Candidate for
Council Member; City of Claremont

Born in Shanghai, China, in 1944. Peter Yao came to Claremont with his parents and sister Margaret as refugees in 1956. His family was sponsored through connections at Pilgrim Place. Betty and Alton Sanford, the owners of Griswold's Smorgasbord Restaurant, provided initial employment opportunities. The Yao family quickly settled into Claremont life. Peter attended Sycamore Elementary, El Roble Middle School and Claremont High School. School jobs for Peter included picking up golf balls at the Claremont Golf Course and serving as the first male waiter at Griswold's. He paid his own way through the University of California at Berkeley and majored in electrical engineering. Subsequently, Peter earned three masters degrees: electrical engineering, business administration, and management science (Claremont Graduate University, 1983).

Peter has served in administration for 33 years at Raytheon Systems Company, a defense electronics contractor. He has been responsible for managing electronics production and assembly factories in California and Mississippi, supervising more than 750 employees. Currently, he is Director of Engineering and is responsible for coordinating power-electronics activities throughout the United States. Peter Yao has consistently met objectives in an ever-changing competitive environment.

Peter and his wife, Linda Yao, have been married for 29 years. Born in Pomona, she is currently the Library Director for the City of Upland. She serves on the Corporate Board for Pilgrim Place. Their son Richard is a high school senior and is an Eagle Scout. The Yaos are members of the Claremont United Church of Christ Congregational.

Peter has deep roots in Claremont. He grew up in south Claremont and has lived in different neighborhoods in Claremont for the last 40 years. He has seen the evolution of Claremont from a quiet college town to a culturally diverse city in the Inland Empire. He serves on the Human Relation Committee for the City of Claremont and is currently a board member on the Claremont Community Foundation. He was a member of the Traffic Stop Study Citizens' Committee (police profiling) for the Claremont Police Commission. Peter S. Yao has a long-standing interest and dedication to race, ethnic heritage, religious and gender issues in the work place and within the Claremont community.