About Fiona Ma, CPA, State Board of Equalization
Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Emeritus Fiona Ma was elected to the State Board of
Equalization (SBOE) on November 5, 2014 and represents close to 10 million people in 23
counties from the Oregon border to Santa Barbara County. The 5,000 person tax agency affects
every taxpayer in California and has broad regulatory and adjudicatory powers and is the only
elected tax board in America.
Ms. Ma was elected to represent the 12th Assembly District from November 2006 to November
2012 (after serving the maximum three terms). She was the #112 woman to ever be elected to
the California Legislature and the first Asian woman to ever serve as Speaker pro Tempore since
1850 (first Legislature). Ms. Ma first became interested in politics as a small business owner
advocating on behalf of other small businesses. She was an elected delegate to the 1995 White
House Conference on Small Business under President Bill Clinton and later was elected a
member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2002-2006.
In the Assembly, Ms. Ma authored groundbreaking legislation to protect consumers, prevent the
spread of Hepatitis B, and increase access to quality healthcare. As a joint author of Proposition
1-A (Nov 2008), she was the legislature’s leading advocate to bring high-speed trains to
California. Additionally, Ms. Ma has been and continues to be a leader in promoting trade and
fostering relationships between California and Asia.
Ms. Ma received her B.S. from the Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), her M.S. in Taxation
from Golden Gate University (SF), and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She has been
licensed in California as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 1992.