Candidate for
Council Member; City of Mountain View

Margaret was born and raised on the peninsula by immigrant parents from Japan. She attended public schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade and went on to Harvard University for college, where she earned her bachelors degree in government in 1992.

After graduation, Margaret joined Congresswoman Anna Eshoo's district office staff. During her six years with Rep. Eshoo's office, Margaret served in many roles, including as a field representative, specializing in the areas of immigration, housing, civil rights, Asian Pacific American issues and as community liaison to Mountain View.

Looking for a place to settle down and raise a family, Margaret and her husband Yotto Koga moved to Mountain View in 1998 where they purchased their first home. They have two daughters, Aili, who is four years old and will be starting kindergarten at Castro School's PACT program this fall, and Aina, two years old. Margaret and Yotto are also care providers for Margaret's parent who reside with them.

Margaret's public service in Mountain View began with her service on the Human Relations Commission in 2000. She chaired the Commission in 2003. An alumnus of the Leadership Mountain View class of 2001, Margaret also served on its Executive Council from 2003 to 2005.

In November 2002, Margaret was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Education, and served as the Trustee for Area 1, which covers the Mountain View-Whisman School District and parts of Mountain View-Los Altos High School, Sunnyvale School, Fremont Union High School, and Palo Alto Unified School Districts.

During her term, Margaret served as the Board's Vice-President, on the Board's Budget Subcommittee, Joint Legislative Subcommittee, Policy Subcommittee, the Head Start Policy Council and the Strategic Planning Task Force. Margaret also led the Board to establish an Alternative Schools Collaborative that brought stakeholders together to formulate recommendations to better serve the County's students in alternative programs as well as to reach out to the estimated 6000 youth who are not in school. During this time, Margaret also served as a precinct captain for the Measure J school bond campaign for the Mountain View-Whisman School District that successfully passed in March of 2004.

In 2004, Margaret ran for Mountain View City Council and narrowly missed a seat by 105 votes. In the Fall of 2004, Margaret was appointed to the City's Environmental Planning Commission on which she continues to serve.

In addition to her commission work, Margaret remains active in local Mountain View groups and efforts. She is currently serving as:

• Vice-Chair of the Old Mountain View Neighborhood Association;
• Boardmember of Avenidas Senior Services;
• Boardmember of the Mountain View Sister Cities Association;
• Honorary Advisory Boardmember of Nakayoshi Gakko, a Japanese cultural summer program for elementary school students held at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple;
• Active volunteer with the Mountain View Education Foundation in its annual fundraising event; and
• Member of Las Madres Mothers Group of Mountain View, Mesa La Communidad and the League of Women Voters for Mountain View-Los Altos.

• Silicon Valley Women's Alliance as a founding boardmember;
• Japanese American Chamber of Commerce as a boardmember;
• San Jose Taiko (Japanese drumming performing arts group), where she served as Board President; and
• Japanese American Citizens League as a board member.

• Treasurer of the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee;
• Boardmember of Democratic Activists for Women Now;
• Boardmember of the Peninsula Democratic Coalition;
• Honorary Advisory Board of Women's Voices Women Vote, and
• Founder and a Boardmember of the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club.

Margaret is a proud graduate of the Working Partnerships Leadership Institute Class of 2000. She has been recognized for her leadership and community service with Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss' Asian American Heroes award in 2001, and the Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) Youth Leadership Award in 2004.