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Preet Didbal of Yuba City California, who gave a tough fight to her opponents in the race to be elected council woman, was on Dec. 2 sworn in by her daughter, Arianna Khan and her mother, Gurbaksh Didbal. She is the first woman of Sikh descent to be elected councilwoman, she told KCRA Sacramento.
The 46-year-old was elected after a tightly contested race with opponent Jason Rikard, along with fellow councilmembers Stan Cleveland and incumbent John Buckland.
Didbal, who spent eight years on the Yuba City Planning Commission, was born and raised in the northern California city. She attended all local schools and holds an undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Physical Education with concentration in Physical Therapy and Master’s in Public Administration with concentration in Health Administration.
“Children are the most valuable asset our community has and should be supported in a more meaningful way that includes the child’s health, education, social skills, family relationship, recreational needs, safety, housing and employment opportunities,” she says on her website. Invest in our children wisely and we will see a brighter future.”
Throughout her term, Didbal plans to place her focus on children, education and public safety. Didbal has also proven to be an inspiration to young women who look up to her in light of her achievement.
“It takes time to change things and educate people, but it became a position that my mom stood by to say that if this is what a child wants to do, we have to support it,” Didbal told KCRA after her Dec. 2 swearing in. “It has been the role of men through the years, but why can’t our girls do it,” she added.
Women have always been more subservient and have followed the lead versus being the leader, she told the news channel. “Our culture is very different and hopefully starting to open up and educate young girls not to be subservient. It’s exciting to be an example,” she said.
Didbal said she encountered some of that traditional thinking during her campaign and was taken aback by it. “We heard questions from some of the older generations about why I’m doing this and that it’s a man’s role,” Didbal said. “It’s a milestone we just created. Now every girl will be under the impression that they can do it.”
