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“On behalf of the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, we are proud to join all Americans in celebrating the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May and embracing the diversity of our communities that is found only in America.

“As the fastest growing immigrant population in the United States, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community has been a critical component in weaving the fabric of modern America for more than a century and a half. The rich and complex history the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is the story of America.

“Even today, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders continue to break barriers. As home to the largest concentration of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, California has been at the forefront of achieving many historic breakthroughs in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

“The strength of this community lies in its unique and vibrant diversity. As we continue our achievements and progress, we must embrace our legacy, cherish our diversity, and continue to fight together as we work to strengthen our nation. To that end, we must stand together and work hard together to pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform so those who yearn to achieve the American Dream have an opportunity to make it a reality.

“Together, we can continue to strengthen the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and our nation. And together, we can continue making history.”

California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus Chair Clark Lee released the following statement on the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act repeal:

“Today, December 17, 2013, the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus commemorates the 70th anniversary of the passage of the Magnuson Act, also known as the Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943. It was a historic step toward ending decades of legalized discrimination against Chinese Americans under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first anti-immigrant legislation that targeted a specific ethnic group.

“We applaud the leadership of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Judy Chu and the hard work of many U.S. Senators, Members of Congress, and community organizations and leaders in passing S. Res. 201 in 2011 and H. Res. 683 in 2012, expressing regret for the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act and reaffirming America’s unwavering commitment for equality and justice for all people.

“Nevertheless, even as we make progress on the legal front, anti-Asian American sentiment and racial insensitivity still exists today. Just this year, a political committee in Los Angeles distributed a mail piece to voters, labeling a Korean American City Council candidate as ‘The Other Guy’ in a pose reminiscent of dictators, with color scheme clearly created to invoke xenophobic fear of communism. In October, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired a racially insensitive segment, ‘Kids Table,’ during which one of the kids suggested that the U.S. should ‘kill everyone in China’ to solve its debt issues.

“As we continue to fight for civil rights and civil liberties for all Americans, we must work to make sure that this type of discrimination does not repeat in our communities – not now, not ever.”

Dear Fellow Democrats:

Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda has brought devastating damages to the people of the Philippines.

The Filipino American Democratic Caucus of the California Democratic Party (FADC-CDP) and the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus (CDP API Caucus) urge you to lend a helping hand and take action in assisting with disaster relief efforts.

During the California Democratic Party Executive Board Meeting this weekend, both Caucuses will be collecting donations toward this effort, in supporting the Philippine Aid Network during our respective Caucus Meetings on Saturday, November 23. Please click here to see updated CDP E-Board Agenda for details on Caucus Meeting schedules or get an updated agenda on-site.

Additionally, we hope you can join us at the Philippine Aid Network Benefit Concert following our Caucus Meetings on Saturday, November 23, 2013, 6 PM – 9 PM, at the City View at Metreon, Yerba Buena Gardens, 135 Fourth Street in San Francisco. For more information, please see below or visit www.philippineaidnetwork.com. You can click here to download a flyer/letter.

If you will not be at the CDP E-Board Meeting this weekend, please see the information below on how to help.

Thank you,

Clark Lee
Chair, Asian Pacific Islander Caucus
California Democratic Party

Melissa Ramoso
Chair, Filipino American Democratic Caucus
California Democratic Party

This week, Asian Journal ran a story on California GOP’s brand-neweffort to reach the Asian American community – so new, they actually generated news stories because it’s previously unheard of.

While the out-of-touch Republicans finally realized that they are out-of-touch with California’s Asian Pacific Islander Americans, I am proud to say that standing up for the API community is nothing new for our Party. It is our Party.

There’s a reason why nearly all of the API elected officials in higher offices are Democrats. There’s a reason why API Democrats outnumber API Republicans in registration in California. That’s because the Democratic Party has always been the Party of diversity at the forefront of fighting for the API community.

Desperate Republicans can try showy gimmicks to generate stories in the news from time to time, but they’re no match the Democratic Party’s decades of advocacy for and grassroots activism in this community.

This Saturday, let’s do what we do best and continue our tradition of activism: join us for our Statewide Mobilization Day to help elect API candidates to local offices!

We need your help in Northern California to re-elect David Lim to the San Mateo City Council. In Southern California, we need your help to elect Melissa Ramoso to the Artesia City Council. Please see below or click here for more information. You can also help us spread the word on Facebook by clicking here to visit our Facebook page.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday – and bring a friend!

California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus State Chair Clark Lee released the following statement on the 50th Anniversary of March on Washington:

“Fifty years ago, a young man who dared to dream and dared to act stood with a quarter-million people in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Together, they fought for that Dream and challenged the status quo in the fight to further justice, equality, and opportunity for all.

“Today, as we commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech and the March on Washington, we must not forget those men and women who marched at the crossroads of history and paved the way for historic civil rights advancements to make sure that this Dream becomes a reality. They turned adversity into opportunity. They inspired generations of activists to stand up for civil rights. Their fight solidified America as a symbol of freedom and equality at home and abroad.

“Fifty years later, as we continue to build upon this foundation of progress in our resilient democracy, let us embrace the legacy of that day in Washington when people from all walks of life marched together as one nation, indivisible. Let us continue fighting for the Dream until we achieve equality, liberty, and justice for all.”

California Democrats have two important special elections coming up on Tuesday, July 23. Help us keep the two-thirds majority in the State Legislature and call voters today for Leticia Perez in Senate District 16 and Freddie Rodriguez in Assembly District 52!

You can help get them elected by start calling voters today!

Leticia Perez for State Senate – SD 16

Click Here to Call or go to www.cadem.org/perez

 Freddie Rodriguez for State Assembly – AD 52

Click Here to Call or go to www.cadem.org/rodriguez

When you log in to call, under organization, be sure to select “CADem – Caucus Asian Pacific Islander” and start calling.Posted in Latest News | Comments Offon Help Keep the Two-Thirds Democratic Majority in the State Legislature: Make Calls for Leticia Perez for Senate and Freddie Rodriguez for Assembly Today!

Statement of the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus on the Anti-Asian Independent Expenditure Mail Piece Against Los Angeles City Council Candidate John Choi

Posted on May 11, 2013 by clarklee

LOS ANGELES – California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus Chair Clark Lee released the following statement on the anti-Asian and xenophobic independent expenditure mail piece against Los Angeles City Council candidate John Choi in Council District 13’s May 21st runoff election:

“The California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus strongly condemns the appalling attack mail piece against Los Angeles City Council candidate John Choi released by the group ‘The Best Successor to Eric Garcetti – Committee to Support Mitch O’Farrell for City Council District 13 in 2013.’

“The mail piece features a bright red background and bright yellow words as headlines, one reading ‘Not From Our Community.’ It also features prominently centered photo of Council candidate John Choi, a Korean American, labeling him as ‘The Other Guy,’ in a pose reminiscent of dictators. The imagery is clearly created to invoke xenophobic fear of communism and falsely portray Choi as a communist.

“The use of images and color schemes that invoke racist, xenophobic, and discriminatory images and fear to rile up voter sentiment is unwarranted and despicable.

“Anti-Asian sentiments in America have had devastating consequences in U.S. history, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Japanese American internment during World War II, and the senseless murder of Detroit autoworker Vincent Chin during the U.S. auto crisis more than 30 years ago. We do not need another inflammatory ad such as this mailer against John Choi to perpetuate xenophobia and racism against Asian Americans.

“The unfortunate truth is: this is not the first time that a candidate running for public office or a political campaign has invoked such despicable and offensive scare tactic. Just last year, U.S. Senatorial candidate Pete Hoekstra in Michigan released an ad featuring an Asian woman with a bicycle on a pathway in rice paddies, speaking English with an accent, proclaiming, ‘Thank you, Michigan Senator Debbie Spenditnow. Debbie spends so much American money… Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs.’ Additionally, in 2011, Congressional candidate Mark Amodei of Nevada released an ad featuring a fictional Chinese newscast depicting the Chinese army marching through Washington with a Chinese flag flying over the U.S. Capitol.

“We urge the voters to reject these discriminatory behaviors to make sure that this type of campaign tactics does not repeat again – not now, not ever.

“The California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus requests that candidate Mitch O’Farrell join the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus in condemning this mail piece.

“Most importantly, we demand ‘The Best Successor to Eric Garcetti – Committee to Support Mitch O’Farrell for City Council District 13 in 2013’ to immediately cease using such type of anti-Asian negative campaigning and issue an apology to the people of Council District 13 and the Asian American community.”

LOS ANGELES / SACRAMENTO – The California Democratic Party (CDP) Asian Pacific Islander (API) Caucus today announced the launch of the California Democratic Party’s Chinese-language website section, making the California Democratic Party the first State Party in the nation to have such a feature online.

“The Democratic Party is the Party of diversity, of inclusion, and opportunity. While Democrats are decades ahead of our Republican counterparts when it comes to reaching California’s diverse communities, we’re not going to rest on our laurels. That’s why the California Democratic Party’s Asian Pacific Islander Caucus undertook this first of its kind effort to create a Chinese language section of the California Democratic Party website. This is but part of our continuing outreach efforts to the Asian Pacific Islander community, the fastest growing immigrant population in California,” said Clark Lee, Chair of the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus.

There are over 400,000 Chinese-American voters in California and an estimated 20% of that total request a Chinese-language ballot from the Secretary of State.

The addition of a Chinese language section makes the California Democratic Party the first state party in the country – either Democratic or Republican – to host a Chinese language section. The addition also means the California Democratic Party is host to the first tri-lingual state party website in the nation since a Spanish language section was added in 2009.

Lee continued, “California is a state rich in diversity. The Golden State is home to the largest concentration of Chinese Americans in the United States. We hope that the Chinese-language website section will help foster better understanding about our Democratic Party values and increase Democratic political engagement in the Chinese American community.”

The translation project was spearheaded by Tommy Tseng, community activist and former Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Kennedy School’s Asian American Policy Review; Charity Chao, community activist and Chinese-language educator; and Clark Lee, CDP API Caucus Chair. All of whom are fluent in Chinese.

Click here to visit the California Democratic Party Chinese-language section: http://www.cadem.org/chinese

===

加州民主黨亞太裔黨團
宣布推出加州民主黨網站的中文部分

洛杉磯/ 薩克拉門托 – 美國加州民主黨 (California Democratic Party / CDP) 的亞太裔黨團 (Asian Pacific Islander Caucus / API Caucus) 今天宣布推出加州民主黨網站的中文部分。加州民主黨成為美國第一個有這類網站功能的州政黨機構。

加州民主黨亞太裔黨團主席李天然 (Clark Lee) 表示 ︰「民主黨是代表多元性，包容性和機會的政黨。雖然民主黨在幾十多年來外展加州多元化人口的能力高超過共和黨，我們並不滿足於已有的成就。因此，加州民主黨亞太裔黨團創設了全國第一有中文部分的加州民主黨網站。這是我們外展擁有最快增長移民人口的亞太裔社區的努力。」

加州有超過40萬名華裔選民，其中估計有20％的選民從州務卿辦公室要求中文選票。

無論是民主黨或共和黨，加州民主黨不僅是全國第一個有中文網站的政黨，加州民主黨也是美國第一個具有三種語言網站的政黨。2009年時，加州民主黨網站添加了西班牙文的部分。

李天然繼續說：「加州是具有豐富地多元化社區的州。加州也是美國華裔人口最集中的州。我們希望中文網站將促進華人社區更加了解民主黨的價值觀，並鼓勵更多華人參與民主黨的政治活動。」

民主黨網站中文翻譯計劃的主要成員包括社會活動家及前哈佛大學肯尼迪政府學院 (Harvard Kennedy School of Government) 亞太裔美國人政策檢討主編 (Asian American Policy Review Editor-in-Chief) 曾建瑋 (Tommy Tseng)， 社會活動家和中文教師趙素秋 (Charity Chao)，和加州民主黨亞太裔黨團主席李天然。所有的人都會講流利的中文。

探訪加州民主黨中文部分，請點擊這裡: http://www.cadem.org/chinesePosted in Latest News | Comments Off

California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus State Chair Clark Lee released the following statement on the tragic shooting at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin:

“On behalf of the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, we offer our deepest condolences to the victims and the families of the Sikh Temple shooting and the Oak Creek community.

“Discrimination and hatred have no place in America. Even as we embrace diversity as our strength, this horrific shooting is a solemn reminder that we still have a long road ahead. We must work to make sure that such tragedy is not repeated in any corner of our communities. We must continue to work hard to embrace diversity and promote tolerance.”

California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus State Chair Clark Lee released the following statement on the tragic shooting at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin:

“On behalf of the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, we offer our deepest condolences to the victims and the families of the Sikh Temple shooting and the Oak Creek community.

“Discrimination and hatred have no place in America. Even as we embrace diversity as our strength, this horrific shooting is a solemn reminder that we still have a long road ahead. We must work to make sure that such tragedy is not repeated in any corner of our communities. We must continue to work hard to embrace diversity and promote tolerance.”

At the California Democratic Party Executive Board Meeting, the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus and the California Democratic Party Executive Board took action in passing the following resolution:

Resolution Opposing the “English Only” City Council Meeting Proposal in the City of Walnut and Any Other California Cities or Counties

Whereas, diversity is the strength of California; in the City of Walnut in the east San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, the population consists of 63.6% Asian and Pacific Islanders and 19.1% Latinos, with 46.8% of the City’s population being foreign born;

Whereas, the City of Walnut has a history of blatant disregard for the needs of limited English proficient residents in the City, including having been sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to provide in-language election materials and election-related assistance to limited English proficient voters as required by the federal Voting Rights Act;

Whereas, the City of Walnut is now considering the adoption of an “English Only” policy at its City Council Meetings, in which City Council Meeting proceedings would be conducted only in English, and non-English speakers wishing to participate in City Council proceedings would be required to provide their own interpreters, and that this discriminatory policy would hinder civic participation and access to the government for many residents and other cities and counties are experiencing the same issue;

Be It Resolved, that the California Democratic Party opposes the “English Only” policy of the Walnut City Council and any other cities and counties in California; and

Be It Further Resolved, that this resolution be transmitted to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Walnut City Council, the League of Cities, the Contract Cities Association, the California State Association of Counties, interested parties, and the media.

Authors:

Clark Lee
Chair, Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, California Democratic Party
Resident, City of Walnut

Eric C. Bauman
Vice Chair, California Democratic Party
Chair, Los Angeles County Democratic Party

Olivia Lee
Assembly District 55 Delegation Chair, Los Angeles County Democratic Party
Resident, City of Walnut

Arnold Lee
Democratic State Central Committee Member, Assembly District 55
Resident, City of Walnut

Adopted by the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, 7/28/12
Adopted by the California Democratic Party Executive Board, 7/29/12