Other Highlights
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA NOMINATES FORMER UNITED STATES ATTORNEY DEBRA WONG YANG TO LOS ANGELES BOARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS
Yang’s extensive law enforcement credentials will enhance police commission’s evaluation of candidates to replace outgoing Chief William Bratton
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today announced his nomination of former United States Attorney Debra Wong Yang to the Board of Police Commissioners. Yang will play a critical role in the evaluation and nomination of candidates to replace William Bratton as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
"This is an important time for the LAPD and for Los Angeles,” Yang said. “I am honored to have the opportunity to work with the Mayor on police issues, the selection of a new chief and making important steps now that the Consent Decree has ended."
Debra Wong Yang is currently a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Los Angeles office. She is Co-Chair of the firm’s Crisis Management Practice Group and the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group.
Ms. Yang previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. She was appointed in May of 2002 by President George W. Bush, making her the first Asian-American woman to serve as United States Attorney.
After becoming United States Attorney, Ms. Yang was selected to serve President Bush’s Corporate Fraud Tax Force and to chair the Attorney General Advisory Committees on Cyber/Intellectual Property and Civil Rights. She was appointed by the Attorney General to sit on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and on the Intellectual Property Task Force. She also served on the Ninth Circuit Jury Reform Committee.
Prior to being appointed United States Attorney, Ms. Yang was a California state judge. She was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1997 and became a member of the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2000. Ms. Yang served as the Supervising Judge for the Hollywood Courthouse.
Ms. Yang served as an Assistant United States Attorney for seven years prior to her judicial career where she successfully prosecuted a number of high-profile cases.
Ms. Yang has been an adjunct professor at the USC School of Law, where she taught trail advocacy. She has also been an instructor at the National institute of Trial Advocacy and California’s Judicial College.
In addition to her professional success, Ms. Yang is a dedicated member of the community, previously serving as the President of The Chinese American Museum. She was also a founding member, officer and board member of the Southern California Chinese Lawyer Association.
In 2002, both the Inglewood Courts and the Los Angeles City Council honored her for her standing commitment to victim’s rights. She has received the Asian Pacific Bar Association’s Public Service Award, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Trailblazer Award, and the Women’s Leadership Award.
Ms. Yang received her J.D from Boston College Law School and served as the law clerk to the Honorable Ronald A.W. Lew in the U.S. District Court.
Office of the Mayor
City of Los Angeles
ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 13, 2009
MAYOR'S OFFICE CONTACT:
Matt Szabo
(213) 978-0741