Capitol Weekly Podcast: Maeley Tom

The Capitol Weekly Podcast welcomes Maeley Tom, a longtime legislative staffer and Democratic Party stalwart who played a pioneering role as one of the first Asian women in California’s capitol. Tom chats about her new memoir, I’m Not Who You Think I Am, and she joins (from a safe social distance) editor John Howard to chat about her career in Sacramento and the amazing backstory that led her there.

The daughter of Cantonese Opera stars, Tom’s childhood was anything but average, and she gained a resilience that served her well when she entered the nearly all-white, nearly all-male world of the state Legislature in 1974. Tom knew and worked with many leading political figures, including Lou Papan, Art Torres, Maxine Waters, Willie Brown, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. Through triumphs and scandal, Tom has maintained her commitment to giving the Asian American community a stronger voice in public affairs.