Ruthlane Uy Asmundson

Dr. Ruth Uy Asmundson is a political moderate currently serving as Mayor of the City of Davis, California, USA. She was first elected to the City Council in 2002 and then reelected in 2006. She served as Mayor Pro Tem until 2008, then took over as Mayor. A native of Gamu, Isabela, Philippines, in her first try in local politics in 2002, she garnered the highest number of votes among her fellow candidates. Hence, she became mayor pro-tempore from 2002 to 2004 and sat as mayor from 2004 to 2006. Dr. Asmundson graduated with a BS in chemistry from Adamson University in Manila. She went on to become a Fulbright Scholar in the US, earning an MS degree in chemistry from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania. She was later awarded a PhD in Agricultural Chemistry from University of California Davis in 1972, again as a Fulbright Scholar. Dr. Ruth Uy Asmundson was the first Asian to be elected to the school board in Davis in the early 90s.

Ruth Uy Asmundson is the widow of Vigfus A. Asmundson, former Mayor of Davis and son of the UC Davis professor for whom Asmundson Hall is named&mdash;theirs is the only recorded instance in which both husband and wife have held the mayoral seat in Davis. Dr. Asmundson married Vigfus A. Asmundson during his term as city mayor, and has lived in Davis since at least 1973. She has six children, all college graduates: Alinia, Irena, Wilfred, Vigdis, Jonas and Sigrid.

She was named the Davis Citizen of the Year in 1989.

Chemistry has played a big part in Ruth Uy Asmundson’s life. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at Adamson University in 1968, she went on to complete her master’s and doctorate degrees as a Fulbright scholar in Wilkes University, and University of California in Davis, respectively. She returned to the Philippines to teach after her studies, but it was a different chemistry that led her to marry Vigfus Asmundson, a prominent lawyer in Davis, California who eventually became the city mayor in 1970. Little did she know that when she made that fateful decision to join her husband abroad, a different yet fulfilling path had been laid out for her.

Mayor Ruth Uy Asmundson has advocated for stronger sister city relations throughout her tenure. Since her election, she had inked sister city relations with 4 cities in Asia, two of which are in the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna and Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. The strong research and academic communities in both cities closely mirror that of the city of Davis. Under her stewardship, residents claim that the City of Davis took big steps in economic development with the opening of big businesses in retail, restaurant and service industries. Davis residents also cite improvements in the promotion of culture and the arts through the expansion of art venues and the conversion of Davis’ Varsity Theatre into an independent film venue.

California assemblywoman Lois Wolk succinctly describes Mayor Asmundson’s service to the City of Davis when she wrote, “Ruth is a smart, dedicated public servant who cares a great deal for our community and the people who live here…Ruth has served on a variety of appointed government boards and commissions, dealing with local and regional policy issues such as transportation, health care, and parks and recreation. She has always been a leader, never shying away from the controversial issues of the day, whatever they may be.”

Appreciative of her roots, Mayor Asmundson also regularly visits the Philippines and has provided assistance to projects in her hometown. Their family (Uy Family) were responsible for building and furnishing a community library in Barangay Mabini Gamu, Isabela in 1998. Since the early 1990s, Mayor Asmundson has provided annual scholarships for needy students and supported faculty scholarship chairs in Adamson University. Her alma mater conferred on her the Outstanding Alumni of the Year in 2000 and 2003 for her contributions to the university and her achievements as a public official.

In conferring the Pamana ng Pilipino Award to Mayor Ruth U. Asmundson, the President recognizes her exemplary public service in promoting culture and the arts as citizen and Mayor of the City of Davis, and success in promoting sister city relations with cities in the Philippines. 

October 2007 she went to Washington D.C. to receive the award as one of "100 Most Influential Pinays in U.S.".