Scott Sakakihara
Scott Sakakihara | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, c. 2020s | |
| Member of the California State Senate from the 10th district | |
| Assumed office TBD | |
| Preceded by | Aisha Wahab |
| Member of the Union City City Council | |
| Assumed office 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Union City, California, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Melinda |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of California, San Diego (BA) Harvard Law School (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy Reserve |
Scott Sakakihara is an American politician serving as a member of the city council of Union City since 2022. He is a candidate for the California State Senate in 2026. Sakakihara is an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve and previously served as chief of staff at Palantir until 2025.
Early life and career
Sakakihara's grandparents were sent to internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II, including Manzanar. He was born and raised in Union City, California then graduated from the University of California, San Diego and Harvard Law School.
Sakakihara participated in the Japanese American Citizens League Masaoka Fellowship interning in the office of Mazie Hirono, then a U.S. Representative, and in the Obama White House in 2009. In 2010, he worked as a campaign spokesman for the campaign of Barbara Boxer.
Sakakihara is an active intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve and worked at Palantir until leaving in 2025 reportedly due to "disagreements” with the company, "specifically the work with ICE."
Political career
In January 2026, Sakakihara announced his campaign for the 10th district of the California Senate, where incumbent Democrat Aisha Wahab was retiring to run for the U.S. House. He entered the race stating he would loan his campaign $250,000.
In May 2026, Sakakihara was noted as leading the fundraising field with $399,003 primarily from his $250,000 loan and personally donating $48,992. By June, he had loaned his campaign a total of $1 million in addition to receiving over $1 million in support from Uber, over $966,000 from Meta, and $1 million from Chris Larsen and Tim Draper’s Grow California super PAC.
References
- ↑ Shapiro, Eric (January 23, 2026). "Scott Sakakihara launches campaign for State Senate District 10". The Milpitas Beat. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Dec. 15: Sakakihara and Tang complete fellowships". Northwest Asian Weekly. January 14, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Boxer gets more love from Obama, for better or worse". The Press-Enterprise. October 12, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- 1 2 Martin, Kyle (May 8, 2026). "Money starts to shape race for Aisha Wahab's East Bay state Senate seat". The Mercury News. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- ↑ Gardiner, Dustin; White, Jeremy B.; Jones, Blake (January 8, 2026). "What to expect from Newsom's big speech today". Politico. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- ↑ Martin, Kyle (June 1, 2026). "Tech billionaires, Uber and Meta spend in Senate District 10 race". East Bay Times. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- ↑ Kerr, Dara (June 1, 2026). "Tech billionaires are spending unprecedented sums in California races. Experts say it's the tip of the iceberg". The Guardian. Retrieved June 12, 2026.