It was a historic day for the California State Assembly on Oct. 4 as Wilma Chan, D-Oakland, was named majority leader, making her the first woman and first Asian American to hold the party's top position.

"Ms. Chan brings with her a wealth of experience I expect to tap extensively as we deal with the significant legislative challenges in the upcoming session,' Assembly Speaker Herb J. Wesson Jr., D-Los Angeles, said.

In her new position, Chan, 53, will serve as Wesson's right-hand woman, helping with fundraising efforts, running floor sessions and making sure Assembly Democrats understand complex policies. Chan is replacing San Francisco Democrat Kevin Shelley, who is running for secretary of state.

Chan is a newcomer to the Assembly, but a veteran of Bay Area politics. Before being elected to the Assembly in 2000, Chan was a member of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.

She has long been an advocate of children's issues and serves as chairperson of the Assembly Select Committee on California Children's School Readiness and Health. In addition, Chan was the first chairperson of the Alameda County Children and Families Commission.

Chan also authored legislation protecting the rights of immigrants and diverse communities. She fought for multilingual access to health care information, insuring that the state's two leading healthcare providers offer materials in Chinese, Spanish and any other language spoken by more than 5 percent of the population served.

"As California becomes an increasingly diverse state, we need to make sure our policies reflect the needs of the entire population," Chan said. "If people aren't able to explain their health problems to a doctor or understand the instructions for treatment, it could be disastrous.'

Despite California's booming minority populations, the Assembly had gone without a Chinese-American member from 1974 until 2000, when Chan and Carol Liu, D-Pasadena, won election bids.

Chan was born in Boston, but has lived in Oakland and Alameda for 30 years with her husband and two children. She received a bachelor's degree from Wellsley College and a master's degree in education policy from Stanford University.