Interview of Margaret Chika Abe-Koga - The Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Perspectives Oral History Project

Digital Archive / Margaret Chika Abe-Koga

Margaret Chika Abe-Koga

Date: March 24, 2023
Interviewer: Yvonne Kwan
Interviewee: Margaret Abe-Koga (1970 - )

Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga is a working mom, former small business owner, and breast cancer survivor. A graduate of Harvard University, Margaret has sought to address skyrocketing housing costs and create solutions to homelessness; advocate for small, local businesses; and work with law enforcement to address rising crime. A former Congressional Aide to U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo and Assemblymember Evan Low's former District Director, Margaret has brought commonsense fiscal leadership to her elected positions on the Santa Clara County Board of Education and Mountain View City Council, where she was the first Asian Pacific Islander American woman to serve as Vice Mayor and Mayor in the City's history.

Transcript of Margaret Chika Abe-Koga

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Timeframe 0:00 >> 4:11

Margaret Chika Abe Koga. I was born at Stanford Hospital on May 21st, 1970.

(Interviewer) And do you have any siblings now?

I'm an only child.

(Interviewer) How did your parents meet?

So my parents grew up during the War World War Two in Japan. My father was actually an orphan at 15, his father, my grandfather, was a merchant marine. And during the war, one day he went out to sea and never came back. And then my grandmother passed away a few years after that. And then my mother was the only daughter of a family with six children. My grandfather other on that side was a confectioner and a farmer right outside of Tokyo, a place called Mito. And it's about an hour east of Tokyo. And like my grandmother helped with the farm. So my mother, being the only daughter, had to do a lot of the household chores and take care of her brothers and even the kids around the neighborhood, she would say. So she left home at 18 and moved to Tokyo, and my father lived with his uncle for a while and then when he was old enough, went out on his own. And so they met in Tokyo, I believe, at a bakery. They ended up working at the same bakery and met and my father had a his best friend who was like an older brother to him. So since he didn't have his parents after they were dating for a while and he decided to ask my mom to marry him, he took his friend to my grandfather's place to ask for his permission to marry my mother, and I was told it was actually difficult because he didn't have parents or a family. But eventually my grandfather said, okay, so. So they lived in Tokyo for quite a while until they immigrated to the United States in 1969.

(Interviewer) Why did your parents decide to come to the U.S.?

My great aunt lived here on my father's side. And I think because my father didn't have family in Japan, like she was the closest relative and had invited my parents to come visit the United States to see if maybe they would want to live in here. And my mother was pregnant at the time with me, and I was born while they were visiting. So they they decided they were trying to decide whether to go back to Japan or immigrate. And if they felt that as a female, I would have more opportunities here in the United States. So they say that's why they chose to immigrate. So this was 1969. So postwar post-Cold War. And it was just happenstance that they decided to emigrate. So there was it seems like there was a wave of Japanese immigrants around that time. I grew I grew up in San Mateo and there was there is a fairly large Japanese American community there, and they're called Shin Issei. New Issei that came after the war and they were a pretty large community of she say, in San Mateo where I grew up. My father is Masayoshi Abe, and my mother as Toshiko Saito. So my father or both of them had their education cut short because of the war. So my father, I think he only went to middle school and my mother did finish a couple of years of high school, but they really grew up during World War Two, and so they they weren't able to to get through much more than that.

Systems & Power Timeframe 4:11 >> 11:22

So my father was born in 1932, so he would have been about ten, I guess. And then my mother's a little younger, so she was probably about six years old. So and then with my father being orphaned, I think that also cut his education short. My father, both of them in Japan, they really you know, it was about surviving, frankly. We did a lot of different jobs, the bakery being one of them. I think the last job my father had before they immigrated was being a chauffeur for a pharmaceutical CEO. And my mother worked at a publishing company that published like a weekly magazine in Japan. And then when they came here, my father became a gardener and self-employed gardener, and my mother started out cleaning houses. And in the end she worked for the airlines in the flight kitchen. So making the meals for the airlines and.

(Interviewer). And so you said that you had a great aunt and in the States, did you have other extended family living in the states?

So mostly her and her family. And she has two sisters. They were all here. And then through her, I have second cousins. So I had, I guess, three sets of second cousins. So they came earlier and actually my oldest great aunt was interned I believe and and so there so through them it's actually my second cousin Frank Abe who is that author and has actually written extensively and produced films on the No-No Boy he his father, George Abe, was the No-No Boy. So Frank was a journalist has is has been a journalist communications director for former Governor Gary Locke in Seattle, was I think, one of the founders of the Asian American theater company. So he's been very involved in the in the media world. And then he started out I writing about or researching his father's experience, and that's when he discovered his father was an No-No Boy. So he's spent a lot of his time on the the resisters, the Japanese American resisters during internment.

(Interviewer) And you know, given that this was these are your family members, so I'm sure you can hear it a lot. But what do you think is the significance of our learning about the incarceration of Japanese Americans? And also, you know, since your family is from Japan, they also were affected by U.S. military during World War II? So even though we're it feels so far removed, such a far history, long ago, it still matters, though. Why should we continue to teach in our schools and teach our children about it?

Well, so this is a very dark period in American history, and it's not very well taught, frankly. But it was, you know, a time when Americans of Japanese and ancestry were incarcerated by its own government. And when we talk about racism and discrimination, this is really the epitome of that at its worst. And so I think that's why it's important to to teach and to, frankly, come combat that kind of discrimination, to make sure that it's not repeated. And I you know, I'm grateful to our former Congressman Norm Mineta, who really led that charge in Congress. And the federal government. And, you know, there have been attempts in later to to, in turn, other ethnic minorities when there's some kind of conflict with with the foreign countries. And so I think it's just a real, you know, an important reminder of what can happen if we don't have a voice in the system and how important it is to have a voice in the system. And just to continue to remind us that, you know, this is not acceptable in any means. We are Americans regardless of what we look like, and we should be treated the same. And unfortunately, this was the time period when that wasn't the case. And we should definitely make sure that, you know, to continue to remind folks that this should never happen again.

(Interviewer) And as a young person, when was the first time that you learned about World War Two?

So my parents talked about it quite often from the perspective of Japanese. My father was very proud of being Japanese. And so actually they both my mom and dad really never picked up English. He felt that folks should learn Japanese. They wanted to speak with him, but, you know, he would share how growing up four boys, their whole goal was to serve in the Imperial Army of Japan and serve the Emperor. So there was this very strong nationalistic sense. And even he he had that even when he after immigrating to the U.S. And so I heard about World War Two from his perspective. But I grew up in the seventies and we did have this Japanese radio station that my parents would listen to every night. And and then the Japanese American newspaper, the Hokubei Mainichi, they would get that. So, you know, the first page was in English. So I started reading that, and that was the time when Redress was being. It was introduced in to Congress and the whole movement started and continued. So I grew up reading about it and learning about it. And I remember like in middle school and I had to do a book report I focused on actually it was Daniel Inouye, and so I did some research on my own, read the books like Farewell to Manzanar. So even though my family, my direct family was not a part of that experience, I just remember hearing about it and reading about it as a young child and then wanting to study it and learn more about the Japanese American experience and the internment experience here.

Narrative & Identity Timeframe 11:22 >> 12:51

Yes. So Japanese was my first language and I learned English in kindergarten. I remember going to school and really not understanding my my friends, my best friend who lived across the street, you know, we played together. So I actually started learning a little bit from her, I think. And then in kindergarten was when I started to learn it more. But I did ESL until second grade, and so I've always grown up bilingual. And, you know, I went to Japanese school all through since the age of four until graduating high school. Took a couple of years in college as well. So it's always been a part of me. And, you know, it was challenging at times having to get up Saturday mornings early to go to Japanese school on top of your regular school. But I'm really grateful now that I am bilingual and and my daughters have picked it up too, so I spare them the experience of having to go to a Japanese language school that our high school here in Mountain View High School offers it. So they both get there. And my younger daughter is taking it still in college. And so I think it's just really great to have that connection with our motherland and our heritage and and then my father being so, you know, very proud of being Japanese, It keeps that connection. So I'm very grateful for it now.

Timeframe 12:51 >> 14:39

So my most of my family is gone [no longer in Japan]. My I had four uncles from my mother's side, but they all passed at some point. My mother lost touch with them over the years, and they got married, but they didn't have children, so I don't have any cousins. So yes, there's really nobody there left for me to visit. My husband has he's Japanese, Canadian, so his parents immigrated to Canada in 1969. So they have similar upbringings just in different countries. And he has a lot of relatives still there that we haven't visited yet but hoping to do so soon. I went back to Japan. I husband I went to Japan last fall and for me it was the first time in 37 years and it was, I would say, almost life changing. My last time I'd gone was when I was 15. And, you know, back then looking like this as a looking Japanese. But speaking English, you know, folks kind of gave me weird looks and I just didn't feel very welcome and at home. So I didn't really have much interest in going back to Japan or learning more about it. But this past fall we went for some conferences and fortunately being able to speak Japanese, and Japan has obviously changed in those close to 40 years, much more open, much more cosmopolitan. And so I really felt much more at home and comfortable. And it sparked a new and renewed interest in learning more about my heritage.

Timeframe 14:39 >> 16:33

San Mateo is a suburb, a typical suburb on the peninsula here in the Bay Area, and it is it was it was, I guess, one of the cities on the peninsula that had a fairly large Japanese American population. And so I think for my parents, it was they were able to go about and live their daily lives without having to, you know, speak English too much. And so for me, I really felt like I had that bicultural experience. And other than that is just your typical suburb, you know, fairly conservative. We I lived on, I would say, the east side of San Mateo. And again, we you know, we're working-class immigrant family. As I moved up into middle school and high school and went further to get to school, I did see the the economic differences and then diversity wise, I do remember in high school there weren't that many Asians. So I think I was one of maybe 20 in my class of 400. So yeah, so not the most diverse community in that sense. But you know, within it we, I live this Japanese American life and going to a Japanese school or and there was like the JACL building a few blocks from our house and so it was interesting in that sense that I could learn about my heritage and live that experience in a fairly white community.

Timeframe 16:33 >> 19:38

(Interviewer) And so what did you and your family do for fun, either on weekends or if you were able, taking vacations?

So that's something where my dad would take a week off each year and he worked six days a week, Monday through Saturday. So there wasn't a lot of vacation time. When we could afford it, he would, you know, we'd get on the car and drive down to L.A. and go to Disneyland. And that was really it. It was just this once-a-year opportunity and we'd spend, you know, a few days down there. So on the weekends it was again, going to Japantown in San Francisco. So every Saturday or Sunday we'd go up there and, you know, my my dad loved reading, so we'd go to the bookstore and get books and do our grocery shopping and then maybe have lunch or dinner there and then come home so that was like almost a weekly outing. And then I was very involved with…We had a Japanese school, I played the koto, the Japanese harp, so my lessons were on Saturdays. So it was really a lot of that just, you know, extracurriculars on the weekends. And then these trips to Japantown.

San Mateo is really close to the beach, so I love the ocean. So I remember spending a lot of days, summer days, especially just, you know, driving over the hill to get over to Half Moon Bay. So I spent a lot of time doing that. And then there was, you know, getting together and just hanging out. There's a mall, a Hillsdale Mall. So I spent a lot of time there. There was actually another mall in Foster City that had an ice-skating rink, and that was my first job actually was working at the ice skating rink. So and a movie theater. So your typical teenage outings and and things to do is what I did. So it was interesting because I had this Japanese side of me, but then I was also pretty much a typical American kid.

(Interviewer) Who were your best friends when you were growing up?

I had one who I met in third grade and we we just stayed best friends for the entire time through high school. Interestingly, we're both really interested in politics, but she was a Republican and I knew I was a Democrat. So even though we were involved in it, it was mostly through student government. We never talked about actual politics. And we did one time, I remember in high school, and we got into an argument and didn't speak to each other for like three days. So even though we love politics and then doing things together, activities, student, government wise, we could never really talk about like national politics. And so she yes, she was one of my best friends.

Timeframe 19:38 >>

I got into student government. My first race was in third grade. I ran for class treasurer against my other good friend then who beat me. And she she's actually a newscaster on one of our news shows news channels right now. And yet, for whatever reason, my teachers always encouraged me. It is just stay involved and keep trying. So I did. And I ran for office pretty much every year. And you know, I have a winning record overall, probably, over like 700. I mean, really looking at a batting average. But I won and I lost. And that was a good, you know, good experience to to experience failure at a fairly young age. But I just love to make things happen. So for me, student government was that it was about, you know, putting activities on for the school and for the classes. We did do some activism. I remember one of our big efforts was the city was imposing parking restrictions around our high school because the residents were complaining about students parking in the neighborhood. And, you know, they had they chose to do that during the summer when school out. So we didn't really know what was happening until we got back to school. And then we felt found out that the city was going to impose these restrictions. So I organized our students to go down to City Hall and do our public comment, and in the end they went ahead and did it anyway. But that was like one of my first experiences in organizing and, you know, activism.

Timeframe 21:28 >> 23:27

I would say my student government advisor in high school, who was also my government teacher, was one of my inspirations. And he was this young, you know, just graduated from Stanford grad school in education and really energetic and really supportive too. So he was just very encouraging us, you know, just do try things and do things and and sometimes some of the things we did were controversial and might go against the principal, but he was always very supportive and letting us try. So I really credit him for a lot of that inspiration.

(Interviewer) What were the names your elementary school, middle school and high school?

Yes. So I went to Sonny Brey Elementary School and Burrell Middle School and Aragon High School and Central in San Mateo.

(Interviewer) And were there any particular teachers who are memorable other than your government teacher?

So back in third grade, I had Mrs. Tokenaga, so Japanese Hawaiian, and she was one of, you know, very few Asian if or even teachers of color at that time. And she was just I think it was very memorable to me to see someone who look like me as a teacher. And then she would incorporate mostly like her Hawaiian culture into some of the curriculum, or I remember her teaching as hula dance and whatnot, so that she was really one of my most memorable teachers, I would say.

(Interviewer) So for the most part, was it primarily white?

Yes, I would say most of my teachers, other than Mrs. Tokenaga, was, were white.

Timeframe 23:27 >> 25:09

So going back to my Japanese side and Japantown used to have this Japanese radio program, and I was into J-pop back then. So I think like when my father or somebody would go to Japan, they'd bring back records for me and they had this show. So I would go take my records and then go and do this radio show to present these, you know, new songs and J-pop songs. So I did that. Yeah, for a couple of years and my high school years. And then in high school or I guess it must be high school, I was on the school newspaper staff, so I did have some experience there. To be honest, I was involved in almost everything in high school. I just yeah, I kept busy. So I did high school and I did newspaper and yearbook, student government. So it was just one more activity for me to do. I did a little bit of sports. I tried out for basketball and didn't make it, but middle school I played basketball on the team. I was the center, my height, right? Current height. I stopped going after eighth grade and then in high school I played badminton. Um, and then they had an Interact club that's sponsored by the Rotary Local Rotary Club. So I was an officer there, a few other clubs on campus. I did. So I tried to keep busy.

Joy & Cultural Resistence Timeframe 25:09 >> 29:34

So for me, you know, my parents, because they didn't have didn't get to go to college. And I think it's typical, you know, Asian parents saying study hard, get a good education. And that's what I heard all the time. And, you know, like good wasn't always good enough is like straight A's wasn't good enough. It's like, okay, where's the A-plus? So now my parents were, you know, very they drove me hard in that way. But I learned well, I just enjoyed being involved and doing things again and just making things happen. But I think in high school, you know, when I was my freshman year, I was fortunate because our college guidance counselor, for whatever reason, sought me out and would call me into her office and say, you know, Margaret, this is what you need to do to get into college. And so early on I realized like it wasn't just getting, you know, good grades, but being well-rounded is what colleges looked for. So that was part so motivation for me to get involved too. You're right, not everybody has the opportunity. I feel very fortunate that this college guidance counselor took interest in me and she really, you know, guided me through the process. And so I think it's that is just, you know, being able to hopefully find someone, a teacher, a mentor, some kind of mentor who can help along the way and help guide individual students to to be on the right path to getting into college. That I think is really important. So to this day, I, I help out with reading the applications and interviewing applicants to my alma mater and hopefully just as much as possible interacting with young people to try to provide information and if possible, guidance so that folks know that they know what they need to do.

I would just say that and this is what you know, I didn't know, frankly, because, again, you know, my parents didn't go to college and I had a guidance counselor and but she was pretty set that, you know, I was going to go to an Ivy League school when later on is when I realized and then when I got to college is when I realized, like it's not just the name of the school, but really you really feeling like you fit in or you're comfortable there. And then the fact that there's so many colleges in just the United States of, you know, and now worldwide that someone could go to, it's really about finding the college that's the right fit for you. So, yes, there's a small group of, you know, you can call them top or considered the top schools, but you could go there and be miserable. And, you know, it's better to go somewhere that you really feel like you belong and can enjoy your experience.

(Interviewer) What did you have as the top schools in mind and why?

So I had this interesting reason. When I was in eighth grade, I was this class president, and at graduation I helped organize our graduation ceremony and we had the student body president at the high school. I would go to as our speaker, and he was on his way to Harvard. And so I thought, oh, well, you know, that's a that's an interesting place. Maybe I should look at going there, too. And so that became part of my reason for seeking out Harvard. And so it and when I entered high school, I had three goals. It was to be student body president, valedictorian, and go to Harvard. And I achieved one of the three and that was to get into Harvard. So that was just I was always just from day one, from that when, you know, from the beginning of high school, pretty much driven to get to Harvard. So I really shaped my experience in high school to to get there.

Transformation & Change Timeframe 29:34 >> 31:39

So I really enjoyed social studies. So definitely that was my bent and my parents, you know, that's one thing that I was very grateful for, is that they they didn't really, you know, have any occupation for me in mine. So it wasn't the typical you have to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer. My dad had some interest in politics. So when he was in Japan, there was some talk about him running for office someday. Then that got cut because they immigrated. But I think because of that, we talked about politics quite often around the dinner table and he is more conservative than me. So again, we'd have these debates. But I think just through that and then watching him in, the Japanese American community, he was very involved. So he was on the Gardener's Association Board. He was president of the PTA at the Japanese language school. So I saw him going out two or three times a week in the evenings, you know, after work, he'd come home and then go to some kind of board meeting. So I guess watching that, I just assumed that's what you were supposed to do, is to be involved and give back to your community. And then I think that I had that interest in politics or public service. So I did know that that's what I wanted to study. I was especially inspired by my future boss, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who I met in high school. She came to speak at our Youth in Government Day and seeing her as a strong female elected leader really inspired me. And it was really why I went to study American government, or part of the reason why I went to study American government in college. I didn't really know what I would do with a degree like that. I didn't really have running for elected office myself in mind. I just knew. But, you know, a public service seemed like a good place for me. So I studied American government

Narrative & Identity Timeframe 31:39 >> 37:09

I will say it was hard to acclimate, and it took me a couple of years, actually, and I ended up taking my first semester junior year off and stayed home to work on the Diane Feinstein for Governor campaign. I think I just needed a break, to be honest, and after doing that, it was like I got it out of my system. So when I returned, I was really able to immerse myself into the college experience. But my first two years, I really struggled. Definitely the weather is a huge change when it's snowing in May and it's, you know, 80 degrees here. I miss home a lot. I think being an only child, and being really close to my parents, it was very challenging. And so, yes, I did struggle and and I definitely felt like in the Bay Area, I feel like, you know, I'm just another person, a typical person. But I did feel in Boston, seeing as, you know, Asian or even I even heard the term Oriental quite a bit back then. So definitely felt that different perspective or people looking at me in that different way. So it was challenging to acclimate.

I got very involved with the Asian American Association on campus. I was a student recruiter, so we worked for the admissions office and and then through that was on the board of Triple A, the Asian American Association. And some of my my classmates are colleagues at David Chu's a former assemblymember, now city attorney of San Francisco. He was president of the Triple A and I was on the board. And so there's quite a few of us from that time that are around now. But that's where I learned about the Asian American identity and I think that also helped me to just find a community that where I felt I belonged.

Sure. So this was 1988 to 1992. And I actually just went back and looked up, you know, what had happened during those four years. So it was the thawing of the Cold War. So Mikhail Gorbachev was, you know, the head of the Soviet Union, The Berlin Wall came down that around that at that time, Tiananmen Square happened in China. And then I remember very vividly the my senior year, Rodney King and that incident in how we marched with our Black Student Union brothers and sisters in protest. So politically a pretty yeah, a pretty instrumental time, right, with communism kind of coming to somewhat of an end. But then the racial tension or the the the the spark of the racial tension and, you know, with Rodney King, of course, that was well, I mean, we talk about it now, the police brutality issue, but also the tension between the Korean community and the, you know, Black community. And in L.A., a lot of the movies, Spike Lee came out around that time. So it was a pretty politically charged time, I remember. And on campus I remember we were there was a fight for Asian American Studies, and it didn't happen during my time, but that was always very much talked about and there was quite a bit of activity around trying to get Asian American Studies instituted.

(Interviewer) Were you involved in that process at all?

It was really more of the older students and the graduate students that I think just through like my work with Triple A and whatnot, I was aware of what was going on. There is also, you know, the issue of quotas and the admissions process. And I think I was much more tied to that because of my role as a student recruiter and just learning about, you know, the admissions process and and whatnot. And we we have it to this day, right, where that Harvard is being challenged. And that was 30 years ago. But it was, you know, the case then. I think we had about 19% Asian students at that time, which seemed pretty sizable. I think it's grown quite a bit. So I see progress that, yes, this was a time I remember that being a big, big issue.

(Interviewer) Were there other activities he participated in?

I did a little bit of it with the Democratic Party Club on campus. I helped on campaigns. So Michael Dukakis for president in 1988 did some volunteering, went to Boston to help that. The campaign headquarters there. And then I just got really involved in it. We had an Asian volleyball team, so that became my life. I fell in love with the sport of volleyball and played a lot of it and would, you know, travel to the up and down the East Coast for tournaments. And so that was a big part of my life.

Transformation & Change Timeframe 37:09 >> 44:14

(Interviewer) Did you know that you were going to pursue a particular career? When did you kind of make that decision?

Not really. So I, I knew I love, like, public service and I, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to come home after graduation. It was a great experience to be on the East Coast, but this is home for me. So I came back as soon as I graduated and I actually worked at a Japanese company for a little bit, but then was volunteering for Anna Eshoo, who was at that time running for Congress. And so I did that after work. And then when she was elected, she invited me to join her staff. So that's when I felt like my when I studied could be actually utilized in a job. So I did that for six years, started out with the front desk and then became her scheduler. And then by that time, my my father was having some health issues, so I was trying to help him, and I thought it was time to maybe look at doing something else. So I left.

And then APALI, the Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute at De Anza College, and Michael Chang was starting that up and I had met Michael. He was running for Cupertino City Council, I think, as a 1993 or 94. And I was looking to get involved in the community. And Congresswoman Eshoo had encouraged me to do so. And so I just looked it up and came across Paul Fong, who was running Michael's campaign and I called him up and said, hey, I'd like to get involved. So he put me in charge of a precinct. And and so that's how I got to know Michael Chang and and so then later on, as he was starting the Leadership Institute, I joined him, too, to help launch it.

(Interviewer) And let's see sort of the timeline here as you graduate from Harvard. And then do you go to D.C. to work?

No. So I worked here in the desert district office in Palo Alto. So that was 1993 when she opened up. And I did that for about six years. And as I was ending my time with her, I started also teaching at this indoor cycling fitness facility down the street after work, and then the owners had to move. So a few of the instructors and I got in together and bought the business. So I ran this small little studio for a couple of years and then worked at APALI part time as well. So I was doing that at the same time. And then I had my first daughter in 2001 and decided to be a mom. That's really what I wanted to do is just be a full-time mom for a while. So I gave up my work experiences to be a mom. But then that was when the the there was an opening on the Santa Clara County Board of Education. And, you know, at that point I had been helping other people run for office, helping on their campaigns. And and I was pretty happy being in the background.

But something about having my own child changed that and this light bulb went off on. And one was that I think, you know, I'm an introvert, so I didn't really ever think I could be, you know, a public figure and elected run for office. But having her gave me this confidence. I joke about it, but when you it's like, wow, I can bring life into this world. So then that means I could probably run for office. So there was that. And then just having her made me feel like I needed to step up my involvement and because it was about her future too. So and then education being such an instrumental part of my life, I thought that would be a great place to serve. So I ran for the Santa Clara County Board of Education and was elected to that.

(Interviewer) What year did you serve?

So it was a feeling of a vacancy. So it was a two year term, 2000 to 2004. And prior to that, in 1996, I was I helped start the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club. So Paul Fong, Michael Chang, and even Norm Mineta was, you know, still with us. And Mike Honda, I guess there was a lot of talk about starting a club like that for a while. And then after I met Paul and the group, they posed this, they said, Margaret, we want you to start this club. So not not really knowing what that meant, I said, okay. And we started this club. So we became a part of the Santa Clara County Democratic Party, and our focus was to get more APIs into boards and commissions and running for local office. So so it kind of dovetailed from that that I ran myself and, and sort of walk the talk. So I did ran for that office and was elected and then 2004 came around and our city council here in Mountain View was losing their two female council members. So there were members of the community who had encouraged me to run for city council. I had just had my second daughter and a month after having her, I launched my campaign. And I must say that was very challenging to be breastfeeding me on the campaign trail. And it was a struggle. So I did lose that first election by 105 votes—not that I'm counting to this day. But that was a it was, you know, my first foray into the city to city politics.

I fortunately befriended an incumbent councilmember, an older gentleman, who the next day after the election called me and said, you know, Margaret, I want you to apply for the Planning Commission and I'll help you get on there. And so he did. And so I served two years on the Planning Commission, and that's where I really learned about land use, which is where most of city council work is. And so when I ran in 2006, I felt very much prepared on the subject areas and was elected as the top vote getter.

Transformation & Change Timeframe 44:14 >> 48:51

(Interviewer) So when you said it was like a a cycle like indoor cycle. Yes. How did you get involved with that?

So it was the studio down the street from my office with the Congresswoman Eshoo’s office. So I discovered it and started taking the classes. And then eventually the owner asked me if I wanted to teach. So I said okay. And I'd started teaching. And then she had to move and so rather than just letting the business close down, a few of us instructors decided to go in together and try to keep it going. So we did. We did for a couple of years. And then I got pregnant and had my daughter and just wanted to to be a mom. So we ended up just closing shop at that point.

(Interviewer) Was there anything that prepared you for that endeavor of like where it's not just then teaching the classes you have to run the books, right?

That's right. This was really was a new experience. Nothing really prepared me for it. I always wanted to try a small business or a business of my own. Maybe because, you know, my dad was self-employed. My second cousin or my, I guess great uncle had an auto shop of his own. So there was there are folks in my life who had run businesses.

(Interviewer) Are there any lessons that you ever took from running a small business in your current life?

Definitely gave me an appreciation for small businesses. So, you know, with the city, we often talk about business being the lifeblood and obviously they bring in the revenue for the city. So we very much treasure the businesses that we have. But I really gained an appreciation for how hard it is. And, you know, contrary to maybe people, a lot of people might think it is a lot of hard work, and it's some it's hard to turn a profit. And many of these small businesses, you know, run on a very small profit margin. But it can be very complicated. Lots of, you know, bureaucracy, paperwork. I also like having employees gave me a real appreciation of what that's like, which, you know, translated into my work at the council because we run a city organization and we have 600, almost 700 employees here. So it gave me a real appreciation for what that means too. So I've always valued our employees. And, you know, I think about them and the families that they have. And during my first term, I was mayor in 2009 during the Great Recession. And so we had to look at budget cuts because of we had a potential deficit. And I remember having sleepless nights because I was really worried about the possibility of having to lay off some of our employees off. In the end, we didn't. And I'm really glad we didn't. But things like that, you know, became real to me. And I think it was even this short time I had were running my own business and experiencing that that that gave me that appreciation.

(Interviewer) And I'm sure working with business partners can't always be easy, you know?

And frankly, you know, we didn't really know each other. We were just instructors. And and so just getting to, like you said, work together, getting to know each other. But we had some conflicts, we definitely had some conflicts. So that was a great experience. And learning about, how, you know, people have different perspectives and not everybody thinks like you. So it's important to be open minded and, you know, try to collaborate and find common ground, which means also sometimes you have to compromise. And that's very much what you know, politics is all about, frankly.

Transformation & Change Timeframe 48:51 >> 51:00

(Interviewer) Yeah, but you have to play that politics game when you joined the Board of Education.

Yes, definitely. So there were seven of us on the board. We all represented a district in the county. So he came from very, you know, quite a diverse set of backgrounds and personalities. So absolutely, we had, you know, differing opinions. We were all over the political spectrum. And then, you know, as we have a superintendent who is our our main employee, and the person does the day-to-day operations and, you know, we're about policy and budget. So learning how to play that role and not be too micromanaging, those are all things that come into play when you serve in elected office.

(Interviewer) What would you say was the biggest win you had?

So I was really most excited about the Head Start program. So that's the childcare preschool program that the county office runs, and it was a time when there was quite a bit of flux and changes happening mainly again because of budget constraints. So it was a I won't say completely in jeopardy, but there is definitely some downsizing that needed to happen in or were going to go was going to happen. But I think just working through all of those issues and getting it to a place where folks were pretty comfortable with the end result, I would say was one of the wins. So it's really that just being able to like work through an issue like with different people and then come up with some kind of solution that most folks could be happy with. And those are often the wins that you get that are they're not often, but when they happen, they're very, very satisfying.

Transformation & Change Timeframe 51:00 >> 54:18

(Interviewer -- not in video) Why is it important to get AAPI representation on boards and commissions?

(Not in video) So this goes back to my childhood growing up, you know, having parents who didn't speak the language and being the translator and I saw early on through that how my parents were. They had extra barriers and I their experiences where, you know, I had to deal with creditors. You know, we have someone come in to service like our heater and, you know, like then we had the Yellow Pages and I would be the one to look up the, you know, the contractor. And it would say, oh, you know, it costs this much money. They come in and they would charge us more and, you know, as a five-year-old, I couldn't fight that. So my parents were basically swindled. So I saw a lot of that growing up. And I realized very early on then how if you don't have a voice, how much discrimination you can experience. And so for me, it's really about that to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background, has a voice in our decision making process. And I think still, you know, we we can relate to our someone who looks like us better. So it's important for, you know, these governing bodies, decision making body is to have folks from different backgrounds representing those communities. And so that's where commissions and advisory boards are just that advisory to the city councils or to these governing elected bodies. So that's really the first step into providing that voice for our diverse populations. So I think that's why it's important to have representation starting there and then moving your way up the chain.

[in video] Fortunately, nowadays there's a lot more like programs, APALI being one of a lot of these training programs for folks who are interested in being civically engaged. So I think that's a great way to start. In our city and many, many cities, there's a leadership Mountain View or leadership Sunnyvale leadership programs often run by the chambers. But that's a really great way to get a sense of a community, a city, and see the different sectors and aspects and then see how to get involved in the city and, you know, based on your interests.

And there's always a section on city government data, a city government data. So that's a great way to start to learn about how a city functions. Nowadays because we have, you know, websites and whatnot. I think it's information is much more accessible. And then I try to, you know, be like personally be accessible. So I've always, you know, met with anybody who wants to meet with me. So if someone might, you know, want to just learn how things work and so they will reach out and I'm always happy to meet with them. I think it's similar to this incumbent council member did for me. I feel very strongly that I do the same and pay it forward. So yeah, I think, you know, everybody's busy, so it's really hard to get involved. And so whenever someone expresses interest, I get very excited and I want to be helpful in any way I can. So I think that's part of our job is to be accessible and to to help others get engaged.

(Interviewer) And are there any particular commissions or boards and such that you encourage people to be a part of a. Of course, all of them, but which ones have seen as most impactful?

I think it just really depends on your interests. So, you know, Parks and Recreation, if you're into open space and parks and so forth, the Library Advisory board is an important one. We have quite a few. We have, I think, almost a half a dozen now. We've added a few in the last couple of years, a public safety advisory board that came out because of the whole police reform movement a couple of years back. So I think it's really more based on what your interest is at the Planning Commission. Admittedly, is probably the now oftentimes seen as a steppingstone to city running for city council because it is about land use and 75% of city council work is land use. So if you're thinking about running, I would definitely recommend applying for that. But you know, these appointments can be political. We have a committee of three that does most of the appointment recommendations to the full council, but the Planning Commission is appointed by the entire City Council. So there's a little bit of politics that come into play. But, you know, that's just the nature of that business. So it's learning about how to navigate that too. That's important.

Transformation & Change Timeframe 54:18 >> 56:40

So the mayor and our city in most small cities is actually a rotation. So in Mountain View, it's based on seniority, who hasn't been mayor and then seniority, and then your vote total in the election you ran. And so it just is a you take a turn so I didn't have to run for it. I just became mayor. I would say it was, you know, challenging because it was during the Great Recession. And so I learned a lot from that. I learned how to make many difficult decisions, having to make, you know, choices. It was a lot about cuts. And unfortunately, we got down to, you know, $100 types of line items. So that year was very intense in that way. But we made it through. We actually ended up with a small surplus and that was, you know, based on a lot of work with the community to understand what the community's priorities were, but also working with our employees and, you know, I owe a lot of what we do with employees is contract negotiations, salaries and benefits and prior to that, we were actually experiencing some prosperous times. So we were able to provide for some pretty good salary increases. But as I was, you know, trying to build relationships with our employee groups, our unions, and, you know, wanted to have a positive relationship. So, you know, when we could when I could support, I would. But I suspected at some point, you know, there would be a downturn. And so I had said, you know, if ever that happens, I may need to come back and ask for your help. And so sure enough, when I was mayor, I had to do that. And I went personally to the groups and asked them if they would help and give back. And they did. And that helped us get through this time. So again, it's about building relationships, and building trust is what I learned from that process. And that's really a lot of politics is is building those relationships.

Joy & Cultural Resistence Timeframe 56:40 >> 1:02:10

So I termed out from the city Council in 2014. We have a two-term limit, eight years, and then we can sit out for two years and then come back, which is what I ended up doing. But 2014, I termed out. Evan [Low] had been elected to the assembly here that we've known each other now for 20 years, ever since he was a De Anza college student. And so he asked me to join his staff as district director. And having worked for Congresswoman Eshoo, I had some experience in the district office, so I was able to just, you know, help get the office started. And and I like that. I like the startup mode. So that was really exciting for me to see. And then it was a great experience for me to see how state government works. So definitely some differences with federal government work. So it was a great experience in that sense.

(Interviewer) What was it like being able to support someone who you've seen kind of growing up through the years?

Yeah, So, you know, Evan is very energetic, and has a lot of charisma, you know, very active. And so his time is trying to keep up with them oftentimes. But is, you know, exciting to to be able to support someone who is really involved in the community. And and it's just you know, again, being active in doing things. So it was a fun, fun experience.

(Interviewer) So then after those two years, you come back?

So I actually left after a year. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of 2015, so I had to basically leave and undergo treatment. So 2016 I had a double mastectomy, chemo, radiation, and then a week after my last treatment, I launched my campaign to return to the city council. So, you know, I had been planning on running again and then this wrench got thrown in, and I was fortunate that I had great health care and so it was a lot of just communicating with my doctors to see, you know, this is the schedule going to work. Certainly that it was shocking. I don't have a history of breast cancer in my family.

So there was that whole process of trying to understand, you know, why me? What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently? And you go through that and in the end, you just realize, you know, sometimes you just don't know. It's just just happen. And so coming to terms with that and then just, you know, dealing with the situation at hand again, I was fortunate. I was diagnosed fairly early, stage two. And so my doctor said, You're going to be fine. And I just decided to believe in my physicians and follow their guidance and try to navigate through this. It was, you know, nothing I had ever imagined, didn't know much at all about cancer. So it was very scary. I was fortunate to have friends and a very close friend who had just gone through the process.

So she guided me through and I think you know that I'm super grateful for that. And I decided to share my story to hopefully be able to offer the same for others who might be going through the same challenges. So, you know, so when I realized was when how shockingly common it is, cancer is unfortunately in this community or in our society. And then so there's this very strong, frankly, with breast cancer sisterhood. I mean, there's some men, but mostly sisterhood that forms when you go through it. And then just just gratitude for, you know, being able to live each day and to get through all that. And it really was life changing for me. It made me reflect on, you know, what my priorities in life are. And I realize, you know, number one is life and health and then family and friends. And, you know, all the work that we do is very important. But, you know, if I if I were to attribute something, I would think it might have been stress from the job. Frankly, it was a 2014, and I was a really I don't know why people were very angry.

And I remember just feeling like I'd come into a council meeting every week and every week it's like, okay, which group am I going to upset this week? And my sitting attorney would say, “Well, Margaret, that means you're doing your job if you're, you know, because you can't please everybody.” But just yeah, there was a lot of anger in the community at that time, and I don't know why. I can't remember why, but I think I carried that and perhaps that's what affected me. So again, you know, life and health, number one, family and friends. And then the work we do. Definitely, you know, important, but without your life or health, there's nothing else. So I try to keep that in perspective and try to have more balance in my life.

Timeframe 1:02:10 >> 1:05:22

I'm fortunate. My husband has always been a strong partner and a partner in parenthood. We were lucky in that the work from home is common now, but he actually was able to work from home. Most of our children's upbringing. So he really was a partner and I don't think I could do this without a strong partner like that. You have to have the support of your family to do this. And even the girls, like I know it was tough. And they share more now about the stories of growing up and, you know, mom not being home here and there. So I know there definitely was sacrifice. I couldn't be at every single volleyball game my daughter had or, you know, PTA, a parent teacher conferences and or even just being able to tuck them in to bed at night every night because, you know, council meetings would go late. So it was definitely having a strong partner who could be there, you know, in my place. And then the girls understanding to like, you know, what mom did and like why I did it. And I tried to explain to them what I was trying to do and just, you know, trying to make this community a better place for everybody, including them.

There's a real fine line, though. And there were there were moments when, you know, I learned later, especially with my older daughter, I think she she's had some challenges with anxiety and depression over the years. And she had shared with me that at times she felt like her problems were not big enough because mom was too busy trying to solve, you know, homelessness or something, a bigger social issue. And so I realized this fine line there, you know, they've seen the good and the bad of what I do. They, you know, both of them weren't really interested in it in politics, although as my older one is starting to get more socially active and in her college, at her college and and she seems to be starting to enjoy it and yes, she said the other day, it's kind of weird because I know this is what you do, mom. And so it's weird in that way, but she seems sort of interested now and that's really what it was as I was hoping to be able to be just an example to that, to the girls, especially as a woman, you know, how you can be involved. You can be, you know, even working a working mom. And it's a challenge. And definitely there's a lot of sacrifice. But I thought it was important for them to see that that role role model or as in their mom. And so it's been a juggling act. I don't know if it's been a perfect balance, but I think we've, you know, made it work. Yeah. And and, you know, that's the doting one. But I think they came out pretty well and they're good, good young ladies.

Timeframe 1:05:22 >> 1:07:38

(Interviewer) I recently heard you announced that you'll be running for the Board of Supervisors, so what compelled you to make this decision?

So I am coming to the end of my second tour on the Mount View City Council, and I've enjoyed my 15. It'll be 16 years when I finish next year. Certainly just I've loved what I've been able to do here, but I do feel like it's important to also have a new voices come forward so that I have feeling if feel like, you know, it's you have to know when to step down to or step aside. So I will be ending my time here in Mountain View. But, you know, certainly I love what I do. I think we've been able to accomplish a lot in the city. Me personally, I feel like I've been able to be a part of some innovative, groundbreaking initiatives I'm very proud of. And, you know, I'm I still have energy to give. And so I would like to continue in some capacity. And the county is really where the issues speak to who I am as a person and my upbringing as the daughter of working-class immigrants, as a working mom, even as a, you know, breast cancer survivor or a small business owner. And so I love to be able to really delve into those issues at the county where the county serves as like a social safety net for for folks, you know, working, working, struggling to get by, folks looking for quality health care. And so that's where I'd like to spend some time.

(Interviewer) Do you know kind of who your competitors might be?

Not at this time. I'm the only one declared at this time.

(Interviewer) Hopefully can run unopposed.

And that would be great. I've never had that luck.

(Interviewer) Yeah, well this is great because now, you know, you'll have a bunch of supporters.

Yes.

Timeframe 1:07:38 >> 1:10:36

(Interviewer) So as your activism and civic engagement grew, what were the driving principles at the core of this mission?

So certainly starting out it is this this idea of everyone having a voice. So I would say, you know, my focus has been on our civil rights, human rights, our community, AAPI community or communities of color and diverse communities and making sure that they have a seat at the decision making table. But I would like to say I expanded my interest too, and, you know, just dealing with the issues at hand, I'd say the top issue is combating climate change, and that's something that speaks to me as a mom. Again, my my two daughters are Gen Zers and they remind me every day they are they are sincerely concerned about whether there's going to be an Earth for them to live in and for them to have a future in. So that's really struck a chord in me, and it's become very personal. So finding climate change is a top number one issue.

And then just the issues at hand here, the growing divide of affordability, the you know, the gap between the haves and have nots, housing, homelessness tied into that. You know, I have been very interested in and supportive of helping people empower themselves. So I was the I introduced the initiative to raise the minimum wage in our city by ordinance. And at that time it was back in 2014, we had actually San Jose had raised it by a ballot measure to $10. And so we did hours by ordinance to $10, and then we included a goal to get to 15 and then CPI increases. So we now have I think it's $18.15, which is one of the top minimum wages in the country. So very proud of that. And then most recently this past year, I introduced a guaranteed Basic Income pilot program initiative. So that's underway right now. So I really believe in helping empower people to just, you know, be able to make their own choices as to what they need to do to improve their lives. So those are some of the initiatives they've worked on.

And then for me, public safety is one of the core services the city provides, and the county provides that as well. And I think, you know, especially now and I include, you know, anti-Asian hate as part of that public safety realm, just folks want to be able to live their lives and feel safe in their communities. So I feel very strongly in supporting our public safety and issues. And police and fire and emergency response.

Timeframe 1:10:36 >> 1:12:04

(Interviewer) How do you see the private and nonprofit sectors as well as public entities working together to address, you know, just some of these issues that you've discussed?

Definitely. And I've been fortunate to be able to have been worked in obviously elected office. But in the nonprofit world, I worked for Asian Americans for Community Involvement, AACI. Even in the private sector, I did at government relations for a company synopsis here. So I've been able to see the different sectors and and what their specialties are, and it certainly takes everyone working together to make a community thrive. So it's really about how we invest our time and resources into the communities. And I think each sector has a role in that. And the key to really there is to build that collaboration and communication. So, you know, we can be comprehensive, be able to offer a continuums of care. And yeah, each sector, you know, has a niche in that and the role that they play. So I look at, frankly, that our job in government is actually being able to convene different bodies, stakeholders, to be able to come together to talk about, dialog, and then come up with solutions for some of these big challenges that we face.

Narrative & Identity Timeframe 1:12:04 >> 1:16:48

Yes, so for Mountain View, prior to me, we had an Asian American gentleman, Art Takahara. He was the first ever and then he served in the late eighties into the nineties. And so I think is that ten years later that I was elected as the first female API in Mountain View, and now we have three API women on our council.

(Interviewer) So you're quite the trailblazer. And why is representation so important, especially in government?

So again, I think it's about having that voice and having that representation so that everyone has a chance and that's really what it is for me. It's about giving folks a chance, an equitable chance. You know, a lot of it is then up to the person right to to to figure out and to succeed. But I believe in that level playing field. At least that's what we need to be able to offer to everyone, regardless of their background and so that's what I've really, it’s one of my core principles. And so that was really motivation for me to run for office, to be able to to provide that the voices, you know, a voice to the voices that weren't traditionally heard and then to work towards being able to create a level playing field for everyone.

(Interviewer) We were there ever times in which you felt that your background, your identity or your presentation affected and access to, whether it is an opportunity in the public sector or private sector, nonprofit sector? Or just how people treat you?

Definitely. I would say most prominent probably in the elected office in the public sector because that's where I've spent most of my time. When I first ran again for city council, I was a new mom with one month old and people questioned me. They and they saw me. I'm fairly petite and, you know, I smiled a lot. Pretty soft spoken. I am and I'm an introvert. So first impressions. People didn't really think, you know, think I was much of a leader when I first campaign. You know, we go for endorsements at local newspapers and one of the newspapers said she's too sweet to be a city leader. I had, you know, our firefighters are they do endorsements, too. And, you know, I've always been a I considered myself a labor friendly candidate, but they didn't endorse me.

And so when I decided to run the second time, I went to them first and asked them, you know, what do I need to do to earn your endorsement? And they said, “Oh, you know, we really liked you. We didn't think you're strong enough.” Because at that time there were some labor management conflicts and they didn't think I was strong enough to advocate for them. So that became kind of a challenge. I'm a I'm I am competitive. And so, you know, I was then out to prove that I could be strong enough. Having children early on especially, I had people, you know, if I was at an event, they would ask me, “Well, where are your kids since taking care of them?” And I didn't really think much of that until one of my colleagues, his wife, heard that, overheard that, and she got really upset and she said, you know, if it was a man, the question would never be asked. So I think being a woman, I definitely felt that the the the differences there as a woman. And then I think, you know, I've been called a China doll. So there's definitely that. Right. The the stereotypes of being an Asian woman come into play.

And I think that ties into, you know, this question of am I a strong enough leader? Am I a leader? Can I be a leader as an Asian American woman? So I definitely had those those challenges and, you know, had to have had to fight through them. But I am competitive, so I take those challenges as challenges for me to kind of overcome and to prove people wrong and in some ways to like it's been a source of strength. I think sometimes folks don't expect things that I do so I can have, you know, surprise them. And I think that's actually ended up being a position of strength at times.

Narrative & Identity Timeframe 1:16:48 >> 1:19:58

So as diverse as our community is, I think that to come up with the best solutions we have to include as many different voices as possible in that and in that solution making. So, you know, that takes us working with other groups and, you know, really learning about each other and understanding each other to be able to collectively decide on what is best for our communities. So I think that's why it's important. I'll say to us, you know, underrepresented, underrepresented groups sometimes, frankly, it's a strength in numbers. A lot of, you know, politics is really based on, you know, we have a majority rule winner take all system. And so sometimes you just have to have those numbers, the strength in numbers. And that takes coalition building because we you know, we are just a subset. Right. And so it's that to building the power, the political power by coalition building. So this would be some of the reasons why I would say.

Activism is about just getting involved, you know, being aware of the issues at hand and, then taking interest in getting researching those issues and then finding, you know, your how you feel, what your position is on these issues and then speaking out to express your voice. I think, again, it's important to do that because if you don't, then you just get left out and decisions are made for you that may not be relevant or helpful…Helpful or even could be detrimental to you if you're not a part of that decision making. So I think that's why it's really important to be involved. And but I mean, I sincerely believe that I've had the opportunities that I've had because of the people who came before me. And, you know, we I benefited from the civil rights movement and the Asian American activism of the leaders of those times.

I believe that I am a product of affirmative action for instance. Like someone like me probably shouldn't have gotten into Harvard if there affirmative action. So I feel very strongly that, you know, I've benefited from that. So I need to now pay it forward and to make sure others have the same opportunities as I have. So I think it's a part of that, that we stand on the shoulders of those before us, and then we build the platform for the next generation to be able to stand and rise. So it's really about, you know, it's not about me individually, but it is to me. I look at this as the movement being able to offer the next generation more and better opportunities to be able to live their best lives.

Narrative & Identity Timeframe 1:19:58 >> end

(Interviewer) What are your strategies for to perhaps unite different groups as well?

I think it's really important to listen and to hear the different perspectives. And again, you know, you can focus on the two agreements, but you can focus on the agreements. And I believe that with any group, any people, there's gotta something that you can agree with. And I think when you find that and you can build upon those agreements, that's how you start to build trust. And hopefully it hopefully also opening ears to be able to hear different perspectives and learn from each other. So I have I've been trying to do that, you know, no judgment that's just hear each other out, learn from each other. And there might be some takeaways, you know, that we can gain from each other. So I think that's what's really important is just to continue to keep the communication lines open and for us to learn from each other.

(Interviewer) Do you have any comments or thoughts about the recurring anti-Asian activity?

So it's happened throughout our history or Asian American history here. In my time. You know, I go back to Vincent Chin was a very vibrant incident that happened in my younger years that really brought to light this issue of racism towards Asian Americans. And it's unfortunate that history seems to repeat itself. But what I was actually really inspired by and what I saw as the silver lining this time was that I saw our community really coming together to speak out against it the probably the loudest I've heard before. And so that gives me hope that, you know, that our voice is growing, it's getting stronger, and hopefully that will combat this discrimination action and that possibly down the road, we'll all be able to have a life where we don't have to try to face that.

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