Candidate for
Assessor-Recorder; County of San Francisco

Biography of Mabel Teng

Honesty + Integrity: It All Adds Up

In over twenty years of community activism and public service, Mabel Teng has earned all the qualifications to be a successful Assessor-Recorder: honesty and integrity, management experience, fiscal experience, technical training and the determination to do the job right.

Mabel began her professional career as a scientist # a geneticist. She worked on the development of the diphtheria vaccine at Harvard Medical School from 1975 to 1977.

Since the early 1980's, Mabel has been a respected community leader advocating for civil rights and building coalitions. She worked on the national stage, fighting for justice for the murder of Vincent Chin. Chin was killed by a pair of unemployed auto workers who called him a "Jap" and accused him of stealing American jobs. The killers were fined $3,000 and put on 3 years probation, sparking national outrage among Asian-Americans.

Community activism prompted Mabel to go to work for the Career Resources Development Center (CRDC) as a program manager. CRDC was a multi-million non-profit job training agency headquartered in the Tenderloin in San Francisco. Mabel rose to become Executive Director, responsible for job-training, placement programs, the agency's community relations and staff development, Under Mabel's direction, CRDC doubled in size and budget, growing to a diverse staff of over 50 people that helped up to 1,000 people a year learn job skills and find gainful employment.

In 1990, Mabel made her first run for public office # for San Francisco Community College Board. During her four years as a Community College Trustee, Mabel served a term as President of the Board and Chaired the Finance Committee. She helped re-organize the administrative structure, reducing overhead and merging the City College Phelan campus with the neighborhood campuses into one City College system.

In 1994, Mabel made history by becoming the first Chinese-American woman to serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Her six years on the Board included a year as the Board's Finance Committee Chair, pouring over budgets and mastering the language of fiscal responsibility.

Mabel's successful efforts on the Board led to the creation of the nation's first Immigrant Rights Commission. She also authored the Equal Access to Services Act, which mandated language access to all city departments.

Mabel's legislative priorities were always focused on education and children's issues. She successfully enacted San Francisco's Universal Childcare Policy, establishing the city's first High Quality Childcare Fund with $1.5 million. She was also the successful champion for health care benefits and a living wage for childcare providers.

Mabel has also been concerned with the welfare of the elderly and veterans. She authored the Veterans Equity Act, which passed the Board. Additionally, she successfully fought for over $400,000 to fund San Francisco's Veteran Equity Center.

Her legacy on the Board includes her advocacy for traffic and pedestrian safety. She convened the first Pedestrian Safety Summit, and the City is currently implementing "Teng's Top Ten" pedestrian safety recommendations. The City's installation of pedestrian countdown clocks and the florescent school crossing signs are a direct result of her efforts.

Mabel is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition for her work in the community, her dedication to civil rights and her ability to build coalitions. Her most recent accolade was from Coleman Advocates for Children, who honored her as Supervisor of the Year. Childcare Providers Council named her Legislator of the Year and the Commission on the Status of Women honored her with the 1999 President's Award.

Mabel currently serves as Director of Development and Planning at San Francisco State University and teaches in the College of Ethnic Studies. She is married to Richard Joseph Yuen, the Freshman Dean at Stanford University. They are the parents of twin girls attending Lincoln and Lowell High Schools and are homeowners for almost a decade in the Sunset District in San Francisco.

On March 5, 2002, Mabel will be a candidate for San Francisco Assessor-Recorder. The function of the Assessor-Recorder's Office is to identify and assess the values all taxable properties within its jurisdiction. The Assessor's position ensures that every property in San Francisco is properly and accurately assessed, reflecting every building's true value.

Mabel Teng sees the Assessor-Recorder's office as the vital link between the property taxes paid by San Franciscans and the services they receive. By improving the way the Assessor's office is run, increasing the fairness and efficiency of the department, Mabel will help provide San Francisco with the resources to provide critical programs for its citizens in the face of looming budget deficits and economic recession.