NCVA eREPORTER
- September 26, 2005
The National
Congress of Vietnamese Americans' NCVA eReporter is a regular email
newsletter containing information on
grant/funding
opportunities, events/forums/conferences, available
internships
and news items pertinent to the Vietnamese American and Asian
Pacific American communities.
UPCOMING NCVA EVENT: The National Congress of Vietnamese
Americans’ 19th Annual Convention will be held in San
José, CA on October 21-23, 2005 –
http://www.ncvaonline.org/conferences/2005.
In this NCVA eReporter:
EVENTS
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
TIPS/RESOURCES
NEWS
******************
EVENTS
"KATRINA AND THE ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY” CONGRESSIONAL
BRIEFING
Hosted by
Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans
National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies
When: Thursday, September 29, 2005
Where: Rayburn Building, Room 2105
Time: 3:00 - 4:30 PM
For more information, contact Tong Lee (NCAPA) at (202) 296-2300
x. 123, Linda Hoang (NAVASA) at (301) 587-2781, or Victoria Tung
(CAPAC) at (202) 225-2631.
The briefing will feature speakers who have been in the region
helping to provide relief and provide access to policy experts
working on responses. The discussion will highlight the current
challenges faced by Asian Americans hit by Hurricane Katrina.
Louisiana was home to over 50,000 Asian Americans, of which more
than half were Vietnamese. Most of them lived in the areas
affected by Hurricane Katrina. An estimated 10,000 Vietnamese
evacuees relocated to Houston.
Southern Mississippi was also home to about 7,000 Vietnamese and
other Asian residents, many of them now displaced. The hurricane
also hurt Chinese, Filipino, Bangladeshi and Korean Americans
who also have been affected.
Many of the Asian Americans in the Gulf coast region hit by
Katrina are refugees and immigrants, some are undocumented.
Asian Americans helping to provide relief and victims of the
hurricane are reporting that they have been unable to secure
information and timely help due to language difficulties. With
Asian American community infrastructure and resources limited in
places like Bayou La Batre, Alabama, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and
Gulfport, Mississippi, many Asian American faith based
organizations have stepped in to help but are overwhelmed by the
need. In cities like Houston, extended relatives and community
based organizations are providing direct assistance to the Asian
American evacuees, but are running out of resources and need
help.
Remarks:
* Representative Al Green (TX-9)
* Representative Michael Honda (CA-15) and Chair of CAPAC
* Karen K. Narasaki, President of National Asian American Legal
Consortium and Chair of NCAPA (moderator)
* Huy Bui, Executive Director, National Alliance of Vietnamese
American Service Agencies
Presenters:
* Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang, Executive Director, Boat People SOS
(Houston relief)
* Jon Melegrito, National Communications Director, National
Federation of Filipino American Associations (Baton Rouge relief
efforts)
* Rev. Bao Nguyen, Baptist Church (faith based work with victims
in Bayou La Batre, Alabama)
* The Venerable Thich Hang Dat, Buddhist Temple (faith based
work with victims in Biloxi, Mississippi)
* Juliet Choi, Staff Attorney, National Asian Pacific American
Legal Consortium (physical and mental health issues)
* Evacuee from New Orleans region (invited)
Agencies invited to present:
* James Schumann, Director of Legislative Affairs for FEMA
(invited)
* Jan Lane, Vice President of Government Affairs for Red Cross
(invited)
Policy Experts:
* Traci Hong, Director of Immigration Program, National Asian
Pacific American Legal Consortium (immigration and noncitizen
eligibility issues)
* Doua Thor, Executive Director, Southeast Asia Resource Action
Center (appropriations and refugee system as potential resource)
******************
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
SEMINAR
New York Life Insurance Company In Cooperation With
National Congress of Vietnamese Americans
Attend The CAREER OPPORTUNITY SEMINAR and Make An Informed
Decision
The New York Life Insurance Company Training
Allowance Subsidy Plan can add up to $50,820 (maximum for 3
contract years) which will help you start your career with
confidence.
New York Life cordially invites you to a Career Opportunity
Seminar to help you find out more information about the above
opportunity. The seminar will be held on:
Friday, September 30, 2005
6:00pm - 8:30pm
at: Democracy Center
6901 Rockledge Drive, Suite 800
Bethesda, MD 20817
301-214-6600
Seats are limited. Please call 1-877-NYL-VIET (1-877-695-8438)
to reserve your seat.
Your guests are also welcomed.
(http://www.ncvaonline.org/archive/NYLIC_RecruitingSeminar_DC_093005.pdf)
******************
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
PROJECT KATRINA GRANTS
Rosie's For All Kids Foundation is providing grants primarily to
nonprofit organizations in the Baton Rouge, LA metropolitan area
providing child day care, after-school and/or elementary charter
school programs and services to children and families who have
been displaced by hurricane Katrina.
(http://www.forallkids.org/html/guidelines.cfm)
******************
TERRI LYNNE LOKOFF CHILD CARE FOUNDATION NATIONAL CHILD CARE
TEACHER AWARDS
The National Child Care Teacher Awards, a program of the Terri
Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation, rewards outstanding child
care teachers for their dedication and emphasizes the importance
of quality child care. As part of the application process, each
teacher is asked to design an enhancement project for the
children in their classroom or home, illustrating the
educational, social, and emotional benefits from the project.
Child care teachers from all 50 states and the District of
Columbia are invited to apply for this award. Fifty teachers
will be selected and each will receive $1,000; $500 for the
teacher's personal use and $500 to create the proposed project.
The application deadline is December 2, 2005.
(http://www.childcareabc.org/grants/ta/aboutTA.asp)
******************
PRESBYTERIAN COMMITTEE ON THE SELF-DEVELOPMENT OF THE PEOPLE
FUNDS PROJECTS ADDRESSING POVERTY
The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP)
focuses its efforts on the empowerment of economically poor,
oppressed, and disadvantaged people in the U.S. and other
countries seeking to change the structures that perpetuate
poverty, oppression, and injustice. Supported projects must be
presented, owned and controlled by the groups of people who will
directly benefit from them and must address long-term correction
of conditions that keep people bound by poverty and oppression.
SDOP ordinarily does not fund proposals presented by social
service organizations or groups that "do for" others.
Applications are accepted throughout the year.
(http://www.pcusa.org/sdop/applicationprocess.htm)
******************
OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE/U.S. JUSTICE FUND: THE AFTER PRISON
INITIATIVE
Grants Focus on Issues of Reentry for Formerly Incarcerated
People
The mission of The After Prison Initiative, a program of the
Open Society Institute's U.S. Justice Fund, is to work against
the criminalization of race and poverty by promoting public
policies that support successful reentry of people returning
from prison. The Initiative funds programs that promote
investment in community infrastructure instead of prisons;
encourage civic participation by formerly incarcerated people;
remove legal and other barriers to work, housing, education,
health care, and political participation; and create
neighborhood-based restorative reentry strategies to replace the
surveillance orientation of parole and other community
penalties. The After Prison Initiative does not fund direct
service projects. Inquiries are accepted on a rolling basis.
(http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/focus_areas/after_prison/guidelines)
******************
SCHOLARSHIP
ASSISTANCE OFFERED
The Disaster Relief Fund, supported by contributions from USA
Funds and The Sallie Mae Fund, provides grants to selected
post-secondary institutions in order to provide assistance to
help students whose pursuit of educational goals was adversely
affected by Hurricanes Dennis and Katrina. Funds will be granted
to selected colleges in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana,
Mississippi, and to selected colleges that are enrolling
students who were evacuated or displaced. The application
deadline is January 2, 2006.
(http://www.disasterrelief.scholarshipamerica.org/)
******************
RWJ FOUNDATION TO PILOT NEW APPLICATION PROCESS FOR INDEPENDENT
GRANTS
On October 1, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will pilot a
new process for accepting and processing independent proposals
from all applicants. Independent proposals are projects,
solicited and unsolicited, that are not funded under one of our
current National Programs but still meet the criteria of one of
the Foundation’s interest areas. All content on the Foundation
website pertaining to application procedures for independent
grants will change.
(http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/featureDetail.jsp?featureID=987&type=3)
******************
GREEN
FOUNDATION SEEKS GRANT PROPOSALS
Deadline: Open
Established in 1994, the Green Foundation (http://ligf.org)
is a private, non-operating foundation that awards grants for
both operating and program support. The foundation's mission is
to uncover new opportunities, encourage growth, and ultimately
effect positive change within those institutions that best
reflect the foundation's core focus areas and the communities
they serve.
Not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply for funding
in the following areas: arts; education; and health and
scientific research.
Most of the foundation's grantmaking is limited to institutions
that serve the Los Angeles community; however, the foundation
will consider institutions beyond this geographic boundary that
have the potential to impact communities statewide or
nationally. To be eligible for foundation funding, an applicant
organization must be classified by the IRS as a public charity
and be tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code.
There are no deadlines for grant applications, and grants are
awarded on a rolling basis.
(http://ligf.org)
******************
MEDIA, ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS INVITED TO APPLY FOR THE
HARRIS WOFFORD AWARDS
Deadline: October 12, 2005
A program of Youth Service America (http://www.YSA.org),
the Harris Wofford awards annually honor exceptional
individuals, institutions, and media figures who actively
contribute to the nation's spirit of service.
The awards recognize extraordinary achievements in three
categories: Youth (ages 5-25); Organization (nonprofit,
corporate, foundation); and Media (organization or individual)
for actively contributing toward "making service and
service-learning the common expectation and common experience of
every young person in America."
Sponsored by the State Farm Companies Foundation (http://www.statefarm.com/foundati/foundati.htm),
the awards will be given at the 17th Annual Service-Learning
Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 22-25, 2006.
The recipient in the Youth category will receive a $500 award
for him/herself and a $500 award for the nonprofit organization
of his/her choice. Self-nominations are accepted.
(http://www.ysa.org)
(http://www.statefarm.com/foundati/foundati.htm)
******************
JOBS/INTERNSHIPS
FREDDIE MAC COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
Job Posting Description for Requisition #151559
Job Title: Community Dev Spec
Location: MCLEAN, VA
Division: Office of the Chairman Division
Type: Full Time - 38.75 hours
Job Description:
Support the Director of National Initiatives in creating,
implementing, and monitoring national alliances and initiatives
that meet customer needs. Coordinate Freddie Mac presence at
conferences and meetings. Respond to internal and external
customer inquiries. Draft and edit written materials. Provide
technical training and support to Corporate Relations and
Housing Outreach (CRHO) alliance and initiative participants.
May track and reconcile purchase activity and provide periodic
reports as required. Job requires a Bachelor degree in Business
Administration, Urban Planning, English or related discipline or
an equivalent combination of education and experience from which
comparable knowledge and skills may be acquired; five years of
relevant experience including experience with customer service,
underwriting, affordable housing (including non-profits or
government agencies) and communications.
(http://www.freddiemac.com/careers/)
******************
FEMA EMERGENCY CALL CENTER POSITIONS AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY -
$15/hour
An excellent opportunity to assist victims of the disaster.
FEMA has a new Emergency Call Center at Prince Georges Plaza in
Hyattsville, MD near College Park . They NEED 12,000 people to
work 12 hr. shifts of simply logging the hurricane victims'
claims of the location & value of their destroyed homes. The
pay is $ 15/hr. & $22/hr. overtime. If interested call
301-698-1070.
Please share with interested students, graduates, people in
need.
If you know any young men age 18 and up who is looking for work,
FEMA is offering $32.00 per hour for a team of men willing to go
to New Orleans to help with the disaster and damage done by
Hurricane Katrina. You can fax your resume to 281-445-0813 or
call 770-696-9600 for more information.
******************
MANAGER OF
FOUNDATION RELATIONS
Position
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law seeks a
Manager of Foundation Relations to manage foundation grants that
support its ongoing efforts to advance democracy, improve access
to economic and legal justice for the poor, and reform the
criminal justice system. The Manager of Foundation Relations
will oversee and work to grow a portfolio of over $5,000,000 in
grants from a wide variety of institutional funders. S/He also
will play a significant role in other fundraising activities and
strategic planning for this fast-paced and growing organization.
Qualifications
Successful applicants must have:
. superb writing and oral presentation skills;
. the ability to promote complex goals, strategies, and
legal concepts in clear, accessible form;
. the talent to create compelling cases for funding and
to develop relationships with key funders;
. the ability to manage multiple deadlines and projects
while planning strategically for future efforts;
. the diplomacy and teambuilding skills required to work
well with colleagues at all levels and to assist in supervising
junior staff;
. the ability to work in close partnership with program
staff; and
. a commitment to social justice and the mission and
goals of the Brennan Center.
Prior grants management or grant writing experience required;
other fundraising experience, particularly in the social justice
arena, a plus.
Salary
Commensurate with experience.
The Brennan Center
Founded in 1995 in honor of U.S. Supreme Court Justice William
Brennan, the Brennan Center is a legal advocacy and research
institute committed to promoting progressive reform. The
Brennan Center engages in research and analysis to identify
strategies for addressing public policy problems, and employs a
broad range of tools, including legislative advocacy, research,
public education, and litigation to implement them. More
information about the Brennan Center is available on our website
at
www.brennancenter.org.
The Brennan Center is an independent not-for-profit organization
with its own Board of Directors, budget, and fundraising
program.
Applications: Please send (a) cover letter, (b) resume,
and (c) two relevant writing samples to:
By mail to:
Manager of Foundation Relations
Brennan Center for Justice
161 Avenue of the Americas, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10013
or
By e-mail to:
brennancenterjobs@nyu.edu
Please indicate "Manager, Foundation Relations" in the e-mail
subject line
The deadline for applications is September 28, 2005.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so
candidates are encouraged to submit applications as soon as
possible.
The Brennan Center for Justice is an equal opportunity,
affirmative action employer and actively recruits people of
color, women, persons with disabilities, and lesbians and gay
men.
******************
TIPS/RESOURCES
ONLINE
EVALUATION TOOLS FOR NONPROFITS
Innovation Network: Point K Learning Center
Innovation Network is a nonprofit organization that provides
consulting, training, and online tools for nonprofit
organizations and funders. Innovation Networks Point K Learning
Center is a new online destination featuring practical tools and
resources for nonprofit planning, evaluation, and action. Point
K features a suite of free web-based tools to help organizations
plan and evaluate their efforts, learn what works, improve their
effectiveness, and better serve their communities.
(http://www.innonet.org/index.php?section_id=4&content_id=16)
******************
TECHNOLOGY – DO-IT-YOURSELF EFFICIENCY EXPERT
Back during the 1950s and 60s, so-called "Efficiency Experts"
were all the rage. These consultants were hired by management to
stake out an office, and armed with a stopwatch, time staff
while they executed tasks. At the conclusion of the project, a
report was made to management on how the office workflow could
be made more efficient.
Needless to say, these efficiency experts were not particularly
appreciated by the staff under the gun. Think Spencer Tracy and
Katharine Hepburn in Desk Set.
At the same time, knowing how your staff is spending its time
and where changes in the work load and work flow would improve
productivity, is a worthwhile undertaking. You don't have to
search for a modern equivalent of an efficiency expert, however.
Take a tip from accounting and consulting firms. These
organizations use time and billing software to capture and
analyze staff time.
While accountants and lawyers enter time spent on each task for
each client or case, you can go simple. Just have each staff
member define the tasks that they spend the majority of their
time on. Then add more general categories including lunch,
coffee and restroom breaks, and using the copier and fax
machine.
Having each staff member entering their time for several weeks
will, in many cases, show up logjams in your office. Perhaps it
would make sense to add another copier or two if your employees
frequently have to wait for access to these resources.
Sage Software's Timeslips is probably the best known application
for time tracking, but you don't have to spend $400 or more to
accomplish this task. A quick search on the Internet will
uncover a dozen or more inexpensive or even free programs up to
the task.
Just be sure to get your staff involved in the process. If they
think that you are just looking over their shoulders, they will
be uncooperative and resentful. Award staff who have come up
with innovative approaches, and reward staff who adopt more
productive methods as a result of your analyses.
(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/technology.html)
******************
FINANCE – DEVELOPING GOOD INTERNAL CONTROLS AND AUDIT TRAILS
Although nonprofits are exempt from Sarbanes-Oxley regulation,
they are not exempt from internal or external fraud. And,
because of some high-profile scandals, nonprofits should
proactively practice tight internal controls (i.e.,
self-governance) to avoid costs associated with full
Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
According to Liz Marenakos, product line manager, Financial and
Business Solutions at Blackbaud, Inc., in Charleston, S.C.,
protecting your organization against fraud before it happens and
ongoing monitoring for fraud are a necessity in today's
environment. Don't wait for fraud to strike before you take
action to protect your organization.
Marenakos has seven suggestions for internal controls and audit
trails:
1) Improve Data Integrity: Use software solutions that allow for
reporting to take place within the system -- no need to work
outside the system for reporting. The more work and reporting
done outside the software system, the more your organization's
audit risk increases.
2) Educate Your Staff: Many of your employees aren't aware of
internal controls, their purpose, or their value. Communication
of internal controls will promote buy-in and the support
necessary for success.
3) Reduce Duplicate Entry Through Integration: Use an integrated
fundraising and accounting solution to reduce the need for
duplicate data entry. Re-keying data in multiple software
systems increases the likelihood of errors and may create an
opportunity for fraud.
4) Ensure Internal Controls Are Embedded in Your Organization's
Culture: Internal controls are not things you do once and then
forget about. You have to continually enhance, tweak, and
re-communicate them in a never-ending cycle.
5) Increase Confidence in the Approval Process: Use a software
solution that provides log files so you can audit who is doing
what, see when they are doing it, and retrace the process from
invoice or receipt entry through approval, posting, and payment.
6) Ensure Segregation of Duties: Make sure your internal
processes and software system allow for segregation of duties.
For example, ensure that users who enter cash are not the ones
creating the deposit ticket.
7) Improve Monitoring Capability: Ensure that operations stay
within certain predefined parameters. For example, if you
publish your cost-of-fundraising ratio to demonstrate
stewardship of donated dollars, use a system that allows you to
constantly monitor that ratio dynamically. If you only calculate
that ratio at the end of a period, you are not in a position to
address and correct problems as they occur.
(http://www.nptimes.com/enews/tips/finance.html)
******************
NEWS
September 16, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jenny Yang, (202) 296-9200
ANN NGUYEN SELECTED AS 2005 - 2006 APAICS SODEXHO HEALTH POLICY
FELLOW
Washington , D.C. -- The Asian Pacific American Institute for
Congressional Studies (APAICS) announces Ann Nguyen of Fountain
Valley , CA as the 2005-2006 APAICS Sodexho Health Policy Fellow
to be placed in the office of Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo
of Guam , Chair of the Health Task Force for the Congressional
Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).
The Fellowship is designed to provide an opportunity to an
individual committed to the Asian Pacific Islander American
community and health policy, and who plans to pursue a career in
health policy. The Fellowship has been generously funded by
Sodexho USA , which is the nation's leading provider of food and
facilities management services.
APAICS chair, Clayton Fong states, "APAICS commends Sodexho's to
minority health - an issue that needs attention from public
policy arena for the minority community."
Ms. Nguyen graduated from the University of California , Los
Angeles in California in 2004, receiving a B.A. in Political
Science with a minor in Education. On campus, she served as a
Resident Assistant and Leadership Intern Supervisor for the
Office of Residential Life, to help acclimate students to the
college environment. She also taught her own discussion section
for two years as an Undergraduate Section Leader for the
Education Department. Additionally, she served as a Research
Assistant under Professor Anna Lau, studying child-rearing
practices among Asian American families.
Her involvement off-campus is also just as diverse as her
involvement on campus. Ms. Nguyen has continuously been involved
with the Eucharistic Youth of America. She was one of the
founding Scouts Master for the troop at Holy Spirit Church in
Fountain Valley , California . She has also been a teaching
assistant for the Vietnamese School and the bible school at the
church. Additionally, she is a certified First Aid/CPR
instructor and HIV/AIDS Instructor and served as a field
translator for local disasters. Ms. Nguyen has traveled to
Taiwan and Vietnam to teach English to local students and
organizations. Aside from her civic engagement, she worked as a
freelance web developer for small independent companies in
Southern California .
The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)
is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization based in
Washington, D.C., that seeks to build a politically empowered
APA community, to fill the political pipeline for Asian Pacific
Americans to enter and advance into elected office, and to be a
resource to Congress about the APA community.
(http://www.apaics.org)
******************
September 16, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jenny Yang, (202) 296 - 9200
KRIS CUARESMA-PRIMM SELECTED AS 2005-2006 ANHEUSER-BUSCH/FRANK
HORTON FELLOW
Washington , D.C. -- The Asian Pacific American Institute for
Congressional Studies (APAICS) announces Kris Cuaresma-Primm of
Honolulu , Hawaii as the 2005-2006 Anheuser-Busch/Frank Horton
Fellow to be placed in the office of Congressman Mike Honda
(D-CA), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
(CAPAC).
The Fellowship was established in honor of former Congressman
Frank Horton (R-NY). In 1992, Congressman Horton played a
leading role in the passage of H.R. 5572, permanently
designating May as "Asian Pacific American Heritage Month." The
Fellowship provides a unique opportunity to an outstanding
individual who has a commitment to the Asian American and
Pacific Islander communities, and who plans to pursue a public
policy career.
Kris received a BA in Mass Communications from University of
California, Berkeley in 2004.
At Berkeley , he served as the student-body president of the
Associated Students of University of California (ASUC). In that
capacity, he negotiated for funding towards a multicultural
center and coordinated student advocacy efforts to prevent
proposed budget changes and elimination of minority outreach
programs. Prior to being elected president, he served as an ASUC
senator. As a senator in ASUC, he advocated for services for
underserved students and served on the Advocacy Committee for
Affirmative Action, Women's Issues and Diversity. Kris has also
supported initiatives towards cancer funding. In 2002, with a
staff of 150, he led the first ever student Relay for Life in
conjunction with the American Cancer Society. For that event,
they raised over $30,000 for cancer research, education, and
services.
Kris also participated in the Democratic Education at CAL
program, which is the largest student-run educational program in
the country. As a student instructor for this program, he
developed syllabi for five courses and taught subjects ranging
from accessing government resources, to homelessness, to
Hawaiian culture and history. Additionally, Kris was a high
jumper for the varsity team, and he also served as a Student
Athlete Mentor, where he provided his teammates with educational
workshops on time management, STD awareness, drug usage, and
other issues.
Besides his experience on campus, Kris has been involved in many
other activities. For the Kerry/ Edwards Presidential Campaign,
he mobilized APIA leaders in Las Vegas for GOTV activities,
created student outreach programs for GOTV, and assisted in
organizing Democratic rallies. He has also interned with APAIC's
first Fellow and current Hawaii State Representative Scott
Nishimoto, staffing committee meetings and providing
administrative support. Furthermore, Kris has been a member to
many boards. He has served on the People's Park Community
Advisory Board, UC Berkeley Foundation Board of Trustees,
California Alumni Association Board of Directors, and the ASUC
Store Operations Board.
"I am especially honored to serve as this year's
Anheuser-Busch/Frank Horton fellow because this year marks the
centennial celebration of Filipinos in Hawaii ," said Mr.
Cuaresma-Primm. "Honoring the legacy of those who overcame stiff
challenges so my generation can have a seat at the table is the
source of my motivation. I am eager to learn all I can about the
process of government to best serve the community."
For more information about the Anheuser-Busch Fellows and
Scholars, please visit
www.asianbud.com.
The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS)
is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational organization based in
Washington, D.C., that seeks to build a politically empowered
APA community, to fill the political pipeline for Asian Pacific
Americans to enter and advance into elected office, and to be a
resource to Congress about the APA community.
(http://www.apaics.org)
******************
September 17, 2005
LIKE BEING A REFUGEE
AGAIN
Bay Area Vietnamese Americans aid the homeless from hurricane
Vanessa Hua, Chronicle Staff Writer
When Tam Lai moved to New Orleans from Vietnam as a teenager in
1996, no one in her family spoke English, and they struggled to
find work.
After years of effort, Lai was in pharmacy school at Xavier
University in New Orleans. Her mother, Thoa, owned a small nail
salon.
Then, Hurricane Katrina took it all away.
"Why do bad things happen to us? Why all the obstacles?" said
Lai, 23, who was waiting in line Friday at the Social Services
Department in San Jose with her mother and a 74-year-old
neighbor who also left after the storm. "I feel very lost. This
is a big city. I don't know what to do."
Like Lai, tens of thousands of Vietnamese American storm
evacuees are facing the prospect of restarting their lives for
the second time.
After leaving their war-torn homeland three decades ago,
thousands of Vietnamese refugees were resettled in Southern
states with federal government assistance. Later, Vietnamese
immigrants joined the new community, and many worked in the
fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico or owned small
businesses.
After the hurricane, thousands skipped the official evacuee
quarters such as in the Houston Astrodome because of worries
about possible danger there. Many instead bunked at an Asian
shopping mall in the Bellaire District, a Vietnamese American
enclave in Houston, before finding shelter in churches, temples,
homes and hotels.
"They're not engaged in the mainstream," Michael Luu, 42, a San
Jose real estate developer, said of many Vietnamese storm
victims. "They think there are no resources."
Many of those left homeless by the hurricane speak limited
English and don't know help is available. So the Bay Area
Vietnamese community is scrambling to show them how to apply for
help and is shipping food and other essentials to evacuees in
Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Luu recently returned from Houston, where he helped with the
relief effort. On Friday, he shuttled the Lai family to public
agencies to apply for help.
Jennifer Pham, 38, her husband, Michael, and their two children
drove to Houston from New Orleans to wait out the storm, packing
only three changes of clothes.
"There's so many people in Houston -- the lines are too crowded
when you try to get benefits," said Jennifer Pham, who had
worked six days a week at an insurance agency. Her husband was a
commercial tuna fisherman.
They drove to California with his sister and brother, to join a
brother in Fremont. They are now living at a hotel, paid for by
the American Red Cross, and hope to find temporary housing soon.
Jennifer Pham says she wants to go home to clean up but is
uncertain whether their house is still there. The levee break
flooded their neighborhood on the city's east side.
To help those left behind, Vietnamese Americans in San Jose sent
truckloads of fish sauce, noodles, soy sauce and other staples
to Biloxi, Miss., home to a community of about 5,000 Vietnamese
refugees, and to nearby Bayou Lebatre, Ala.
"It's a moral issue, so people don't feel like they live alone.
They miss some basic food," said Henry Huong Le, a San Jose real
estate developer who is leading the relief effort in Biloxi,
where he lived for five years in the mid-1990s.
The food is stored and distributed from a Vietnamese Catholic
church and a Buddhist temple, which volunteers first had to
clear of mud and rip out the sheetrock. People of all
ethnicities are welcome to take food.
Just before the storm hit, Le and his parents were to go to
Biloxi for the dedication of the new Buddhist temple. He
canceled his trip, but within a week, he was on a plane to
Mobile, Ala., the city with the closest open airport.
His office in downtown Biloxi serves as a command center, with
about a half-dozen volunteers sleeping on air mattresses. Power
has been restored, but the water remains contaminated, Le said.
The conditions remind him of his days as a refugee, Le said.
"The transition from the Third World to refugee camp is easy,"
Le said. "Now, people are used to running water and air
conditioning, and overnight they live on the street" Le vowed to
rebuild his destroyed properties in Biloxi.
Alex Hubris, 34, a San Jose electrical engineer, joined Le in
Biloxi, where he helped translate and fill out forms for Biloxi
victims, logging onto the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Web site at night when there is less traffic. He sleeps only
three to four hours each night.
"Some of them are in such desperate need," said Hubris, whose
family fled Vietnam in 1977. "The majority are really nice, but
sometimes they get angry that the government is not moving fast
enough."
His brother, Ryan, will fly out Wednesday to help set up a
medical clinic and assess local needs for a team of Bay Area
doctors scheduled to leave for the disaster area in a few weeks.
Hubris, interim director of VietHeritage, a community
organization, is helping organize Bay Area fundraisers along
with other local groups, which so far have collected more than
$150,000.
Debbie Ngiehm of San Jose flew to Houston and translated for
survivors, helping the elderly find doctors and fill
prescriptions and paperwork. Ngiehm, co-founder and vice
president of United Vietnamese Americans in San Jose, said more
help was essential.
"We need more volunteers," she said.
How to help
Donation drives to help evacuees include:
The Viet-American Cultural Foundation's Moon Festival at San
Jose's Cesar Chavez Park, Market and San Carlos streets, from
noon to 10 p.m. today.
The Autumn Moon Festival in San Francisco, on Irving Street
between 23rd and 25th avenues, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Ceremony for victims at the Hua Zang Si Buddhist Temple, 3134
22nd St., San Francisco, on Sept. 25, to be followed by a street
fair fundraiser.
E-mail Vanessa Hua at
vahua@sfchronicle.com.
(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/17/BAGB7EP2N71.DTL)
******************
For Immediate Release
September 19, 2005
Contact:Anh Phan - Director of Communications
aphan@ocanatl.org
202-223-5500
OCA RELEASES LANDMARK HATE CRIMES PREVENTION MANUAL
Washington, DC –OCA is proud to present Responding to Hate
Crimes: A Community Action Guide. OCA has been organizing hate
crime prevention workshops since 2001. In light of the recent
national attention on the Chai Vang shooting trial in the
Midwest, and the hate crimes against the Hmong community that
have occurred in response to the shootings, this guide offers
timely resources and instruction on how to effectively respond
and prevent hate crimes. The guide was created by OCA and
sponsored by The Allstate Foundation.
Responding to Hate Crimes has three sections:
Section I is an introduction to hate crimes. The reader learns
about what constitutes a hate crime or hate incident, who
commits them, how they are tracked and the importance of
reporting them to the police.
Section II discusses victim support. The reader has resources to
give a victim legal referrals, places to apply for monetary
compensation and mental health counseling. Also, the reader
learns about the different roles that community leaders can play
in relation to the victim, including victim assistance provider,
victim advocate, and community advocate.
Section III focuses on community responses. The reader is guided
through typical actions that a community pursues in the
aftermath of a hate crime. The section discusses holding
community forums, organizing the community, working with the
media, public education and coalition building.
The guide speaks to all community members and leaders, from
those who have little to no organizing experience to those who
are veteran activists. The guide offers:
An integrated guide of broad topics that a community leader will
face when responding to a hate crime, among them including
victim assistance, community organizing, working within
coalitions and the media. Resources for law enforcement,
attorneys, community leaders, educators and parents, youth, and
victim assistance providers
* Examples of community best practices to address and prevent
hate crimes
* Web resources that lead to more information by leading
organizations fighting hate
* Easy-to-read text for quick reference.
*Reader-friendly visuals.
Responding to Hate Crimes will be distributed nationally. The
publication is free to the public for those who request the
manual, although copies are limited.
Alternatively, the public can download a PDF copy of the guide
for free from OCA’s website,
www.ocanatl.org, in easy-to-download sections beginning in
late September 2005.
For more information, contact Anh Phan, OCA Communications
Director, at 202-223-5500 or
aphan@ocanatl.org.
“Founded in 1973, OCA, a national organization with over 80
chapters and affiliates across the country, is dedicated to
advancing the social, economic, and political well-being of
Asian Pacific Americans in the United States.”
******************
September 21, 2005
STUDENTS MAY FACE CHARGES FOR RACIALLY MOTIVATED FELONY
Police say there is a good chance victims will file a lawsuit
By Rachel Kruer, Daily Staff Reporter
The Ann Arbor Police Department has issued warrants for two
University students for allegedly yelling obscenities and
urinating on two students in a racially motivated act.
The incident began when one of the suspects, a 21-year-old,
allegedly urinated from a second-floor balcony on two Asian
students walking down the 600 block of South Forest Avenue
Thursday night.
After the couple asked why they were being urinated on, the
suspect and another student reportedly began to use racial slurs
disparaging the couple’s Asian heritage.
The situation escalated, according to a police report, when at
least one student began throwing items, which the couple
suspected were eggs, at the couple.
One of the students was immediately taken into custody. The
other student who urinated on the couple, barricaded himself in
the apartment, which the police could not enter without a
warrant.
However, the AAPD knows the identity of the student, who could
face jail time if prosecuted.
AAPD Lt. Michael Logghe classified the crime as ethnic
intimidation, or verbal or physical attack against a person of
another race or gender. Logghe said ethnic intimidation is a
felony and carries a maximum penalty of four years in jail. The
suspects could also be charged with assault, and one of the
suspects could face a charge of indecent exposure, which would
require him to register as a sex offender.
Keith Elkin, director of the Office of Student Conflict
Resolution, said he could not comment on whether OSCR was
handling the case.
However, he said crimes involving ethnic intimidation do not
only break city law, but also violate the University’s code of
conduct.
“We protect student rights and have the responsibility to talk
to students,” Elkin said. “Also, we have the ability to consider
if the violation was motivated by bias, in which (case) we could
consider sanctioning a student.”
If OSCR were asked to intervene, Elkin said there were a range
of consequences a perpetrator of ethnic intimidation could face,
from a formal reprimand to expulsion from the University.
Sgt. Angela Abrams of the AAPD said the victims will likely
prosecute.
The police report also included a statement from an independent
witness — an employee at a parking structure on South Forest —
who said she saw the men assault the couple.
The incident has galvanized members of the Asian community —
some of whom have also faced the humiliation of ethnic
intimidation first-hand.
Cindy Chuang, LSA senior and president of the Taiwanese American
Student Association, said she was appalled and shocked that a
fellow University student could be demeaned in public.
But she herself said she has experienced racial bias from fellow
students, who she said were drunk when the incident occurred.
While walking down South University Avenue, Chuang said a group
of students yelled, “Wow, you speak really good English” and
“You talk with a white accent.”
LSA senior and former Korean Student Association President Paul
Yun said he was disgusted by the incident but not surprised that
it happened.
Yun said that he has also faced discrimination in Ann Arbor.
While using a public restroom at Good Time Charley’s, Yun said
he was referred to as “Bruce Lee” and “Ching Chong.”
He also said that many of his friends have experienced similar
incidents.
Yun said that the issue needs to be addressed immediately. He
said he expected the United Asian American Organizations — an
umbrella group for the Asian student groups on campus — would be
the first to respond to the matter.
At the very least, Yun said this incident will call attention to
a problem on campus and could potentially empower the Asian
community to improve the climate for minority students at the
University.
(http://www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/21/4330f61d9f9f0)
******************
September 22, 2005
OFFICIALS’
REMARK IS CALLED BIGOTED
Vietnamese Americans seek apology for Garden Grove councilman's
retort to a colleague.
By David Haldane, Times Staff Writer
Members of Garden Grove's Vietnamese American community, angered
over what they say was a racially insensitive remark by a
councilman, plan to attend next week's City Council meeting en
masse to demand an apology.
At a Sept. 13 meeting of the city's redevelopment agency,
Councilman Harry Krebs responded to repeated questioning by
Councilwoman Janet Nguyen with "I already expressed it very
simply — I can't do it in Vietnamese."
The reaction among Vietnamese residents, many of whom saw the
exchange on cable television, was swift.
"An affront to one's dignity in a public forum deserves a public
apology," said Andrew Do, president of the Little Saigon
Heritage Foundation and one of several community leaders who
have sent dozens of e-mails urging local Vietnamese Americans to
express their displeasure at Tuesday's meeting.
Garden Grove includes part of Little Saigon, the largest
concentration of Vietnamese outside Vietnam and a community that
has gained national prominence as a center of Vietnamese
American culture.
"At the very least," Do said, "the community needs to hear [an
apology] so that we send a clear message that in a multicultural
community like Garden Grove, and in this day and age, there is
no room in government for that kind of bigotry."
Krebs declined to say definitively in an interview Wednesday how
he would react to the expected demand. He did, however, say of
his remark that "in my mind it was a very innocent — but, in
retrospect, very dumb — thing to say. I would definitely think
that I should apologize to the people of Garden Grove, because I
don't think this is the way a leader should react, even when you
get provoked."
That provocation, Krebs said, came during a discussion about a
potential commercial development when Nguyen, who was chairing
the meeting, asked him repeatedly to explain why a requested
city staff report would require four weeks to complete.
"What information would you like that isn't in front of you
right now?" she asked.
Nguyen said that following Kreb's dismissive response, she cut
him off in mid-sentence, brought the matter to an immediate vote
and called for a recess.
"I was pretty upset," Nguyen said, adding that she had been in
the U.S. since the age of 3 and spoke English fluently.
"We're a model for all the other Vietnamese American communities
nationwide, and for them to hear that racism is still on display
here is extremely regrettable," she said.
Krebs said — and Nguyen confirmed — that he tried to apologize
to her immediately after the meeting but was rebuffed. Later,
both said, he sent her an e-mail apologizing for his remark.
That, however, may not be enough.
"It's not just about me anymore," Nguyen said Wednesday.
"It calls into question his character in being a council member;
it's about his attitude toward Asian Americans. It's about the
public and who he's representing — if they ask for a public
apology, I think they deserve it."
(http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-viet22sep22,1,432238.story)
******************
September 22, 2005
VIETNAMESE BISHOP SEEKS TO CALM A WORRIED FLOCK
Dominic Luong of the Diocese of Orange returns to a parish where
he helped refugees after the fall of Saigon in 1975.
By Mai Tran and William Lobdell, Times Staff Writers
NEW ORLEANS — This wasn't a pastoral visit. After Hurricane
Katrina, there was nobody left to minister to.
Roman Catholic Bishop Dominic Luong said he needed to see for
himself the damage done to the Vietnamese community he helped
bring together three decades ago.
On Wednesday, in the middle of a five-day trip to the Gulf Coast
to minister to Vietnamese evacuees, Luong traveled to
Versailles, a settlement in East New Orleans that had been home
to 10,000 immigrants.
On the eerily quiet street that bears his name, lawns and weeds
had grown about knee-high. Trash filled front yards.
Marks 7 feet high on the brick homes showed how far the
floodwaters had reached.
The stench — from sewage, trash and swamp water — almost
overwhelmed him.
His former church hadn't been spared. Winds peeled off side
panels and a large section of the roof of Mary, Queen of Vietnam
Parish. Floodwaters swamped its floor.
"It took me 27 years to build, and now it's devastated in one or
two days," Luong said softly.
"We will rebuild, but it will take time and patience. This was a
very lively town, but now it's a ghost town."
A day earlier, Luong visited 300 Versailles evacuees at a
shelter at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Baton Rouge.
"I am here to share the pain and sorrow," said Luong, who is an
auxiliary bishop with the Diocese of Orange and first Vietnamese
American prelate in the Catholic Church. "We will survive this."
He reminded them that they had faced adversity before as
refugees from Vietnam and had still prospered.
During his visit, Luong slipped back into his role as patriarch
of Vietnamese immigrants in New Orleans. As a priest and
community activist, he had shepherded the largely Catholic
community since the refugees started to arrive in New Orleans
after the fall of Saigon in 1975.
His handiwork can be seen and felt everywhere in East New
Orleans. Among the most impressive achievements: a drained swamp
where Vietnamese entrepreneurs built about 1,000 apartments and
homes, a church and a day-care center on 35 acres.
Luong eased tensions between Vietnamese and African American
fishermen and developed a political base that became a factor in
New Orleans elections.
In 2003, after being named auxiliary bishop of Orange, Luong
left the South for the West Coast but remained a national leader
for Catholics of Vietnamese heritage.
Returning to Louisiana this week, Luong was something of a
celebrity, his soothing words and prayers resonating with the
East New Orleans evacuees who took refuge at St. Anthony.
"At this time of challenges, his presence is very comforting,"
said Father Tam Huu Pham, a priest helping at the shelter.
"He was a popular figure, so everyone knows him. Just a visit
says a lot. They don't expect much."
Luong wrote a $20,000 check — money that was raised in Orange
County — to cover St. Anthony's increased electric bill, and he
passed out 400 telephone calling cards.
He also advised priests there to contact government officials
for financial and medical help.
"If we are quiet and keep doing it ourselves, we won't get
help," Luong told them.
But mostly it was his presence that lifted the spirits of the
Vietnamese immigrants, many of them themselves displaced for a
second time in their lives. They stood in line just to say a few
words to the bishop, many of them kneeling to kiss his ring
before speaking.
"I'm very happy to see him," said Co Nguyen, 73, a longtime
parishioner at Mary, Queen of Vietnam. "He has to love us if
he's chosen to be here."
Priests at St. Anthony told Luong that some of the elderly had
experienced nervous breakdowns after finding themselves refugees
again.
The clerics said they were looking for a Vietnamese-speaking
psychologist or psychiatrist to help.
"I keep reminding them: When they left Vietnam in 1975, they
left their country and their relatives to survive," said Father
Hung Nguyen, a priest at St. Anthony. "So this is not impossible
to overcome."
Before Hurricane Katrina, many Vietnamese in Versailles lived in
homes worth more than $600,000 and owned their own businesses.
Today, the evacuees were without possessions, and living in a
church where 300 people share four bathrooms and public showers.
Luong told them: we "fled [Vietnam] in 1975. We have become
successful. We have become professionals. To live in a place
like this and become refugees again is a large sacrifice."
He said the Diocese of Orange would be a partner in their
rebuilding effort.
"His visit shows that he still cares enough to see his people,"
said Tam Tran, 38.
"Maybe he can help us rebuild. Since he's well known, a lot of
people will support him, even in different countries. Because of
his strong voice, he can draw a lot of donors."
Before the bishop left Versailles, he took another look at what
was left of the community he had watched become home to so many.
"There will always be a Vietnamese community here," he said. "We
have invested so much here."
Mai Tran reported from Baton Rouge and New Orleans. William
Lobdell reported from Southern California.
(http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-me-bishop22sep22,1,5839946.story)
******************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2005
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS FORM COALITION TO DEFEAT
MANIPULATIVE BALLOT MEASURES IN SPECIAL ELECTION
SAN FRANCISCO - Several leading Asian Pacific American
organizations today announced the formation of a coalition to
defeat the anti-worker, anti-education and anti-health care
ballot measures to be voted on in the upcoming special election.
Reviving the name used for the APA coalition that successfully
defeated Proposition 54, "APAs for an Informed California," the
new group includes the Asian Law Alliance, Asian Law Caucus,
Chinese for Affirmative Action | Center for Asian American
Advocacy, Chinatown Community Development Center and Chinese
Progressive Association.
"This special election is an attempt by special interests to
manipulate voters through the initiative process," said Gen
Fujioka, acting executive director of the Asian Law Caucus and a
coalition leader. "This power grab will succeed only if APAs and
other Californians ignore this election and don't vote."
"Most of the ballot measures to be voted on are anti-worker,
anti-education, anti-health care and anti-public safety," said
Luna Yasui, policy director of Chinese for Affirmative Action |
Center for Asian American Advocacy and a coalition leader. "Our
coalition will be focusing on connecting with voters through
media outreach, multilingual flyers and materials and community
events."
The coalition will focus on opposing five of the propositions:
Proposition 73 will allow judges to interfere with the
health of our daughters;
Proposition 74 will punish new teachers;
Proposition 75 amounts to paycheck deception;
Proposition 76 cuts school funding; and
Proposition 77 may harm efforts to elect more APAs to
office.
APAs for an Informed California also announced that it has hired
Catherine "Cat" Bao Le as its consultant. A recent graduate of
UC Berkeley in Ethnic Studies, Bao Le was active on that campus
and in the community particularly on minority student
recruitment and retention. She is fluent in Vietnamese and
Spanish and has experience working on the campaign against
Proposition 54.
The coalition will soon launch its website,
http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=43964086&u=405454,
to provide the community with more information on the campaign
and how to get involved.
Organizations interested in joining the coalition can contact
"Cat" Bao Le at (415) 896-1701.
- 30 -
Media contacts:
Gen Fujioka, Acting Executive Director, Asian Law Caucus, (415)
896-1701 x113
Luna M. Yasui, Policy Director, CAA, (415) 274.6760 x306
******************
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Colorado Springs, Colorado)
For Immediate Release
September 24, 2005
RADIO
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This weekend I will visit U.S.
Northern Command in Colorado where we're monitoring Hurricane
Rita. As the hurricane continues along its destructive path,
the American people can know courageous and dedicated men and
women are responding to our citizens in need. We are marshaling
resources of the federal government to save lives and property,
and bring comfort to those who have evacuated because of this
storm.
Over the past week, federal, state and local governments have
been closely coordinating their efforts for Hurricane Rita. The
Department of Homeland Security and FEMA prepositioned food,
water, ice, and emergency response teams, and helped with the
evacuations in Texas and Louisiana. Military assets were also
prepositioned so they could be deployed immediately after the
storm passes.
At this moment, the following Navy ships are in the region: the
Iwo Jima, the Shreveport, the Tortuga, the Grapple, the Patuxent,
and the Comfort. The Texas National Guard has activated its
Guardsmen, nearly 3,500 so far, with more on call if they are
needed. Coast Guard cutters, aircraft and helicopters are in
place, ready to rescue, evacuate, and relocate civilians trapped
by the storm. And additional Coast Guard air crews and aircraft
are now arriving from around the country.
We've also organized and identified civilian volunteers,
including more than 200 doctors and more than 400 registered
nurses. The American Red Cross is prepared to deliver hundreds
of thousands of meals a day. Our government is taking every step
possible to protect life and bring comfort to those affected.
As we respond to Hurricane Rita, we're continuing our efforts to
help the citizens of the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane
Katrina, a storm that has caused unprecedented destruction
across an entire region. The recovery of Louisiana, Alabama and
Mississippi is a commitment of the American people, and in this
effort, all Americans have a role to play. In the recovery
effort, the federal government has a vital role, and we'll do
our duty. We'll help rebuild roads, bridges, schools, water
systems and other infrastructure in the disaster zone. We will
cut through red tape in Washington so we can speed the work of
rebuilding and get the Gulf Coast region back on its feet.
In the recovery effort, state and local leaders will play a
vital role in laying out their plans and vision for the future
of their communities. Earlier this week, I met with community
leaders and local officials in the region to hear their ideas on
rebuilding and recovery. I told them that the vision of a
revitalized New Orleans should come from the people of New
Orleans, and the vision of a new Gulf Coast of Louisiana,
Mississippi and Alabama should come from the people of those
states. We will do everything we can to guide the recovery
effort, and help them realize their vision so that communities
along the Gulf Coast are better and stronger than before the
storm.
In the recovery effort, the private sector will play a vital
role. To rebuild lives and communities, we need to encourage
small business growth in that region, with immediate tax relief
and other incentives for job-creating investment. Private
enterprise is the engine for creating new jobs in America and it
will be the engine that drives the recovery of the Gulf Coast.
In the recovery effort, the American people will play a vital
role. This week, Laura visited Texas to thank leaders of
faith-based groups who've rallied to help their Louisiana
neighbors in desperate need. Charities and houses of worship and
idealistic men and women across America have opened up their
homes, their wallets and their hearts to the victims of
Katrina. And with the arrival of another violent storm, our
neighbors in the Gulf Coast will need continued help. Our
fellow citizens in the affected areas can know they can count on
the good hearts of the American people.
The past three weeks have tested our nation and revealed the
strength and resilience of our people. Americans have the
determination and the will to overcome any challenge from man or
nature. The courageous spirit of America will carry us through
any storm, and the compassionate soul of our nation will help us
rebuild. Thank you for listening.
END
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050924.html)
******************
September 25, 2005
THE MORNING READ:
NO TIME TO REST
Assemblyman Van Tran's freshman year in Sacramento mixed
frustration over his lack of influence with ambition to continue
in the political game.
By JOHN GITTELSOHN
The Orange County Register
Assemblyman Van Tran is dialing for dollars.
A 6-inch-thick binder profiling every client of every registered
lobbyist in Sacramento lies open on the desk of his Costa Mesa
office. Notes show what – if anything – people have given.
He has about as much success as a fisherman in the Santa Ana
River. It's a summer Friday afternoon, and he reaches only
receptionists and answering machines.
"I definitely need your help," he tells a voicemail. "I haven't
seen you coming through."
Tran, 40, is not up for election until next year. But he says he
needs to raise $300,000 to run for a second term, or $1 million
if he decides to run for the state Senate.
He keeps dialing.
"You do what you have to do to win," Tran explains. "You
campaign like hell."
Tran's election to the Assembly was cause for celebration in his
community: He is the first Vietnamese- American elected to the
California Legislature, the first Asian- American to represent
Orange County in the Capitol.
But is he a niche politician or a potential political power
broker? His freshman year in the Assembly, which adjourned Sept.
8, was a struggle to forge his identity and figure out his next
career move.
Keys to winning
Tran's life has always been about politics. He became a
political refugee at age 10, when South Vietnam fell to the
communists in 1975. As a student at UC Irvine he joined the
Young Americans for Freedom, a Republican group.
"I was a Reagan baby," Tran says. "Republicans stood for
freedom, anti-communism, opportunity."
He served as an intern and staffer with two congressmen,
attended law school and volunteered as a community and political
organizer in Little Saigon. In 2000, he won a seat on the Garden
Grove City Council.
The Legislature seemed like a natural next step. Last year, he
defeated fellow Garden Grove City Councilman Mark Leyes in a
bitter Republican primary, fending off accusations of
registering voters illegally. He then cruised to victory with 61
percent of the vote in November.
Republicans nationwide are pointing to Tran as a symbol of the
party's diversity. He was the March photo in a 2005 party
calendar that also featured the two most recent secretaries of
state, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, among other people of
color.
Local Republicans see Tran as a viable candidate in 2006 for the
state Senate seat now held by Democrat Joe Dunn.
"If he picks up a seat in this environment, it's huge," says
Adam Probolsky, a Republican consultant and pollster from Laguna
Hills. "I could see Van running for Congress."
But winning won't be easy. Last year, none – zero – of the 153
legislative and congressional seats on California ballots
changed party hands.
Playing defense
If a legislator's job is to make new laws, then it would be hard
to rate Tran's first year a success. Of the 16 bills he
introduced, 14 died in the Assembly or Senate or were held until
next year.
That's typical for a member of his party. This year, Republicans
in the Assembly sent an average of three bills apiece to the
governor; Democrats averaged eight apiece.
Tran's two bills that the governor signed were not exactly
landmark legislation. One measure would "correct obsolete cross-
references" in laws governing fraudulent property transfers. The
other concerns the design-approval process for disabled access
to Caltrans projects.
In a partisan Capitol, Tran usually toes the Republican Party
line, opposing Democratic bills to increase taxes, legalize gay
marriage, raise the minimum wage or otherwise regulate
businesses.
"A lot of what we do in the minority is play defense," Tran
says. "There's a feeling we already have too many laws. Why
would a bill fix something if not make it worse?"
Tran rarely speaks on the Assembly floor, because he believes
the debate doesn't change many votes. He spends most of his time
on the floor sitting alone, checking messages on his BlackBerry
or reading on his desktop computer. Assemblyman Chuck DeVore,
R-Irvine, said the quiet studiousness led some lawmakers to dub
Tran "The Scholar."
Fight for his flag
On April 21, Tran broke his silence to address the chamber. He
rose in anger after Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez
welcomed to the floor a parliamentary delegation from Vietnam.
It's common to acknowledge foreign dignitaries, but Tran was
incensed because the visit occurred days before the 30th
anniversary of the fall of Saigon - and his family's flight to
America.
"This great body welcomed representatives of one of the most
repressive regimes on Earth," Tran said, his face flushed with
anger. "It is indeed offensive to me, personally."
Tran wrote a letter demanding that Nuñez change the protocol for
recognizing guests, a complaint that chilled relations with the
speaker, who has the power to derail bills and dole out
committee assignments.
But Tran was determined to bring his perspective to the Capitol.
Against the wishes of some advisers who worried he would be
pigeonholed as a single-issue politician, Tran signed on as
co-author of a resolution to recognize the former flag of South
Vietnam as the banner of all Vietnamese- Americans.
Similar resolutions had died two years running in a Senate
committee, amid concerns that they could damage relations
between Washington and Hanoi.
Tran had written a similar ordinance - and overcome similar
objections - as a Garden Grove city councilman.
In Sacramento, he lobbied each member of the Rules Committee,
where the bill faced its first test. He mustered statistics to
show that nearly 100 similar resolutions had not impeded trade
growth with Vietnam. He used his connections in the Vietnamese-
language media to garner publicity for a May 25 committee
hearing.
Hundreds of supporters - mostly refugees, many wearing the
yellow and gold colors of the South Vietnamese flag - packed the
19th-century wood-paneled hearing room.
A handful of Vietnamese refugees and anti-war veterans from the
'60s testified against the resolution, calling it an effort to
refight a lost war. Tran presented a lawyerly rebuttal.
"It is simply a restatement, a reaffirmation, of Vietnamese-
American wishes to honor their freedom and heritage flag," he
said.
The committee voted 5-0 for passage. The crowd erupted with
cheers, tears and hugs.
The resolution's author, Sen. Denise Ducheny, a San Diego
Democrat, credited Tran for the victory.
"The effect of having him here was people saying, 'This is an
important constituency,'" she said. "I think his election
helped."
The resolution passed the Senate 22-0, but when it got to
Nuñez's Assembly, it went nowhere. On Sept. 1, Nuñez wrote to
Tran that he was holding the bill until next year to make sure
"California's business take(s) precedence over foreign policy
matters."
Making sausage
One May day over lunch, Tran looks weary. His face is puffy. A
few gray hairs thread his temples.
"I've moved six times this year," he says, stirring but not
eating his meal. "Out of my law office. Out of my campaign
office. Out of City Hall. To Sacramento. I got a new home in
Westminster. I got married. My brother died."
In January, cancer claimed his older brother, Henry, 41, a
dentist and father of three children ages 7, 6, and 1-1/2. Tran
inherited the responsibility of being a surrogate father.
The death has spurred Tran to re-examine his life and work, to
question the Legislature.
In this era of term limits, he says, lawmakers focus more on
their next career move than making good policy. They often
introduce bills to make news with little regard for the bills'
effect, he says. Good bills are picked apart by contending
interests.
"You've got lobbyists, nonprofits, constituents, colleagues,
Democrats and Republicans," he says. "There's the Senate and the
administration. You throw all that in the cauldron of the
legislative process, and what you put in may not come out the
same way. It's true that it's like making sausage. It's not
pretty."
Opportunity comes
Tran compensates for his frustrations in Sacramento by working
tirelessly in his district.
On a Friday in July, while other lawmakers enjoy their summer
recess, Tran begins his workday touring a medical clinic in
Garden Grove.
He drops by an auto-repair shop owned by a supporter, then
returns to his Costa Mesa office, where he receives visits from
officials working at the Orange County Vector Control District
and the Orange County Children and Families Commission.
Tran lunches in Garden Grove with a group of Korean-American
business owners.
"We don't have a Korean in Sacramento," says Dr. Edward Pyune,
owner of an Anaheim medical clinic. "He's representing the whole
Asian community."
Tran's office fields countless inquiries from Asian-Americans,
often unrelated to Assembly business.
Immigrants ask for visa help. Senior citizens solicit advice on
their taxes.
When a Vietnamese-American trash hauler requests assistance to
land a contract with the city of Sacramento, Tran calls a pair
of Assembly colleagues from the capital city.
In July, Tran talks to the Fountain Valley police and District
Attorney Tony Rackauckas on behalf of Linh Nguyen, a charter bus
operator who was shot in his own driveway. Tran believes the
attacker was a hit man hired by a rival bus operator.
"I serve as his voice," Tran says of Nguyen.
There's another reason Tran pays so much attention to these
requests.
"People in Sacramento can't vote for me," he says. "The battle
is back in the district."
Very soon, he must choose his next battle: the safe district in
the Assembly or the Senate seat, which he could lose.
"In anything and everything, you have to grow - and do it
smartly," he says. "Opportunity comes, you take it."
CONTACT US: (916) 449-6048 or jgittels@ocregister.com
(http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_689388.php)
******************
September 25, 2005
PANEL: EDUCATION, VOTING AMONG ISSUES OF CONCERN FOR VA ASIANS
By DIONNE WALKER
Associated Press Writer
RICHMOND, Va. -- In the late 1980s, while everyone from school
administrators to Sesame Street was busy reinforcing the
importance of teaching children Spanish, Fairfax County
educators had reached a radically different conclusion: The next
generation needed to know Japanese.
"They just looked at the economy and the trade--our world is
shrinking," said Paula Patrick, foreign language coordinator for
Fairfax County schools, which now offer Japanese, Chinese and
Korean at more than a dozen schools.
Funding to expand Asian language courses is among the 14
recommendations included in a report documenting Asian concerns
statewide. Other recommendations outlined in the Virginia Asian
Advisory Board's annual report range from more translation help
at the polls to better representation in school history books.
It was the second issued by the board, created in 2001 to advise
the governor on issues surrounding Asian trade and
Asian-American communities in the state.
One of the most striking recommendations this year involves
opportunities to learn Asian languages in school.
The Department of Education doesn't keep a count of how many
schools in the state offer courses in such languages. But among
three of the fastest growing areas identified in the 2000 Census
_ Loudoun County, Prince William County and the city of Suffolk
_ none offers Asian language courses.
Reasons range from lack of demand to the difficulties of finding
a person not only versed in these complex languages, but capable
of teaching them. The report recommends a special state grant
for initiating the courses.
Tomorrow's business leader's simply can't rely on a couple years
of high school French, said Robert Colorina, vice chairman of
the advisory board.
"Simply put, much of the anticipated growth from some of the
U.S. companies is anticipated in overseas markets," he said.
"It's reflective of the changing face of our U.S. society."
Approximately 261,025 Asian Americans lived in Virginia in 2000,
according to the census. By 2004, that number had swollen to
326,563.
But the shifting population isn't reflected in school textbooks,
which continue to peddle historical inaccuracies, said Eric
Jensen, head of the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans of
Virginia. The problem often is as simple portraying the Vietnam
and Korean wars with Asians cast as villains, he said.
The report recommends consideration of new textbooks, with close
attention to how each addresses Asian culture. Funding for
social studies teachers to take supplementary training in Asian
history also is advised.
Equally pressing are translation issues. Board members point to
low voter turnout in some communities as well as relatively
small numbers of Asians receiving state services--both related,
the report suggests, to language barriers.
"New immigrants and the elderly, they have a hard time," said
former board chair Liu-Jen Chu, who oversaw this year's report.
"English is the only language presented to them, which can be a
barrier for them to come out to vote and also come out to the
mainstream."
The report urges the governor to require each state agency work
on a plan to increase accessibility to state services through
community outreach, while requesting election monitors to assist
Asian-American voters at the polls. A task force to specifically
address Asian voter issues also is needed, the report said.
With 13 distinct Asian communities in central Virginia alone,
translating many documents could be an expensive venture, Chu
admitted.
She suggested officials reduce costs by recruiting community
leaders to translate documents.
Recurring from the 2004 report were calls for a review of Asian
employment in state universities, attention to remedial programs
that often aid learning disabled immigrants and the development
of diversity training curriculum throughout Virginia public
schools.
Last year's recommendations didn't go without notice. A two-week
gubernatorial trade mission to Japan and India this spring was
the direct result of the board's 2004 recommendations. It
triggered more than $36 million in new development and at least
100 jobs in Virginia, according to the Governor's Office.
Still, the board recommended stronger support for Asian and
other minority-owned businesses, including training on public
and private procurement opportunities and establishing a
mentoring program for entrepreneurs.
With only months to go in his term, Gov. Mark Warner can't
possibly address everything contained in the report.
"We would hope that future governors would share Gov. Warner's
interest in reaching and increasing economic ties to the Asian
world," said spokesman Kevin Hall. "We ignore Asia at our own
peril."
On the Net:
Virginia Asian Advisory Board:
http://www.vaab.virginia.gov/
(http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--asianadvisoryrepo0925sep25,0,4961540.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia)
******************
About NCVA
Founded in 1986, the National Congress of Vietnamese
Americans is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community advocacy
organization working to advance the cause of Vietnamese
Americans in a plural but united America – e pluribus unum –
by participating actively and fully as civic minded citizens
engaged in the areas of education, culture and civil
liberties.
Copyright material is distributed without profit or payment for
research and educational purposes only, in accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. section 107
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