Alan Shinji Nakanishi (born March 21, 1940) is an American physician and politician who represented

California's 10th State Assembly district California's 10th State Assembly district is one of 80 California State Assembly districts. It is represented by of . District profile The district is composed of the Sacramento metropolitan area. Sonoma County – (32.71%) * Elk Grov ...

in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...

from 2002 to 2008. He has also been a member in the City Council of

Lodi, California Lodi ( ) is a city in San Joaquin County, California, United States, in the center portion of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 66,348 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History When a gro ...

, since 1998, and served four separate two-year terms as the city's mayor.

Early life

Alan Nakanishi was born in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

. At the age of two, he and his family were relocated to

Tule Lake Tule Lake ( ) is an intermittent lake covering an area of , long and across, in northeastern Siskiyou County and northwestern Modoc County in California, along the border with Oregon. Geography Tule Lake is fed by the Lost River. The ele ...

as part of the

internment of Japanese Americans United States home front during World War II, During World War II, the United States forcibly relocated and Internment, incarcerated about 120,000 people of Japanese Americans, Japanese descent in ten #Terminology debate, concentration camps opera ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, where they spent three years. After the war, they returned to Sacramento. To make money while in school, Nakanishi worked picking fruit and stacking cans at a cannery. He left Sacramento after graduating high school, living in

Napa County Napa County () is a County (United States), county north of San Pablo Bay located in the Northern California, northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 138,019. The county seat i ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

before settling in

Education

Nakanishi received a B.A. in chemistry from

Pacific Union College Pacific Union College (PUC) is a private university, private Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh-day Adventist liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Angwin, California. It is the only four-year college in Napa Cou ...

in 1961. He went on to receive a master's degree in health administration from

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

, and an M.D. from

Loma Linda University Loma Linda University (LLU) is a private Seventh-day Adventist health sciences university in Loma Linda, California. , the university comprises eight schools and a Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist educatio ...

. He completed his medical internship at USC Medical Center.

Military service

While living in Texas, Nakanishi served as a captain in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

. He later became a major, leading a surgical department at McDonald Army Hospital. He also served as Chief of Ophthalmology from 1969 to 1971.

Medical practice

Since 1971, Nakanishi has practiced medicine in Stockton. He is the co-founder of the Delta Eye Medical Group, an

ophthalmology Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

practice with offices throughout the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

. He continued practicing in Lodi throughout his time in the State Assembly.

Public service career

Nakanishi was first elected to the Lodi City Council in 1998 and was chosen as mayor in 2001, but left to represent the state's 10th Assembly district in the

in 2002. As an Assemblymember, Nakanishi served as Vice Chair of the Health Committee. He was also a member of the Asian & Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. Nakanishi returned to Lodi in 2010 after a brief stint at the

California State Board of Equalization The California State Board of Equalization (BOE) is a public agency charged with tax administration and fee collection in the state of California in the United States. The authorities of the Board attempt to ensure that counties fairly assess ...

, being elected once more to the city's council. He served four more terms as mayor, and his current and fifth term began in December 2023. In 2000 and again in 2016 he also ran to represent California's 5th senatorial district in the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

, but lost to

Michael Machado Michael J. Machado (born March 12, 1948) is a Democratic politician from Linden, California. He served from 2000 to 2008 in the California State Senate. Machado represented the 5th District, which includes the cities of Tracy, Manteca and Sto ...

and

Cathleen Galgiani Cathleen Galgiani (born January 4, 1964) is an American politician who served in the California State Senate. A Democrat, she represented the 5th Senate District, which encompasses San Joaquin County, and portions of Stanislaus and Sacramento ...

, respectively.

References

External links

Join California Alan Nakanishi
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nakanishi, Alan Living people Pacific Union College alumni Mayors of places in California Republican Party members of the California State Assembly American mayors of Japanese descent American military personnel of Japanese descent California politicians of Japanese descent American physicians of Japanese descent Japanese-American internees People from Lodi, California American ophthalmologists American Seventh-day Adventists United States Army officers 1940 births California city council members City council members of Asian descent Asian conservatism in the United States Asian American and Pacific Islander state legislators in California 21st-century members of the California State Legislature 20th-century American politicians of Asian descent 21st-century American politicians of Asian descent