Mariko Yamada

In 2016, Yamada lost the election for the seat representing California's 3rd State Senate district to Bill Dodd.

Both of Yamada's parents were held in Japanese internment camps during World War II. Yamada grew up attending inner-city schools and later became the first member of her family to complete college and graduate school. She lives in Davis with her husband, Janlee Wong. They have two children—Meilee, a 2007 alumna of the University of Southern California, and Midori, a 2008 alumna of the University of California at San Diego.

Yamada's experience includes a decade in Washington, D.C. in federal service, first with the U.S. Census Bureau working on the undercount reduction campaign of the 1980 Census. She later worked as an investigator with Civil Rights division of the United States Department of Commerce. She also co-produced and co-hosted "Gold Mountain, D.C.", a jazz and information show on WPFW 89.3 FM.

Mariko Yamada (born October 23, 1950) is a former Democratic assemblywoman from California's 4th Assembly district. She was elected in 2008 after defeating West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon in a competitive Democratic primary, a defeat that many considered an upset win for Yamada. She was the third consecutive woman from Davis to be elected to this seat, following in the footsteps of Helen Thomson and Lois Wolk.