Yamamoto was born on January 17, 1914, in Washington.[2] During World War II, as a Japanese-American, he was interned along with his wife at the Tulare Race Tracks in Tulare, California.[2] After the war, he moved to Addison, Illinois where he was elected to the DuPage County Board of Education.[2] In 1954, he and his family move to Carson, California. He became politically active after he was forced to sell his house for a new school.[2] In 1960, he served on the board of the Dominguez-Carson Fact Finding Committee which determined to incorporate the area as a city.[2] After six prior attempts, on February 6, 1968, a successful vote was made to incorporate and Yamamoto was elected to a two-year term on the City Council[2] along with John A. Marbut, who was named first mayor, John L. Junk, mayor pro tem, Gilbert D. Smith, and H. Rick Clark.[3] He lost his seat in the 1970 election but was re-elected to the City Council in 1972 where he served until 1979.[2] During that period, he was selected as mayor in 1973, 1977, 1978.[2] In February 1979, he helped to secure a new Bridgestone distribution facility in the city.[4] In May 1979, a group denominated Carsonites Organized for Good Government filed a recall petition against Yamamoto and fellow councilman John Marbut for poor leadership, putting the interests of business ahead of the people,[5] and for awarding a new five-year garbage contract to other than the low bidder while also prematurely ending debate.[6] The recall petition was successful.[6][7] Their political ally, then-mayor Kay Callas, was not recalled although she voted for the contract, she did not support ending debate.[6] Yamamoto was replaced by Sylvia L. Muise and Marbut was replaced by Thomas G. Mills, both were leaders of the recall effort.[3] He filed for re-election to the City Council in 1982[8] but did not win finishing fourth.[9]
