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2008 News

APAPA's 2008 Holiday Mixer (Acrobat PDF, 276K) was held at the Sacramento Library Galleria in downtown Sacramento on December 8, 2008.

APAPA held its 7th Annual Voters Education & Candidate Forum (Acrobat PDF, 357K) on October 4, 2008. This is APAPA's second major "signature event," following the Internship-Scholarship event in May.  More details are available on the Forum's webpage.

APAPA's Southern California Chapter (SCC) held its 1st San Diego Town Hall Meeting at the Marina Village Conference Center on Sunday, October 12, 2008. The flyer contains more information (Acrobat PDF, 176K).

Thank you letter to Reyes Holdings (Acrobat PDF, 228K) from the Southern California Chapter (APAPA-SCC) for the San Diego Town Hall Meeting held on Sunday, October 12, 2008 at the Marina Village, San Diego. An article and photos about the event are appended to the letter (pages 2 and 3).


Launching an “Everybody Vote” Initiative, Planting the Seed of Chinese-American Political Power. This is an English translation of a Chinese language article article that was written by Hsing Kung, Honorary Chair of APAPA's Bay Area Chapter. This story was originally published in World Journal on May 8, 2008, page B10. Translated by Andrew Li & Clifton Yin (Acrobat PDF, 29K).
 
 

APAPA Participates at CSUS’ Career Fair

By Lucy Oback, APAPA President

    


APAPA participated in its first Career Fair at California State University, Sacramento on October 1, 2008.  The event drew over 1,200 students to the University Union that day. Employers from both the private and government sectors were on-site to discuss career opportunities with the interested students.  The Fair drew businesses from every level of Government, private and non-profit sector. US Customs & Borders, Office of the Governor, Santa Clara University, Wells Fargo, Chevron, Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center and Sports4Kids to name a few.

Aiona Kaufusi, Volunteer , Nia Navulo, APAPA’s office Administrator, and Lucy Oback, Statewide APAPA President, spent the day sharing about APAPA with the college students as the students walk through the long aisles of employers all lined up in a row. Aiona and Nia did a great job sharing about the different programs that APAPA has to offer. The 2008 Forum and upcoming 2009 Internship & Scholarship program flyers were given out to the students. Other materials and event program books were made available to the students.



The Career Fair program was a wonderful experience and opportunity to get APAPA’s name out in the community. Many of the students of diversity had not heard about the organization. We were glad when one student came to the table and shared that she was a recent APAPA volunteer.

  

Another student came by to thank APAPA for giving her a scholarship so she could finish college. She graduates this year with an Accounting Degree.

The next career fair opportunity will be next year at the University of California, Davis. APAPA looks forward to visiting the UC Davis campus and sharing with more students.


APAPA-SCC held its 1st Annual Internship, Scholarship, and Installation (Acrobat PDF, 641K) on September 21, 2008 from 5:30PM-8:30PM at the Mission 261 Restaurant. The purpose of this event was to establish the Student Summer Internship Program in Southern California.


APAPA-CVC held its 1st Annual Fresno Civic Town Hall Meeting (Acrobat PDF, 917K) on September 7, 2008 from 2PM-5PM and 1st Annual Stockton Civic Town Hall Meeting (Acrobat PDF, 808K) on September 10, 2008 from 5PM-8PM for the General Election.


Photos from "One Night One World" Olympics event at Cal Expo on August 8, 2008 are available for download. Thanks, Sacramento! You helped make this a rewarding and memorable community event.
 
 
Photos from the APAPA Membership Drive have been posted. This popular event (Acrobat PDF, 538K) was held July 12 at the Yin Ranch in Vacaville. Our new members and your continued support have helped us to provide much needed programs and services for our communities statewide. Would you like to become a member of APAPA?
 
 
Please join us for the Bi-Monthly APAPA Sacramento Community Civic Forums at the Sacramento Sheriff's Station located on 7000 65th Street, Sacramento, CA 95823 held on the first Monday of every odd month from 5:30PM-8PM. Schedule: 5:30PM-6PM Cost-free Dinner, 6PM-6:30PM Corporate Sponsor Check Presentation, 6:30PM-7:30PM Featured Guest Speakers Program, 7:30PM-8PM Association Business including Community Announcements. For a copy of a prior flyer and agenda, click here (Acrobat PDF, 695K).
 

APAPA's Meet and Greet Program under the direction of APAPA Founder C.C. Yin, was organized and developed to invite legislative or constitutional officers, corporate sponsors, businesses and community leaders to an informal get together to exchange thoughts, address concerns and issues involving our community. Norm DeYoung is Chair of APAPA's Government Relations Committee and the Meet and Greet Program. Read the full article (Acrobat PDF, 277K).


APAPA Governor Appointments Program was established by C.C. Yin, Maeley Tom, Sandy Chau, and former Senator Jim Nielsen and the APAPA Board of Directors to recommend Asian Pacific Islander Americans (API) to be considered for a Governor-appointed position in the California State government. The APAPA's Judicial Appointments Program and Judicial Committee is led by Attorney Dale Minami, Attorney Edwin Prather, Maeley Tom, C.C. Yin, and consultant Jeanette Dong. For a copy of the article and to find out more about the program. Click here.


APAPA hosted a 2008 Community Civic Forum (Acrobat PDF, 1.16M) on Monday, May 5, 2008 from 5:30PM-8:00PM. Featured speakers included: Maeley Tom, CEO of Tom & Associates, Sacramento's incumbent candidate Mayor Heather Fargo, and mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson.  Use the following links to view media coverage of this event:


APAPA Southern California Chapter held its 1st Annual APIA "Making the Connection" Leadership Conference

By Clifton Yin

    
Acrobat version of this article (Acrobat PDF, 277K)

Since its founding in Northern California at the dawn of the 21st century, the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) has grown in leaps and bounds. As a purely non-profit, non-partisan organization, APAPA has served to both educate the community on public policy and encourage new generations of leaders, and has been remarkably successful in both endeavors. May 3rd, 2008 marked yet another milestone in the association’s history – APAPA’s first event in Southern California.


 

APAPA’s new Southern California Chapter, ably led by Anyork Lee, hosted and organized the API Leadership Conference. Mr. Lee was aided by a veritable army of dedicated and talented volunteers.  Assemblyman Bob Huff noted the significance of selecting the AQMD building in the City of Diamond Bar as the venue: “My hometown of Diamond Bar has an Asian and Pacific Islander American population plurality. I was proud to give welcoming remarks to conference attendees and the conference’s great success truly signifies the importance of the growing API community in the Southern California region.”

UCLA professor and former local news anchor Tritia Toyota served as Master of ceremonies. A youth leadership development panel, which included 24 year-old Campbell City Councilman Evan Low, drove home the conference’s general theme of empowerment through civic participation. Perhaps the highlight of the event, however, was the presenting of two Outstanding Public Service awards to mother and son duo former Secretary of State March Fong Eu and former State Treasurer Matt Fong – a superb illustration of the power of generational leadership. The fact that the two are of different political parties only further emphasizes that the importance of partisanship pales in comparison to that of public service.
 		   Guest speakers included State Controller John Chiang, Board of Equalization Chair Judy Chu, Board of Equalization Member Michelle Park Steel, Assemblymembers Ted Lieu, Mike Eng, Bob Huff and Warren Furutani, and USDL Western Region Director Marina Tse and Deputy Director Alex Kim.



Generous statewide sponsors included Johnnie Giles, Comcast; Steve Burns, Chevron; John Hatfield, Southern California Edison; David Ligh, ExxonMobil; Trudi Hughes, Wal Mart; Donna Burke, AT&T; Victoria Horton, California Beer & Beverage Distributors; Dana Williamson, PG&E; Kenneth Yeung, Prince of Peace; C.C. Yin, McDonald’s; Syrus Devers, Verizon Foundation, and Yuji Takahashi, Japan Business Association. Mr. Ligh deserves special recognition for traveling all the way from Sacramento to participate as a panelist to discuss the importance of engaging API Americans in the public affairs process.




The leadership conference was only the beginning. APAPA’s Executive Leadership Team has committed to continuing to build and maintain strong partnerships between businesses, organizations, and the API community. The Southern California Chapter will no doubt be involved in many more exciting activities in the future, from local high school summer internship programs to voters and candidates town hall forums. The spark of leadership has been lit in Southern California, and APAPA’s efforts continue unabated.

Program booklet (Acrobat PDF, 1.08M)
"Making the Connection" Leadership Conference flyer (PDF, 825K)


Did You Know About the APAPA Ambassadors?

APAPA Ambassadors handle requests from the community for support for events. The Ambassadors support APAPA-sponsored events by attending events and promoting APAPA.

Recently, APAPA has supported many community organizations and their events:

  • California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus: California Capitol Tribute to Secretary Norman Mineta

  • Council of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Associations

  • Indus Valley American Chamber of Commerce

  • Northern California Chinese Media Association

  • Council of American-Islamic Relations

  • Asian Community Center

  • Chinatown Mall Revitalization Committee

  • To'utupu'o e'Otu Felenite Association

  • China National Day Celebration Committee

  • 2008 Beijing Olympic Landscape Sculpture Tour

  • Asian American Journalists Association

The Chief Ambassador is Stuart Hing and the Sacramento Ambassador is Dean Lee. If you are interested in more information, please contact Stuart Hing at stuart.hing@comcast.net or (925) 788-5656.
 


2007 News

APAPA supports young Asian leadership with VNA
By David Li    
C. C. Yin the founder of APAPA and other APAPA members like Stuart Hing, Rhoda Hing, Harvey Lewis, David Li, Michelle Lau, Dean Lee, Vicki Beaton and Phan Goh went to celebrate Vision New America (VNA)’s 10 years of involvement in the community with Hsing Kung, Ph.D., the Chair of VNA and Liliana Li, the Executive Director of VNA at the India Community Center, Milpitas yesterday (Nov. 1, 2007).

Vision New America, Inc. a nonpartisan, non-profit organization that promotes civic education and leadership originated in 1996, currently offers over sixty summer internships in offices of elected officials, government agencies, and policy related organizations. VNA hopes to encourage more minorities, especially Asian Pacific Americans (APA), to become more involved in the community, civic process, and government affairs.

Norman Y. Mineta, former Secretary of Transportation was this year’s keynote speaker.


C.C. Yin second from right, Liliana Li third from
right, and Hsing Kung fourth from right with APAPA
members. Photo by VNA		   In addition to keynote speaker Mineta, the event also included a silent auction, live performances, and dancing. State Assembly Member Alberto Torrico, Santa Clara County District Attorney Dolores Carr, San Jose City Council Member Madison Nguyen, San Jose City Council Member Kansen Chu, and Campbell City Council Member Evan Low were in attendance along with many other community leaders.

In order to support spreading VNA’s program and bring in more young generation in California, on behalf of APAPA, C.C. Yin presented Hsing Kung, Ph.D., Chair of VNA a sword that signifies the power of the participation and the power of the young leadership. (Photo below)


Photo by Dean Lee

VNA has graduated over 278 students who have completed over 39280 hours of community internships at over 54 agencies in the Bay Area, Sacramento and Washington D.C., performed over 4930 hours of community service, and registered over 3865 new voters during the last 10 years, and VNA will provide 75 internships next year.


On the Front Lines of Democracy

A Review of APAPA’s 2007 Voters Education Forum

By Clifton Yin


Forum Chair Amy Tong, left, and California
Secretary of State Debra Bowen.

As Californians go about their everyday lives, it becomes all too easy for them to think of public policy as solely the province of politicians in far-off cities. The few glimpses of any government in action come only when they happen to stumble across the Capitol Channel on T.V. There is thus something glorious in the simple act of being able to see your elected representatives speak in person, approach them to shake their hand, and ask them a question face-to-face. Once again, the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) rose to the challenge of providing eager citizens with those opportunities and more. In partnership with generous corporate sponsors and several other community organizations, APAPA hosted their sixth annual Voter’s Education and Candidates Forum on October 28, 2007.

The event was held at the Student’s Union at California State University, Sacramento, a venue made all the more fitting by the legion of young students who showed up to volunteer. Their youthful faces did not seem out of place in a diverse crowd that included people young and old, Hispanic and African-American, Asian and Caucasian – an assembly fittingly representative of the state of California as a whole. Some 2,000 people ultimately attended. As pointed out by Secretary of State Debra Bowen in her opening remarks, all the participants are “on the front lines of democracy.”


Some of the many diverse attendants.

The forum’s financial supporters were as varied as its attendants, with organizations such as AT&T and Comcast on the one hand, and Walmart, Chevron, and Southern California Edison on the other. APAPA truly could not function without partnerships with private groups such as Comcast, whom have generously and consistently supported the organization for many years. The forum was also notable for the many members of the Samoan community in attendance, as well as an even larger contingent of Hmong. Many of the latter had yet to master the English language, but were no less eager to learn all that they could about the democratic process of their adopted country.

  

Steve Westly recognized the unlimited potential that the golden state offers long-time residents and newly-arrived immigrants alike. Citing the example of his wife, the former state controller pointed out, “California is one of the few places where one can go from welfare to great success in one generation.” In his remarks, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell challenged the disparate members of the audience to “continue to work hard, work smart, and work together,” and concluded by declaring “the future is bright for California.” Altogether some 100 people contributed their time as volunteers.

Multiple candidates for Congress and the State Senate and Assembly also spoke in spirited discussions on the issues. Several bloggers, too, were on hand to do some live reporting as the forum unfolded.


Candidates for state office arrayed on stage.

Keynote speaker Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, American Samoa, was particularly pleased with the record number of attendees from communities scattered all across the state. “The greatness of America,” he declared, “lies in its diversity.” He called upon the politically-minded to set high standards for their respective parties, “If you are a Democrat, be a good Democrat, and if you are a Republican, be a good Republican,” and continued by pointing out that it is not enough to merely show up. For California voters, getting educated on the candidates and the issues is a great first step, but getting involved is the next one. “If you’re not at the table,” concluded Congressman Faleomavaega, “you’ll be on the menu.”


Members of the myriad community organizations who volunteered at the APAPA forum.


Author Clifton Yin is a Jesse M. Unruh State Assembly Fellow, 07-08.

Acrobat version (PDF, 179K)


APAPA Helps Youth Become Future Leaders
     
Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) as one of the major sponsors of the Sacramento’s first Chinatown Mall Culture Fair yesterday (Sep. 23, 2007), helped youths to understand how to become the future leaders through the APAPA Community Education Foundation's (APAPA-CEF) Internship program and Voters Education & Candidates Forum on Oct. 28, 2007.

During last two years, APAPA has had 27 college students intern at the Capitol and APAPA-CEF has awarded $27,000 in scholarships to 27 deserving students. Some of APAPA’s award recipients attended UC Davis, UC Berkley, Harvard, University of Southern California, and Sacramento State University.		 About 100 young volunteers from the different volunteer organizations helped doing the decorations, setting up booths and cleaning at the fair. In order to thank those volunteers for getting the word out to more visitors throughout the fair, by the end of the fair, Ming-Shyong Yang (right first), the APAPA Membership Committee Chair, Dean Lee (left first), the APAPA’s Ambassador, David Li (right second), the APAPA Media/PR Committee Chair, issued the Volunteer Award Certificates to Kevin Li, the student of the Leadership Class from Toby Johnson Middle School, Jacky Ng, Kevin Chao, Larmon Luo- the Vice President of Key Club, Emily Chen- the President of Key Club, Kelly Ta, and Ryan Chang from Franklin High School.(see the picture)
 
 

Interested in what goes on at an APAPA committee meeting?
APAPA Planning Committee Holds Bi-Monthly Meeting    
By Nolito

(Sacramento, CA)—The Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA) planning committee held a meeting on Thursday, August 30, 2007 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm. at the Holiday Villa Restaurant in Sacramento, California. About 50 people attended the meeting. While the participants were having dinner of Asian cuisine, Amy Tong, APAPA vice-chair and Forum Chair, distributed information packets to each attendee about the upcoming API Voters Education & Candidates Forum. Event will be held on October 28, 2007, from 2 – 6 pm at the Sacramento State University. The public is invited. Admission is free, food is free, parking is free and a free bus service will be provided to those who come in groups of 20, 30, or 50.		   Each subcommittee chair gave an update on the progress of their respective task. Norm DeYoung and Irv Teranishi, Target Invitation Subcommittee co-chairs stated that they are in contact with the camps of presidential candidates and they are making good progresses. Outreach Invitation co-chair, Charlie Chang, announced that he has talked to representatives of the Veterans Legion in Sacramento and they would definitely be present. Outreach co-chair, Tom Bhe, Media/Promotion chair, David Li and the other subcommittee leaders also spoke about the progress they are making. Sponsorship committee chair, C.C. Yin, enthusiastically reported that he has obtained a significant new sponsor for the event. Highlight of the evening was a group picture taken courtesy of Vicki Beaton, a World Journal reporter and APAPA’s unofficial photographer.
 
 

APAPA’s First Annual Membership Drive was a great success!

July 7, 2007 at the Yin Ranch

    
By Lucy Oback

Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affair’s (APAPA) First Annual Membership Drive and Barbeque was held on Saturday, July 7, 2007. The event drew a crowd of over 500 guests from all around California, including the Bay Area and Los Angeles. CC Yin, APAPA Founder and Chair, hosted the great event on his sprawling ranch beautifully situated near the foothills in Vacaville. How fitting! A modernized barn for the guests to gathered into for food and fun.

Amy Tong, APAPA Vice-Chair kicked off the event by inviting the guests to an East Meets West buffet dinner generously donated by KungFuFats Catering and others. Our head chef James Lew and his crew barbequed up the meats under the warm afternoon sun. The dinner menu included Chinese Chicken salad, Chow Mein, potstickers, corn on the cob, Tri Tip, BBQ Chicken, and hot links. And no dinner is complete without the famous McDonald’s cheeseburgers and apple pies.

Our distinguished guests included Michelle Steele, the first Korean elected as a member of the Board of Equalization and her assistant, Ed Chan, who flew in from Los Angeles came out to support the drive. Mariko Yamada, Yolo County Supervisor, lent a hand by calling out raffle prize ticket winners. Other participants included former Oakland Mayor, Elihu Harris, former Solano County Supervisor, Ruth Forney and Djibril V. Diop representing Senator Leland Yee’s office.

  While the guests were busy enjoying their meals, a variety of entertainments were provided. Henry Lim, the DJ for the evening, put on the music for the different performances and vocalists. The dancers from Sacramento Folk Dance Studio, Red Shoes Dance Studio and Hui O’ Hawaii of Sacramento in their colorful costumes gave us a deeper appreciation for our diverse Asian and Pacific Islander culture. To continue into the spirit of the program, guests got on stage to get a quick lesson on how to hula. After learning the different hip and hand movements, the music started and the guests danced like true Hawaiians.

During the program, Amy Tong and Lucy Oback presented two APAPA Grants of $1,000 each to two college students, Lina Li and Chimeddorj "Oscar" Otgonjargal to help them further their education. Both students were present to receive their award. The APAPA Executive Board was on stage to congratulate the recipients. The evening closed with guests dancing to music of the 80’s in the barn while other sport activities took place outside.

Over 200 people joined APAPA or renewed their memberships, including several new Life Members. The success of the event is credited to Ming-shyong Yang’s, APAPA Membership Chair, leadership and the many volunteers who came to graciously give of their time to help with the event. We look forward to an even bigger event next year!

More Photos from the APAPA Barbeque and Membership Drive are available here.

 

Sponsors of the 2007 Capitol Internship Award, Scholarship Fundraising & Installation Program, which was held May 30, 2007. Click here for a list of our many friends and supporters.


 

C.C. Yin in the funny papers!

Our Founder and Chairman was highlighted in the "Wee Pals" comic strip on Sunday May 6 (see the last frame, "Soul Corner"). The strip is penned by Morrie Turner and it is seen in over 100 newspapers nationwide. "Wee Pals" has an audience of about 25 million. A more detailed bio of C.C. Yin is located here.


APAPA Supports Young Asian Leadership with VNA!  Chick here to read the article.


Congratulations to Amy Tong for an outstanding and successful Voters Forum 2007!


KBTV Global Television brings you a special presentation of the API Voter’s Education and Candidates Forum on November 11, Sunday 7 p.m. This special coverage will include all the speeches and debates from the APAPA voter forum as well as voting information and exclusive interviews. For more information click here to see flyer or go to www.mykbtv.com


The APAPA Appointments Advisory Board invites you to a session on gubernatorial appointments Hosted by Sandy Chau. This workshop is an opportunity to learn more about appointments to state boards and commissions. To view a complete list of boards/commissions and obtain an application form, go to www.gov.ca.gov/appointments 

Speaker: John Cruz, Appointment’s Secretary, Governor’s Office
Date: October 28, 2007
Time: 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.
Location: California State University Sacramento, Hinde Auditorium, 6000 J St, Sacramento, CA
Contact: Jeanette Dong at jeanettedong@yahoo.com
 

APAPA helps sponsor and conducts outreach at the Chinatown Mall Culture Fair. Click here to read more.
 

C C Yin and APAPA to the rescue......... (News clip from Asian Week National. 5kb pdf file)


Mr. C.C. Yin will issue a check for $20,000 towards the 2007 Voters & Candidate Education Forum! Click here for more information.


Bank of the West presents a $5,000.00 check to support APAPA on August 6th in the General Meeting.


APAPA's First Annual Membership Drive was a Great Success. Photos from the APAPA Barbeque and Membership Drive at the Yin Ranch July 7th are available here.


Sponsors of the 2007 Capitol Internship Award, Scholarship Fundraising & Installation Program, which was held May 30, 2007. Click here for a list of our many friends and supporters.


C.C. Yin in the funny papers! Our Founder and Chairman was highlighted in the "Wee Pals" comic strip on Sunday May 6 (see the last frame, "Soul Corner"). The strip is penned by Morrie Turner and it is seen in over 100 newspapers nationwide. "Wee Pals" has an audience of about 25 million. A more detailed bio of C.C. Yin is located here.


APAPA members support the Asian Pacific Islander State Employees Association (APSEA) Foundation Scholarship Program. Ten members of APAPA attended APSEA's annual scholarship event at Holiday Villa Restaurant in Sacramento on April 26, 2007. The Master of Ceremony was Randell Iwasaki, Chief Deputy, CalTrans. APSEA President's Award went to Floyd Shimomura, Executive Officer, State Personnel Board. The Member's Award was presented to Jeffrey Ogata, Deputy Attorney General, Attorney General's Office. The event was well attended by many community leaders and friends that APAPA and APSEA have in common. Photos of the event are available on the APSEA website.
 

OCA National Office Demands Apology from Rosie O'Donnell & The View.

Washington, DC, December 12: The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), a national Asian Pacific American (APA) organization dedicated to ensuring social justice for APAs, is deeply offended by Rosie O'Donnell's mocking and imitation of Chinese newscasters.

On the episode, which aired December 5, 2006, O'Donnell was commenting on an appearance by an allegedly intoxicated Danny DeVito on the show on November 29. In imitating the accents of the reporters, O'Donnell said, "The fact is that it's news all over the world. You know, you can imagine in China it's like, 'Ching chong, ching chong, Danny DeVito, ching chong chong chong chong, drunk, The View, ching chong.'" The statement was then followed by laughter and applause by the audience and her co-hosts.  

O'Donnell has defended her actions by commenting on her official website that Asians should learn to "grasp her humor."

"It is disheartening that the use of phrases such as 'ching chong' continues to be used to stereotype our very diverse community," said Ginny Gong, OCA National President.  "The use of such words is an insult to not only Chinese American, but all Asian Pacific Americans and anyone who supports diversity and tolerance."

OCA Executive Director Michael Lin further added, "We hope that Rosie O'Donnell, the producers of The View at ABC, and the public recognize the insensitivity shown through the remarks and reactions. Our community demands, and deserves a very public apology."

While the phrase "ching chong" is a humiliating ethnic slur usually directed at people of Chinese nationality or ancestry, the use of the phrase is usually directed at anyone of  Asian descent. The phrase and its offensive connotations have been used by other celebrities such as Adam Carolla and Shaquille O'Neal.  In both cases, OCA issued a public statement condemning the racist intentions of the phrases and an apology followed.  

As of today, neither the network ABC, the producers of The View, or Rosie O'Donnell have issued a public apology. OCA is following up with letters to executives at the network, the show and to O'Donnell.

APAPA Responds! APAPA writes to Barbara Walters and Disney-ABC (Acrobat PDF, 77K) to demand an apology.

 

ALERT!  By Tom Bhe, Vice President, APAPA Public Relations

Sacramento City Police Dept Asks Community to Help Catch Nor Cal Serial Rapist

The Sacramento City Police Department (SPD) held a press conference on Monday November 20, 2006 at 11:00 AM concerning the Nor Cal Serial Rapist. The SPD asked the community to help them put this criminal behind bars before he strikes again.

All of rapist's nine known victims have been petite Asian American women. He struck again on October 13th, 2006, assaulting two Asian American women that are between 20 and 30 years of age. Both women live in the Natomas area of Sacramento. 

This press conference is unique because one of the victims from the latest attack courageously came out and spoke at the press conference. This small, but brave woman made the following statement: "I am standing here because I believe in justice and I believe that justice will always win in the end. I hope you do to." She went on to say, "Put a visual in your head of yourself being stalked by a total stranger unknowingly, having a gun pointed to your head, and being tied up inside your own home while being repeatedly threatened with your own life and raped for hours."

More than 30 community leaders (including myself) and elected officials participated in the press conference to express concern and support for the victims. The Asian Peace Officers Association is posting $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of this rapist. Detail of the press conference can be found on the following website: http://cbs13.com/ (link to story no longer valid).

SPD officials said the rapist is likely responsible for at least nine rapes, with incidents reported in Sacramento, Davis, Chico, Vallejo, Martinez and Rohnert Park between 1990 and 2006. The suspect is a man in his late 30s, 5' 8'' to 6' tall, 200 to 250 pounds, with light-brown hair. In the latest attack, the suspect drove a white Toyota 4-Runner Limited with a silver stripe across the bottom of the vehicle.

If you have any information about the Rapist or the Vehicle used during these crimes, please call (916) 433-help or (916) 433-4357. With your assistance, we can put the rapist behind bars before he strikes again. 16 years is too long... Composite drawings of the suspect are attached. Please pass them on to your friends in the community, including those in your Email address book and media representatives.

Be on the Lookout: Suspect and vehicle information (Acrobat PDF, 273K)


A Fulfilling Forum, a Show of Strength Posted March 12, 2007

By any standard, the 5th Annual Voters Education and Candidates Forum of October 2006 was a great success. The event, hosted by the increasingly influential Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA), drew a standing room only crowd of some 1,200 people from all across California. Read the entire article here.

Please note! The address and fax number for APAPA's Sacramento Office has changed.

Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA)
5555 Sky Pkwy #221
Sacramento, CA 95823

Phone: (916) 391-5826
Fax: (916) 391-5825
 


APAPA's 2007 Capitol Internship Award, Scholarship Fundraising & Installation Program

A message from the Event ChairLucy Oback, APAPA-CEF President at the 2006 event, Lucy Oback

Welcome to the APAPA Community Education Foundation's (APAPA-CEF) Internship and Scholarship website.  The 2006 scholarship & internship event was a great success. Plans are currently underway to make the 2007 event even better. We are proud to announce that our next Capitol Internship Award, Scholarship Fundraising & Installation Program will be held May 30, 2007 at California State University at Sacramento. Previously, this event was known as the "Red White & Blue Gala."

Two years ago, Mayue Carlson, APAPA’s Ambassador had a vision of a program that would help Asian and Pacific Islander American youths to become our future leaders. Since the inception of this program, we have had 27 college students intern at the Capitol and APAPA-CEF has awarded $27,000 in scholarships to 27 deserving students. Some of our award recipients attended UC Davis, UC Berkley, Harvard, University of Southern California, and Sacramento State University to name a few. We want to get the word out to more students in other colleges and universities throughout California. If you are college student, please help get the word out to your school and friends.

The success of our program has come from the tremendous financial support we received from a number of corporate and private sponsors. Our list of supporters has included Comcast, Westly Foundation, AT & T, Kaiser Permanente, ExxonMobil, Alza, Culture to Culture, and Andrews KC Wong to name a generous few. We continue to seek more sponsors who share APAPA’s vision and goals. Please consider financially partnering with us as we want to give more college students an opportunity to intern at the Capitol and provide more scholarships to students. And most of all, your investment in our youth will make a lasting difference in the lives of the students and API community.

For more information, please see our flyer. You can email lucyoback@apapa.org if you have questions.

Sincerely,

Lucy Oback
Event Chair
 

News Coverage of the 2007 event:


Program Booklet for the 2007 event, May 30, 2007: You may download individual pages or the entire booklet using the links provided below..

Page Subject Page Subject
1 Cover (PDF, 316 K) 27 Members & Advisors (PDF, 99 K)
2 Comcast message (PDF, 253 K) 28 History of this Event 2005 (PDF, 382 K)
3 PG&E message (PDF, 121K) 29 History of this Event 2005 (PDF, 372 K)
4 Thanks to our Sponsors (PDF, 300K) 30 History of this Event 2006 (PDF, 102 K)
5 Westly Foundation message (PDF, 43 K) 31 History of this Event 2006 (PDF, 383 K)
6 APAPA & Public Policy (PDF, 252K) 32 Sponsorship form for the 2008 event (PDF, 628 K)
7 Letter from Governor Schwarzenegger (PDF, 327 K) 33 Sponsor messages (PDF, 282 K)
8 China Airlines message (PDF, 337 K) 34 Internship & Scholarship Recipients (PDF, 101 K)
9 Vision New America Inc. message (PDF, 391K) 35 Internship & Scholarship Recipients (PDF, 103 K)
10 Greeting letter from Governor Schwarzenegger (PDF, 431 K) 36 Internship & Scholarship Recipients (PDF, 130 K)
11 Greeting letter from Lt. Governor Garamendi (PDF, 575 K) 37 Sponsor messages (PDF, 203 K)
12 Greeting letter from Judy Chu (PDF, 387 K) 38 Culture to Culture message (PDF, 181K)
13 Greeting letter from API Joint Legislative Caucus (PDF, 501 K) 39 Kaiser Permanente message (PDF, 243 K)
14 Greeting letter from Robert Fong (PDF, 290K) 40 PhRMA message (PDF, 356 K)
15 Greeting letter from Sacramento Co. Supervisors (PDF, 347 K) 41 Washington Mutual message (PDF, 288 K)
16 Welcome message & event Chairs (PDF, 301 K) 42 American Honda Motor Company message (PDF, 56 K)
17 Master of Ceremonies Sharon Ito (PDF, 149 K) 43 SF Supermarkets message (PDF, 854 K)
18 Lt. Governor John Garamendi (PDF, 66 K) 44 Faith Cosmetic Group message (PDF, 334 K)
19 Congress Member Mike Honda (PDF, 75 K) 45 Cache Creek Casino Resort message (PDF, 292 K)
20 Commissioner Timothy Simon (PDF, 65 K) 46 Allied Insurance message (PDF, 192 K)
21 Community Service Awards: VNA & CAPA (PDF, 89 K) 47 2007 Event Planning Committee (PDF, 113 K)
22 Sponsor messages (PDF, 306 K) 48 Sponsor messages (PDF, 180 K)
23 Alza message (PDF, 326 K) 49 The New AT&T message  (PDF, 277K)
24 Sponsor messages (PDF, 251 K) 50 Yin Liu McDonald's message (PDF, 369 K)
25 SMUD message (PDF, 319 K) 51 Wal*Mart message (PDF, 249 K)
26 Fat's Restaurants message (PDF, 340K) 52 Chevron message (PDF, 160 K)

Download the entire program booklet for the 2007 Capitol Internship & Scholarship Awards (PDF, 13,492 K; broadband Internet connection recommended)


Scholarship and Internship Forms and Information:


2006 News

 

Vision New America Announces 60 Internship Opportunities for 2007

SAN JOSE, CA December 29, 2006 – Vision New America (VNA), a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase the civic participation of underrepresented groups starting with the Asian Pacific American community, announces recruitment for their 2007 Public Policy and Public Health & Policy Internship Programs.  VNA will be offering 60 summer internships in elected official offices and government agencies.

 

“I am excited to see an increase of young people interested in finding opportunities for civic engagement and leadership development,” said VNA Executive Director Ron P. Muriera. “I anticipate a record number of applicants to our Public Policy and Public Health & Policy Internship programs for 2007.”

 VNA Interns are placed in offices at a local, state or federal level in the Bay Area, Sacramento, or Washington D.C.  Internships are specifically catered to high school, college and graduate students. Combined with community service, voter registration and leadership development courses, each internship program exposes students to the inner workings of government and public policy.  Interns who successfully complete the program’s requirements receive a $300-$2,000 scholarship at the end of their internship. The scholarship amount is based on their placement at a local, state or national level.

Interested high school and college students can obtain the catalog and application at VNA’s website, or they can contact VNA at 408-260-0116.  The deadline for submission of applications is February 2, 2007.

Ron P. Muriera, Executive Director
Vision New America (VNA), Inc.
1922 The Alameda, Suite 208
San Jose, CA 95126

Phone: 408-260-0116, ext. 102
Fax: 408-260-0180
E-mail: ronmuriera@visionnewamerica.org
Website: www.visionnewamerica.org (VNA website opens in a new window).


2006 Holiday Dinner was a great success. APAPA held a holiday diner on Monday December 11, 2006 at the Holiday Villa Restaurant in Sacramento. Many VIP's, APAPA supporters, and many of our partners in the community were in attendance.

Asian American voters flex muscles Item of interest in the Los Angeles Times dated November 11, 2006 (free registration required, LA Times website opens in a new window).


Voters Education and Candidates Forum. The 2006 event was a great success. It was held October 7 at the Sacramento Radisson. The following links contain coverage the event:

 
Progress through Public Service:

How Asian and Pacific Islander Americans Can Contribute to the Community through the Governor’s Appointments. Today, there are more than 4 million API Americans living in California in particular. Two of them serve in the California's congressional delegation, several more are members of the state assembly, and others are on track for election to the state senate. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has recognized the growing strength and contributions of the API American community, appointing dozens of community members to important government positions. It is indeed fortunate that the governor is actively seeking the API American community's support and participation in the political process. Read the entire article here (Acrobat PDF, 27K).
 

2006 Red White & Blue Gala
2nd Annual State Capitol Scholarship & Internship Awards & Installation DinnerTimothy Simon (left) with CC Yin at the 2006 Scholarship-Internship Dinner

The Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA-CEF) successfully held its 2006 State Capitol Internship & Scholarship and Installation, Red White and Blue Gala on May 10, 2006 at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento. The event was well attended by over 250 guests including local government officials, many corporate sponsors, API community organizations, parents, students and guests.

This program was initiated last year by Mayue Carlson, APAPA’s Chief Ambassador. Mayue’s vision was to develop API youth to become future leaders and to serve in the community. The students that are selected for this program undergo a six week summer  internship program at the State Capitol. Each one is assigned to the office of a government official to learn the many facets of governmental process.  Mayue’s efforts quickly bore fruit in the first year. We are aware that interns who worked at the State Capitol last summer now volunteer their services in the community.

This year, the evening started with a reception where guests had an opportunity to mingle, meet and greet, and network before the dinner and program began. Photographs of the gala are available on APAPA’s website (event photos).

The Master of Ceremony this year was none other than our local KCRA Channel 3 Anchor/Reporter Pamela Wu, who did a superb job. She introduced Lucy Oback, APAPA-CEF President/Event Chair who welcomed everyone to the event and thanked the planning committee for their commitment and hard work. Mrs. Oback also recognized and thanked all the sponsors that helped make this event possible. Sponsors of this program include Westly Foundation, Comcast, Kaiser Permanente, AT& T, Mobil Exxon, PhRMA, Vision New America, and Alza to name a few. Many businesses, organizations, and individuals partnered with APAPA and gave generously. With this assistance, APAPA was able to award 15 scholarships to college and graduate students, for a total value of $15,000.

A major highlight of the evening was Guest Speaker Timothy Simon, Appointments Secretary for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mr. Simon was followed by Bruce McPherson, Secretary of State. Many long time APAPA supporters were in attendance, including Senator Mike Machado, Assemblymember Carol Liu, newly elected County Supervisor Jimmie Yee, and Board of Equalization Member John Chiang were amongst the many VIPs that participated. API Community Organizations like Asian Pacific State Employees Association (APSEA), Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), Sacramento Chinese Cultural Foundation (SCCF), World Leadership Group (WLG), California Chinese e-Resource (CCeR), Sacramento Area Formosan Association (SAFA) came out and lent their support.

This year, APAPA-CEF awarded Public Service Awards to Former State Senator Jim Nielsen and API Legislative Senior Consultant Pam Chueh for their commitment and dedicated service in both government and community sectors. Assemblymember Alan Nakanishi and Assemblymember Ted Lieu presented the plaques to the recipients.

Along with recognizing those individuals for their outstanding contributions, APAPA also recognized within their own organization board members who actively participated and committed themselves to supporting APAPA’s vision, mission and goals. In the Year 2005-2006, eight members were recognized for their contributions- Tom Bhe, Vicki Beaton, Peter Chiang, Peter Huang, Cecilia Lew, James Lew, Dean Okimoto and Irving Teranishi.

The new APAPA Executive Board was installed by Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye. Justice Cantil-Sakauye currently serves on the 3rd District, Court of Appeal in Sacramento. The new APAPA Board Members were installed by Judge Russell Hom who presides in Sacramento Superior Court.  

The major highlight of the evening was the presentation of 15 internships of young leaders who will work in the offices of State Legislators. In addition, 15 college scholarships were awarded. This year’s internship and scholarship recipients represent a culturally diverse group, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and East India. Mayue Carlson introduced the student interns and Amy Tong, APAPA President and Scholarship Chair, introduced the scholarship recipients. Each of the interns and recipients came up to receive their certificates and briefly introduced themselves to the audience.

The event ended with the raffling of the table centerpieces generously donated by Mary Liu and raffle gifts donated by the APAPA Board Members. Plans are already underway to make the 2007 Red White & Blue Gala an even greater success.
 

News coverage of the 2006 State Capitol Scholarship & Internship Awards & Installation Dinner:

2006 State Capitol Scholarship & Internship Awards & Installation Dinner Documents


2005 News

APAPA joins with the Asian Pacific State Employees Association (APSEA) for a Holiday Mixer. APSEA’s Annual Holiday Mixer was held on Thursday, December 15, 2005, at Ming Garden Restaurant in Sacramento. The event was sponsored by both APSEA and APAPA. The mixer was an opportunity for both organizations to thank their members for their contribution and support throughout the year. The event was free to all APSEA and APAPA members.

Voters Education Forum, October 9, 2005


1st Annual State Capitol Scholarship & Internship Awards & Installation Dinner
Red White & Blue Gala, June 2, 2005
 
 

This page updated 11/16/2009

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