the Safe Reliable, High-Speed Train Bond Act for the 21st Century—Prop 1-A on the November 2008 ballot. Assemblywoman Ma was a leader in the campaign to pass Prop 1-A, which was approved with 53% of the vote. She continues to work on the effort to capture federal funding the High Speed Rail Authority.

Ban on toxic chemicals in children's toys.

Also known as the Rubber Duck bill, Ma authored AB 1108,^[8] a bill that prohibited the manufacture, sale, and distribution of toys and child care products intended for use by children under the age of three that contain toxic chemicals known as phthalates. These substances are used in soft plastic toys and other baby products such as bath books, rubber ducks, and baby teethers. Scientific research shows that these chemicals can have a negative effect on human health and may increase the risk of premature birth, early onset of puberty, lower sperm count, increased reproductive defects, and even cancer. These chemicals are already banned in 14 countries and the European Union, which has made the United States a toxic toy dumping ground. Four of the six phthalates banned in the bill have already been placed on California’s Proposition 65 list as reproductive toxins.

Fighting to eliminate hepatitis

At the age of 22, Ma learned she had hepatitis B (HBV), a virus that causes 80% of all liver cancer if left untreated and one that shows no symptoms until it's almost too late. Approximately 1.4 million Americans are infected with HBV, and more than half of them are Asian/Pacific Islander (API) Americans. It is estimated that 1 in 10 APIs are chronically infected with HBV. Like most APIs, Ma contracted HBV from her mother at birth via perinatal exposure. San Francisco has the highest rate of liver cancer in the nation because of its high API population, and HBV-related liver cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among API men living in California.

Ma works to remove the stigma of the disease in the Asian community by actively speaking out about the importance of testing and vaccination.^[9] In 2008, Ma introduced Assembly Bill 158 which requires the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to apply for a federal waiver to expand Medi-Cal eligibility for individuals with chronic hepatitis B. AB 158 did not make it through the legislative process due to costs associated with the bill. In 2009, Ma introduced a resolution declaring May 2009 as Hepatitis B Awareness Month in California. The resolution supports collaborating with all interested parties to raise public awareness about HBV. It also supports the development of a comprehensive, statewide HBV prevention and treatment plan. Ma serves as unofficial chairperson for San Francisco Hep B Free - the largest, most intensive health care campaign for APIs in the U.S. and one that is looked upon as a model for the nation in eliminating HBV.^[10] In May 2010, San Francisco Hep B Free launched its controversial "Which One Deserves to Die" ad campaign which received national coverage that featured Ma in the NY Times ^[11] and on CBS, ABC, PBS, NPR, Sirius Radio, and more.

Domestic Violence

Main article: Domestic violence

Assemblywoman Ma has a long history protecting victims of assault and violence as the Chairwoman of the Select Committee on Domestic Violence. She sponsored Assembly Concurrent Resolution 6 which raised awareness about teen dating violence. She authored (and got signed into law) AB 1771 making it easier for judges to issue restraining orders and AB 258 which replaces “primary aggressor” with “dominant aggressor” in the Penal Code. She also co-authored SB 13, which re-allocated $16.3 million to prevent the closure of domestic violence shelters throughout the state. She has hosted several hearings on Teen Dating Violence, Violence in the LGBT Community, shelters and Domestic Violence Effects on Children.

See also: Outline of domestic violence and Violence against women

Safety Regulations at raves on State property

On December 21, 2010, Fiona Ma introduced Assembly Bill #74 ^[12] which would make it a misdemeanor to hold any event in any location at night that is not an established bar or theater, lasts for more than three and a half hours, and plays any form of pre-recorded music. The law would prohibit the playing of "pre-recorded" music at outdoor music festivals, political rallies, and similar public events. The bill comes in response to substance abuse-related deaths, injuries and arrests involving electronic-music shows last year at the Cow Palace and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.The Cow Palace has already prohibited raves for the foreseeable future.

An amended AB 74 has passed the state Assembly and will now head to the Senate. The Assembly voted 72-0 to support AB 74. The bill now seeks to establish safety guidelines for electronic-music concerts when they are held on publicly owned properties such as the Cow Palace, which is located in Ma's 12th Assembly District."California needs to better monitor and control events occurring on state properties," Ma said in a news release. "AB 74 is intended to prevent the loss of life and make safety a top priority at events on state property."The bill would require the state agency intending to host any rave expected to draw 10,000 people or more to assess potential problems, the need for law enforcement and medical personnel, and other related issues. If the agency concludes there's a strong possibility for loss of life or harm to participants, the show's promoter would be required to prepare a plan to provide an adequate law-enforcement presence, control drug use and potentially prohibit minors. ^[13]

The law has been criticized by number of groups supporting electronic dance music and freedom of expression.^[14]

Assembly Committee Membership

Standing Committees:

• Committee on Agriculture
• Committee on Higher Education
• Committee on Housing and Community Development
• Committee on Labor and Employment
• Committee on Public Safety
• Committee on Revenue and Taxation

Select Committees:

• Select Committee on Domestic Violence
• Select Committee on Foster Care
• Select Committee on Rail Transportation
• Select Committee on Preservation of California’s Entertainment Industry

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ "华裔女性马世云就职加州众议院执行议长 (Chinese American Fiona Ma becomes the Speaker pro Tempore California State Assembly)" (in Chinese). DuoWei News. March 2010. http://chinese.dwnews.com/news/2010-03-26/55756338.html. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Allen, Bruce C. (July 2006). "Capitol's newest CPA: CalCPA member Fiona Ma elected to Assembly". California CPA. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ICC/is_1_75/ai_n16598292. Retrieved 2007-03-19. 
4. ^ "Biography". Official website for California State Assemblymember Fiona Ma. 2007-01-13. http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a12/Biography/default.aspx. Retrieved 2007-03-19. 
5. ^ Gordon, Rachel (2006-06-04). "$3 million Pumped into Assembly Race: But on final weekend of campaigns, both Ma and Reilly are relying onshoe leather". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/04/BAGOUJ89261.DTL. Retrieved 2007-03-19. 
6. ^ "Official Election Results". City and County of San Francisco Department of Elections. 2006-12-05. http://www.sfgov.org/site/election_index.asp?id=47578. Retrieved 2006-03-19. 
7. ^ http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2008/2008-08-01-10.asp
8. ^ http://leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_1108&sess=CUR&house=B&author=ma
9. ^ http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Fighting-to-eliminate-hepatitis-93624149.html
10. ^ http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=8244&lvl=3&lvlID=287
11. ^ McKinley, Jesse (2010-05-02). "In Ads, Plea for Asians to Get Tests for Hepatitis". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/us/03hepatitis.html. 
12. ^ http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0051-0100/ab_74_bill_20101221_introduced.html
13. ^ http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_18151243?nclick_check=1
14. ^ http://reason.tv/video/show/raves

Political offices
Preceded by Leland Yee	Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 4 2002–2006	Succeeded by Ed Jew
Preceded by Karen Bass	State Assembly Majority Whip 2006–	Succeeded by Incumbent
California Assembly
Preceded by Leland Yee	California State Assemblywoman, 12th District 2006–	Succeeded by Incumbent

External links

San Francisco Bay Area portal

• Official Assembly web site
• Campaign web site

Persondata
Name	Ma, Fiona
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1966-03-04
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death