Elected to the California State Assembly in November 2002, Leland Yee represents the 12th Assembly District, which includes San Francisco and San Mateo counties. In his first year in the Legislature, he was appointed to the Speaker's leadership team as the Assistant Speaker pro Tempore. In 2004, Assemblymember Yee became the first Asian Pacific American to be appointed Speaker pro Tempore, the number two position in the California State Assembly. This same year, Speaker pro Tempore Yee was also elected President of the National Asian Pacific American Caucus of State Legislators.