Preet Didbal is first female Sikh Mayor

YUBA CITY, CA — Indian American politician Preet Didbal spent her teenage years in Yuba City, Calif.’s orchards, picking and canning peaches.

She was sworn in on December 5 as Yuba City’s new mayor, making her the nation’s first female Sikh American Mayor.

The single mom, whose daughter Arianna began college this year at Willamette University in Oregon, said she had never thought of running for elected office. But her father’s death in 2011 made her rethink her destiny.

Didbal formerly served eight years on the Yuba City Planning Commission and two years on the Sutter County Planning Commission. She has spent 19 years as a civil servant, working primarily for the California Correctional Health Care Services before transitioning to the State Compensation Insurance Fund in 2015.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., named Didbal “Woman of the Year” in 2015.
Didbal also wants to enhance Sikh American cultural activity in the city. The local Sikh community annually holds a mela in May, and a parade in November.