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Action Alerts

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Save the Date: APA Caucus Holiday Party & Election

2010 has been a busy year full of festivities.We'd love for you to join our Annual Holiday Party and Board Election on:

Saturday, December 4, 2010
At the Home of Ken Pon and Marilyn Pon
2762 Lakeview Dr., San Leandro, CA 94577
5PM: Drinks & Appetizers
6:30PM: Paella Dinner

Guests are welcome to bring a favorite bottle of wine, light appetizers or dessert serving 8-10 people.

Please feel free to bring a potential new member. There will be a brief general meeting to elect new officiers for 2011.

RSVP Helen Ma at helenma1215@gmail.com or 510-861-8769

APA Caucus Annual Holiday Potluck, PDF

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Call for Volunteers in Oakland Dist. 4

Call for Volunteers in Oakland District 4

Our endorsed candidate for Oakland City Council District 4, Libby Schaaf, invites members of our Caucus to help her in the last final weeks before Election Day, Nov. 2nd. She is in a tight race with several other candidates and would appreciate as much help as our Caucus members can give.

Opportunities are as follows:

Walk for Libby This Friday (10/29, 5pm) and Saturday (10/30, 9am) meet us at Libby's house, 4385 Bridgeview Dr. to hit the pavement and spread the word about Libby.

Call for Libby We're phoning this Thursday evening (October 28 at 5:30pm) at Libby's house, Babysitting and dinner will be provided, and we'll be watching the World Series while we call!

Get out the vote activities!:

Sunday, 10/31: Phoning and Walking (Meet at Libby's house, 4385 Bridgeview Dr at 10AM - costumes optional)

Monday, 11/1: Driving and dropping reminders to Libby supporters (All Day!)

Tuesday, 11/2: Calling and driving supporters to the polls! (All Day!)

We hope that you will be able to contribute some time to one or more of the above activities. For more information or to sign up, please contact eruano@coro.org or 530-305-9427. Most importantly, don’t forget to vote for Libby Schaaf on Nov. 2nd!

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South County Endorsement Meeting

There's been a change of time for our second endorsement meeting in South Alameda County. Come meet candidates from San Leandro City Coucil and School Board, Ohlone Community College District, Union City City Council, Fremont City Council, and Alameda County Board of Supervisor Dist 2 candidates as they discuss their goals and priorities.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 2nd.
Time: 1 pm
Location: 5944A Newark Mall Plaza, Newark, CA

We hope to see you there!

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Current Events in Our Community

Stay up to date on current events with our new Current Events tab!

Find out what issues are affecting Asian Pacific Americans and find out how you can make a difference or become involved.

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Our Endorsements for the June 2010 Primary Election

As you prepare to cast your vote on June 8th, let us share with you the candidates and propositions we've chosen to support.

Please check the Our Featured Candidates page for a list of local and statewide candidates and propositions we've chosen to support this election season!

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Volunteer to Register New Citizens!

As we gear up for the 2010 election, we must amplify the Asian Pacific Islander voice by registering and educating our community on the importance of getting involved and voting. You help is critical in making this happen. Please come join the Alameda Democratic Central Committee to register new citizens. Information is below:

New Citizen Voter Registration
May 5th
10am - NOON
Location: Paramount Theater
2025 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612

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Volunteer to Phonebank for APA Endorsed Candidate Wilma Chan

Come join us on Wednesday May 5th from 6-8pm at 430 West Grand Ave, Oakland to call local voters to support Wilma Chan, candidate for Alameda County Board of Supervisor District 3.

Please RSVP to Robert Bonta at robbonta@comcast.net

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Fundraiser for APA Endorsed Candidate Garrett Yee

Garrett Yee for Assembly 2010
Hosted by Dr. Steven and Sue Chan & Dr. Norman and Kathy Wat

Event Sponsors:
California Dental Association
California Medical Association
California Association of Physician Groups
Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association
Business for Good Government Committee

Mowry Professional Center Courtyard
1895 Mowry Avenue, Fremont, CA
Wednesday, April 29, 2010
5:30 - 7:30pm
Hors d'oeuvres & Beverages

Recommended Contribution:
Event Sponsor $500
$150 per person
$250 per couple

Please confirm your attendance via email at RSVPGarrettYee@gmail.com

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URGENT CALL TO ACTION from APA Democratic Caucus: Support the California Democracy Act

URGENT CALL TO ACTION from APA Democratic Caucus: Support the California Democracy Act

This is an urgent Call to Action. Please take a couple of minutes to save our state and help us permanently end the budget crisis by printing out and signing the petition and mailing it in. Then forward this email to everyone you can with your personal plea to them to take action.

Here are the details: The Executive Board of the APA Democratic Caucus of Alameda County has endorsed the petition-gathering effort for the California Democracy Act, also known as the Lakoff Initiative. It is just 14 simple words: "All legislative actions on revenue and budget must be determined by a majority vote." Nothing to hide. Nothing confusing.

If passed, this initiative would lower the threshold required in our state legislature to pass a budget or raise revenue from 2/3rds to a simple majority. In other words, it would end minority rule in this state and allow California to finally solve our annual budget crises and restore real democracy in the state.

The challenge is this: we need 1 million signatures by early April to qualify the initiative for the November ballot. And to get these signatures, without a corporate sponsor to bankroll signature-gathering, we need you--the grassroots--to make this effort go viral We CAN do this, but we need you take action:

1) Print out the PDF petition and directions. Follow all the directions carefully to make sure your petition is valid.

2) Mail your petition in to the address indicated on the directions right away.

3) THEN, please forward this email with your personal plea to your friends that they too take the same action.

For more information:
Visit the websites at www.californiansfordemocracy.com or www.ca4democracy.com
Listen to a speech by George Lakoff at http://vimeo.com/9643324

Let's fight for democracy in our state. Please don't delay - act now!

Thank you!
Executive Board of the Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda

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The results are in for the 2009 Assembly District Delegate Elections!

Congratulations to five of our members who were elected as delegates! 



For the 16th AD, Joel Freid, Abel Guillen, Wayne Nishioka, and Sumi Marie Paranjape
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For the 14th AD, Nicky González Yuen

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These and many other elected delegates comprise the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee and will play a key role in organizing and overseeing party activities, making endorsements, and directing resources to candidates. A special thanks goes out to Arnold Fong who formerly served as a delegate. His hard work in coordinating outreach and endorsement information for last week's election is much appreciated!

FULL LIST OF ELECTED DELEGATES:

16th AD
*Eboard Representative: Mark Briggs
Male Delegates: Abel Guillen, Joel Freid, Wayne Nishioka, Mark Briggs, Dan Rush, Jakada Imani
Female Delegates: Sumi Marie Paranjape, Ronnie Caplane, Frieda Edgette, Alice Fried, Esperanza Tervalon-Daumont, Tara Marchant

14th AD
Female Delegates: Janet Stromberg, Christine Smith, Karen Hemphill, Kristi Davis, Kathleen Klein, Lucy Sells
Male Delegates: Nicholas Yuen, Daniel Kalb, Andres Jimenez, Jason Overman, Donald Goldmacher, Michael Barnet

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Election results

Thanks to everybody who voted this election. We won many seats, secured a strong Democratic presence in Alameda County and throughout California, and unfortunately lost on a couple of crucial propositions. Here are the results of our endorsements:

President of the United States: Barack Obama and VP Joe Biden
9th Congressional District: Barbara Lee
13th Congressional District: Pete Stark
CA State Senate, District 9: Loni Hancock
16th Assembly District: Sandre Swanson
18th Assembly District: Mary Hayashi
Oakland City Council At-Large Seat: Rebecca Kaplan
Alameda County Superior Court Judge, Seat 9: Dennis Hayashi
AC Transit At-Large Seat: Chris Peeples
Alameda Unified School Board: Niel Tam and Ron Mooney

Measures and Propositions:
-AC Transit Ballot Measure-Yes for Measure VV
-East Bay Parks Measure-Yes for Measure WW
-Restriction of Minor’s Right to Choose-No on Prop 4
-Police and Law Enforcement Funding-No on Prop 6

Unfortunately, these ballot propositions passed:
-Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry-Yes on Prop 8
-Redistricting-Yes on Prop 11

Of course there are still absentee ballots being counted, but this appears to be the final results. If you’d like to find out about the status of all Alameda County races, go to: http://www.acgov.org/rov/current_election/index.htm. Here’s the website for state propositions: http://vote.ss.ca.gov. We want to thank everyone who volunteered for precinct walks and phone banks and donated money. Your hard work really paid off, but it’s not over! Let’s remember that President Obama said in his victory speech, change will not come quickly.

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Election Alerts

Election Day is nearing and a lot of work still needs to be done in Asian Pacific Islander American communities!!

Although 65% of APIAs are registered to vote, MANY are undecided about the presidential race. PLEASE, talk to your family members, friends, colleagues—the people who need a little support in order to be civically engaged—and urge them to vote for OBAMA. You know the reasons why. Check out the articles below about a recent study on the Asian American vote.


One Third of Asian Americans Undecided

A recent study on Asian American voting trends shows that 34% of Asian Pacific Islander Americans are undecided between Barack Obama and John McCain. Nationally, the undecided vote is 8 to 10%. One of the reasons for such a high-undecided margin has to do with insufficient voter outreach. APIAs speak several different languages and it would be expensive to translate election material. Thus, adequate information about voter registration, candidates, and issues are not available. For more information on the survey composed by the National Asian American Survey, check out this article written in The San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/16/BARK13HLQ8.DTL


Please join us in voting NO on Propositions 4, 8, and 11.

Poll: Asian Americans oppose gay marriage ban
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A new poll shows that Asian-American voters in California are solidly against a ballot initiative that would outlaw same-sex marriage in the state.
The poll of 1,891 likely voters released Wednesday found that 57 percent planned to vote against Proposition 8, while 32 percent favored the measure and 11 percent were undecided.
People of Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese descent opposed the gay marriage ban by greater margins than voters with Japanese and East Indian backgrounds.
The poll was part of a national survey of Asian-American voting habits conducted by researchers at four universities, including the University of Southern California and the University of California campuses in Berkeley and Riverside.
It had a margin of sampling error of 2.3 percent.
Click on this link for the survey: http://www.naasurvey.com


Three Times is NOT a Charm for this Proposition
Please join us in voting NO ON PROP. 4, an initiative that has been defeated twice already. This proposition “threatens teen safety by mandating parental notification prior to a minor terminating a pregnancy.” Good communication is ideal, but it isn’t the case for every family. Communication between parents and teens is up to them, it should be NOT mandated by the government. The last thing we want is for teens to do something desperate during an already stressful situation because they feel cornered. For more information, go to: http://www.noonprop4.org.


Proposition 11—No Safeguards to Ensure Diversity
During our fall endorsement meeting, Vincent Pan from Chinese for Affirmative Action, spoke on behalf of the NO ON PROP. 11 campaign. What we learned is that even though we would all like for our districts to be more diverse with committee members representative of the community, Prop. 11 will not ensure equal representation; it is too complicated to enact real change. For more information, go to: http://www.noonprop11.org.

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Volunteer for the November election!

Join us as we support REBECCA KAPLAN for Oakland City Council At-Large.
What: Phone Banking for REBECCA KAPLAN
Where: California Democratic Party Oakland Office
1915 Broadway (at 19th St)
When: Thursday, Oct. 23, 5-8 pm
Rebecca's website: http://kaplanforoakland.org

Help us promote NIEL TAM for Alameda School Board
What: Precinct Walking for NIEL TAM
Where: 581 Tarryton Isle, Alameda 94501
When: Saturday, Oct. 25, 10 am-2 pm
Niel's website: http://www.nieltam.com

These dates don't work for you?
Volunteer for the REBECCA KAPLAN campaign by phone banking on any night of the week, 5-8 pm or precinct walk on Saturdays, 10:30 am. Location: Oakland Democratic Party, 1915 Broadway (at 19th St.) For more information or to confirm your participation, call: (510) 681-8641 or email kaplanforoakland@gmail.com

The OBAMA campaign needs your help too! To get involved please contact Debbie Taylor, Regional Field Director of the Oakland Democratic Party at oaklandoffice@cadem.org

Check out our CALENDAR page for up-to-date information on election events.

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November Endorsement meeting

Join us!
November Endorsement Meeting, PDF

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June 2008 Primary - APA Caucus Endorsed Candidates

June 2008 Primary Endorsements
05 May 2008

The APA Democratic Caucus of Alameda County is proud to make the following endorsements for these selected Races and Measures.

State Senator; District 9; Democratic Party
• Wilma Chan, Democratic ..... www.wilmachan.org

Superior Court Judge; County of Alameda; Seat 9
• Dennis Hayashi ..... dh@dennishayashi.com

Council Member At Large; City of Oakland
• Rebecca Kaplan ..... www.kaplanforoakland.org

United States Representative; District 9; Democratic Party
• Barbara Lee, Democratic

United States Representative; District 13; Democratic Party
• Fortney Stark, Democratic

Member of the State Assembly; District 16; Democratic Party
• Sandré Swanson, Democratic

Member of the State Assembly; District 18; Democratic Party
• Mary Hayashi, Democratic

Member of the State Assembly; District 20; Democratic Party
• Alberto Torrico, Democratic

Member, Democratic Party Central Committee; County of Alameda; Assembly District 14


• Elizabeth Echols
• Karen Weinstein
• Cecilia E. "Ces" Rosales

Member, Democratic Party Central Committee; County of Alameda; Assembly District 16

• Mark E. Briggs
• Wayne Nishioka
• Sumi Paranjape
• James H. Oddie

Measure H Temporary Emergency 4-Year Parcel Tax -- Alameda Unified School District (2/3 Approval Required)
To offset severe state budget cuts to Alameda schools, minimize school closures, and protect the quality of education, student safety, class sizes, excellent teachers and staff and to restore prioritized cuts to music, athletics, advanced placement courses, shall Alameda Unified School District levy a temporary, 4-year emergency tax of $120 per residential parcel and 15 cents per square foot for commercial/industrial parcels (see the voter pamphlet), with exemptions for seniors, citizen oversight and all funds staying local.

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Candidate Questionnaires

Candidate Questionnaires are available for members to review:

link to see all responses

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DELEGATE to Dem. Convention-Denver 2008?

District-Level Delegates


Now Available! Click here to file Form A



For an overview of the 2008 Delegate Selection Process, including total delegate numbers and information on filing as an At-Large or PLEO Delegate, click here.


Remember These 2008 Dates: January 15 • April 2 • April 13

If you want to run to be one of California’s 241 District-Level Delegates to the 2008 Democratic National Convention (August 25-28, 2008 at the Pepsi Convention Center, Denver), here are the simple steps you will need to take to get started.

First, you must be a registered Democrat. While Democrats do allow Independents to vote in our Primary, we don’t allow anyone but a “card carrying” Democrat to run as a Delegate.

Second, what is your congressional district? If you don’t know, click here to look up your congressional district. You should also review the 2008 Delegate & Alternate Allocations by Congressional District to find out how many delegates are allocated to your district.

Third, from January 15, 2008 through April 2, 2008, Form A will be available on the California Democratic Party website. You may fill out Form A online or submit via fax. If you file online, we also need your signature on file to be “official,” so be prepared to fax or mail your signed Form A. When filing Form A, you must pledge your support for one presidential candidate. However, should your chosen candidate drop out of the presidential race prior to the Form A filing deadline of April 2, 2008, you have the option to re-file Form A and pledge your support to one of the remaining candidates (sort of like having a “Plan B” for your Form A).

Click here for Complete Form A Filing Instructions

Fourth, start hitting the gym . . . and your community, your work, local clubs, friends, relatives, high school classmates you haven’t seen in 20 years (great excuse to get back in touch) – any registered Democrat who lives in your same congressional district and supports your presidential candidate can attend the district Caucus and vote for you. They can even register as a Democrat right on site – that’s how easy we make it!

You and your supporters attend your presidential candidate’s Caucus on Sunday, April 13 -- although people can arrive earlier, sign in and cast a vote (they don’t need to stick around to hear the speeches or stay until the meeting is over). Voting can begin once a person has signed in and received their ballot. The Caucus will begin at 3pm, (but the doors open at 2pm for people to begin signing in -- and voting if they don’t want to stay. Anyone in line at 3pm will be allowed to sign in and vote.

The key to winning is to invite as many supporters (registered Democrats) who live in your congressional district as possible so they can vote for you. You can also bring signs and pass out literature, buttons, etc. Of course, you can always pick up extra votes by giving an inspiring one-minute speech, which hopefully will focus on your political passion and not the top five reasons you’ve always wanted to visit Denver.

Once the speeches are over and everyone signed in has cast their vote – the votes are then tallied. The presidential campaign committee and the California Democratic Party will notify and confirm all winners in each CD.

These elected Delegates will join more than 4,300 Delegates and 600+ alternates at the Democratic National Convention (August 25-28, 2008 in Denver, Colorado) and be front and center for the exciting speeches, after-hour socials, and one of the largest balloon-drops ever witnessed.

On August 29, 2008 after the confetti has cleared, Democrats will be in the final stretch on the road to the White House.

Downloads
2008 Delegate Selection Plan
How a Democrat Becomes a Delegate in California 2008
Delegate & Alternate Allocations by Congressional District

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MESSAGE FROM Robin Torello, Alameda County Chair

Alameda County delivers for the Democratic Party each and every election. We have one of the highest rates of Democratic registration in the state - and our Democrats vote! In last November's election:

Alameda County's turnout of 62 percent beat the statewide average by 7 percent;

Alameda County was one of only two counties where Phil Angelides won a majority of the vote;

Our other statewide candidates also ran about 20 percent above the state average here. Debra Bowen, for example, got 68 percent of the Alameda County vote, compared to 48 percent statewide;

Alameda County is home to Congressional victor Jerry McNerney, who defeated Richard Pombo in the 11th Congressional District. Among the four counties making up the district, Alameda County accounted for two-thirds of Jerry's margin of victory;

Our Democratically endorsed local candidates won over 86 percent of their races;

In addition to a CDP headquarters in Oakland, Alameda County Democrats organized and operated five local offices. Through these operations we reached thousands of Democrats and distributed more than 75,000 doorhangers by Election Day.

Our Alameda County Democratic Central Committee continues working hard to ensure that the Democratic Party in Alameda County remains strong. Working with an all-volunteer base, we are gearing up to put a Democrat in the White House in 2008. We have set ourselves the task of organizing to reach several key goals over the next two years:

+ Strengthen our ties to our natural allies in organized labor and the environmental, pro-choice, civil rights, women's and anti-war movements;
+ Create informational and training events to encourage greater activism;
+ Reinforce our commitment to winning local offices with candidate training and mentoring;
+ Expand the countywide Precinct Captain program;
+ Increase our emphasis on voter registration, focusing on those communities with strong loyalty to the Democratic Party;
+ Raise the funds needed to carry out an effective 2008 campaign.

In Alameda County, we know we play a crucial role in winning Democratic victories statewide. We are committed to the success of the Democratic Party and will do the work to get it done. Join us and make it happen!

Upcoming Events in Alameda County

March 13, 2008
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Regional Pre-Endorsement Conferences for June 2008 Primary

March 15, 2008
9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Regional Pre-Endorsement Conferences for June 2008 Primary

March 28, 2008 - March 30, 2008
2:00 PM - 2:00 PM
California Democratic Party Annual State Convention


www.cadem.org.

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January 12, 2008 - Presidental Endorsement Vote and Proposition 92

Presidential Endorsement Vote/Props/Caucus Officers
APA Democratic Caucus of Alameda County Endorses Barack Obama for President and YES on Prop 92!!!


January 12, 2008-The Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County is pleased to announce endorsements for the Feb 5 primary election. Key endorsements we would like to announce are for

+ Barack Obama for President
+ YES on Proposition 92, the Community College Initiative

We believe the candidacy of BARACK OBAMA represents a fundamental shift in the direction of both the Democratic Party and the nation as a whole. We wholeheartedly support his themes of progressive change, inclusion, and equality. The Obama campaign is also activating a whole generation of young people and formerly alienated voters to the possibility of change. Vote for Barack Obama for President.

PROPOSITION 92, the community college initiative is a critical reform in educational funding that is our state's best chance to guarantee a college education to all Californians. Community colleges provide access to the economy and upward mobility to all Californians, and especially to immigrants and working families. Prop 92 regularizes funding for community colleges, lowers and stabilizes student fees, and creates more local accountability to voters. Vote YES on Prop 92.

We urge all members of the APA Democratic Caucus as well as friends and allies to actively get involved in the primary election in support of our endorsements.

In order to take a position on candidates or ballot measures, a 60% supermajority vote was required. Instant run-off procedures were used in the presidential candidate endorsement.

The following are the full endorsement results:

Democratic Nominee for President Barack Obama
Prop 91-Transportation reform no longer supported by its initiators -
No
Prop 92- Support for community college students - Yes
Prop 93- Term limits reform - No Position (60% not reached)
Prop 94- gaming initiative - No
Prop 95- gaming initiative - No
Prop 96- gaming initiative - No
Prop 97- gaming initiative - No
Measure A- parcel tax for Children's Hospital - No Position (60% not reached)
Measure B- parcel tax for Children's Hospital - No

In addition to endorsements, the APA Caucus also elected new Board Officers for 2008. Congratulations to our new officers for 2008:

Rob Bonta, President
Jean Fong, Vice President
Suizi Lin, Secretary
Ken Pon, Treasurer

Congratulations to our new Membership Chair, Nicky Gonzalez Yuen.

Thank you, Sarah Kim-Lee and Stefani Komaru, outgoing Board officers, for your service to the Caucus.

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